However you refer to the Bearded Vulture, in whatever language, you cannot fail to be in awe when fortunately given the chance to observe this magnificent bird. 

The Bearded Vulture (Gypaetus Barbu), also known as the Lammergeier or Gypaète Barbu, lives for around 30 years. At 6 years old, its annual mortality rate is approximately 5 %. The adult birds begin breeding only at the age of 8 years, producing on average one fledgling every 3 years. The growth in numbers of the population is therefore extremely slow. Even a slight increase in death rate or disturbance to success in breeding can drastically affect the development of the population.

Unfortunately, there are many risks for the Bearded vulture, associated with its life in the mountains :
  1. collision with overhead cables
  2. poisoning and intoxication by contamination and pollutants which accumulate in the food chain
  3. interference with reproduction from human activities, such as general aviation and free flying, outdoor and mountain sports, photography.

By the beginning of the twentieth century the Bearded Vulture was totally extinct in the Alps. Although there is room for some optimism, it remains one of the most endangered species in Europe. After thirty years of programmes of reintroduction throughout the alpine region, in 2014 only 23 couples reproduced successfully, 9 of them in France. For this reason, the Bearded Vulture is the subject of a National Action Plan (PNA - Plan National d'Actions in France), which guides the restoration and conservation of the species.
source: The project LIFE-GypHelp

The 'Gypconnect' project seeks to encourage a sustainable, transiant population from the Alps through the Grand Causses to the Pyrenees.  Click on the image right to find out more.
VCF breeding & release programme
We follow closely the Bearded Vulture captive breeding project via the Vulture Conservation Foundation.  The Bearded Vulture is one of the very earliest egg layers, mating in Oct/Nov with the first egg arriving early January.  This enables the vultures to benefit from the birth (placenta, etc or stillborn) of other later high mountain mammals & birds in early spring but is a high risk strategy in the snowbound often atrocious weather of the high mountains in mid-winter.  There are feeding projects to assist the vultures in certain areas.  There have been a number of successes each year and the Bearded Vulture's future looks reasonably secure.

If you would like to know more about the Bearded Vultures here in the Pyrenees, then please contact us. 

mailto:contact@pyrenees.site

Visit the Vulture Conservation Fopundation website: http://www.4vultures.org/
M2M