The Bearded Vulture is increasingly turning its gaze southward

The populations of bearded vultures (Gypaetus barbatus) continue to grow throughout Spain, largely thanks to the recovery of this species in Andalusia, where last year the birth record was broken again, with 11 new individuals, a figure that represents between 25% and 40% of all those born in the international breeding network. The species is increasingly looking south, as the Andalusian government has announced its reintroduction in the Cádiz natural park of Grazalema, which will become the southernmost habitat in the entire European Union for this large scavenger bird (it can exceed 2.80 meters in wingspan) that, however, remains listed in the Red Book of Birds of Spain in the category of “Endangered.”

The Pyrenees remain the main stronghold of the bearded vulture on the Iberian Peninsula, but it is Andalusia, where the species went extinct in 1987 (having previously disappeared from the Picos de Europa), that has seen the greatest expansion in recent years. Here, a dozen breeding territories are already identified, and it is also where the breeding center is located, from which chicks of bearded vultures are released each year to other parts of Spain and other countries.

At the Guadalentín breeding center in the Cazorla, Segura, and Las Villas natural park (Jaén), a total of 90 bearded vultures have been born in the last decade, most of which have been released at various release points in Europe, while others remain to maintain the breeding stock in captivity. In fact, it is planned that the latest hatchlings will be transferred to the Foundation for the Conservation of the Bearded Vulture (FCQ), with two being released in Vercors (France) and three in Cazorla.

Across Europe, it is estimated that there are about 200 breeding pairs, of which about 100 reside in Spanish territory. “The Guadalentín center has already become an international reference for the recovery of the bearded vulture; we have been able to reverse the situation we found ourselves in at the end of the last century,” points out Francisco Rodríguez, director of this Andalusian center located at an altitude of 1,300 meters and managed by Vulture Conservation Foundation (VCF).

Moreover, Rodríguez highlights that the facilities at this center are capable of handling double and triple adoptions of chicks, meaning that, in addition to those born here, chicks from other European breeding centers whose pairs cannot raise them for any reason are also raised.

Seven chicks have arrived at this center, donated by the Aragón government thanks to a collaboration agreement signed two years ago between the two regional administrations aimed at increasing the genetic diversity of the populations released in Andalusia and the Picos de Europa.

The Cazorla, Segura, and Las Villas mountains in Jaén, and Castril in Granada, are the main territories of the bearded vulture in southern Spain, but areas such as Sierra Nevada or the surrounding mountains of Albacete and Murcia should not be forgotten either. However, the Andalusian government has just announced its intention to reintroduce this species in the Sierra de Grazalema natural park in Cádiz, where specimens from the Cazorla breeding center will arrive as part of the Recovery and Conservation Plan for Scavenger Birds of Andalusia in collaboration with the Vulture Conservation Foundation (VCF), a reference entity at the European level. This will be the first time a release site for this species is located outside eastern Andalusia, becoming the southernmost point in the entire European Union.

“The return of the bearded vulture to the Sierra de Grazalema will be a new chapter in the success story of conservation in Andalusia and a way to close a historical circle, returning a symbol to the landscape that should never have disappeared,” emphasized the Andalusian Minister of Sustainability and Environment, Catalina García. In her opinion, this location “allows for a connection between European bearded vulture populations and those in North Africa, which strengthens the future viability of the species.”

Release of young specimens

The bearded vulture reintroduction program carried out by the Andalusian government seeks to achieve a self-sufficient and stable population in the region through the release of young specimens using the technique known as hacking. With this technique, originally used in falconry, the goal is to have the bird assimilate the release area as its birthplace and, therefore, return there to settle and reproduce. Thus, although during the first years they may undertake long movements, when they reach reproductive age—which is late, between seven and ten years—they return to their origins and establish themselves in the territory, “where with a bit of luck they will form a pair and have offspring,” notes the director of the Guadalentín center. The chicks are released at around 90 days of age, and food is provided in the caves through tubes so that they have no contact with humans.

The bearded vulture disappeared from the Andalusian mountains primarily due to hunting and egg poaching. According to the Spanish Ornithological Society (SEO/BirdLife), the main threat facing the species is the resurgence of poison use, an illegal activity that has accounted for over 30% of the fatalities suffered by the bird of prey. However, the Andalusian strategy for eradicating the illegal use of poisoned baits has alleviated this situation in recent years, although threats such as accidents with power lines, chemical pollution, the decline of traditional farming practices, and competition for nesting sites with the griffon vulture still persist.