This gaudy-faced vulture was historically abundant, range widely across the Indian subcontinent, and also eastwards to south-central and south-eastern Asia, extending from India to Singapore.

The red-headed vulture population has essentially halved every other year since the late 1990s, and what once was a plentiful species numbering in the hundreds of thousands has come dangerously close to extinction in less than two decades.

[1] A significant factor in the rapid decline of Red-headed Vulture populations since the 21st century is the pharmaceutical NSAID diclofenac, used to treat livestock.

This substance has proven highly toxic to vultures, leading to mortality from renal failure and visceral gout.

Recent findings indicate that Red-headed Vulture populations in India have shown signs of recovery following a ban on diclofenac, suggesting the drug's adverse effects on the species.

[1] Incidental mortality occurs in Cambodia due to the widespread use of poisons for catching fish or waterbirds at trapeangs (waterholes).

As a result, the Red-headed Vulture may have limited access to suitable feeding opportunities, potentially affecting its survival and contributing to its population decline.