The population density of an urban raptor is inextricably tied to human cultural practices.

Human socio-cultural factors are recognized as fundamental drivers of urban ecological processes, but their effect on wildlife is still poorly known. In particular, human cultural aspects may differ substantially between the extensively studied urban settings of temperate regions and the poorly studied cities of the tropics, which may offer profoundly different niches for urban wildlife. Here, we report how the population levels of a scavenging raptor which breeds in the megacity of Delhi, the black kite Milvus migrans, depend on spatial variation in human subsidies, mainly in the form of philanthropic offerings of meat given for religious purposes.