JODHPUR, Oct. 22 -- Three different vulture species have been observed grooming each other in the wild in Rajasthan's Aravalli hills, in what researchers describe as the first such documented record in Aravallis. The behaviour, known as interspecific allopreening, was recorded at Kailashpuri village in Udaipur district, where Indian vultures, Himalayan griffons and Eurasian griffons were seen preening one another. The study was conducted by Dr Hemsingh Gehlot of Jai Narain Vyas University (JNVU), Jodhpur, Anil Kumar Sharma of Dr BR Ambedkar Government PG College, Nimbahera, and Narayan Lal Choudhary of Government College, Sirohi. Their findings were published in the Journal of Threatened Taxa. The researchers recorded a total of 623 seconds of grooming among the three species during six hours of observation on January 28, 2025. An Indian vulture spent 296 seconds preening the neck of a Himalayan griffon. In another interaction, a Eurasian griffon groomed an Indian vulture's neck for 162 seconds. The Eurasian griffon also preened the neck and shoulder of a Himalayan griffon for 165 seconds. The team counted 21 vultures at the site during the survey, including 12 Indian vultures, five Himalayan griffons and four Eurasian griffons. While Indian vultures are resident breeders in the Aravalli range, the other two species visit the region during winter. Indian vultures spent the most time on self-preening, at 376 seconds, followed by Eurasian griffons at 300 seconds and Himalayan griffons at 257 seconds. Allopreening, in which one bird cleans another's feathers, may help remove parasites and debris and promote social tolerance among birds. The researchers, however, cautioned that the purpose of the behaviour observed in this study could not be established from a single day's observations. Dr Hemsingh Gehlot said: 'To the best of our knowledge, this represents the first documented observation of interspecific allopreening among three vulture species in the Aravalli region of Rajasthan, as we found no previously published record."...