BirdNote®

Bearded Vultures Return Home to Europe

By Monica Gokey



This is BirdNote.



The Lammergeier (LAM-ur-guy-er), or Bearded Vulture, was once the king of the skies above mountainous Eurasia.



[BEARDED VULTURE https://www.xeno-canto.org/explore?query=bearded%20vulture - XC191640]



With a gargantuan wingspan and a distinctive black tuft of a beard, the Bearded Vulture was believed to kill livestock and steal babies. But the Bearded Vulture actually feeds almost exclusively on bones, not babies. It drops the bones from high in the sky to crack them open, and then swoops down to eat the marrow.



Partly due to the bird’s large size and stark appearance, it was persecuted across much of Europe and eventually it disappeared. European skies have been mostly devoid of its high-pitched call since the early 20th century…(pause) that is, until recently.



[BEARDED VULTURE https://www.xeno-canto.org/explore?query=bearded%20vulture - XC144936 - sounds are from the Alps]



Since the late 1980s, efforts have been under way to introduce captive-bred Bearded Vultures to the species’ historic range in France and Spain. And it’s been a success.



Today, a stable population of a-hundred-sixty wild-breeding pairs live in the Pyrenees, where a few decades ago there were none.



Although the Bearded Vulture is still the rarest vulture in Europe, its future is looking a little bit brighter. And that’s news worth whistling about.



[BEARDED VULTURE high-pitched whistle https://www.xeno-canto.org/explore?query=bearded%20vulture - XC144936]



For BirdNote, I’m Mary McCann.

If you ever miss a BirdNote, you can always get the latest episode. Just tell your smart speaker: "Play the podcast BirdNote." Learn more on our website, BirdNote.org.

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Producer: John Kessler

Executive Producer: Sallie Bodie

Editor: Ashley Ahearn

Associate Producer: Ellen Blackstone

Assistant Producer: Mark Bramhill

Bird sounds courtesy of xeno-canto. XC191640 recorded by Mike Nelson. XC144936 recorded by Fernand Deroussen.

BirdNote’s theme was composed and played by Nancy Rumbel and John Kessler.

© 2020 BirdNote March 2020 Narrator: Mary McCann



ID# lammergeier-02-2020-03-20 lammergeier-02



https://rewildingeurope.com/rewilding-in-action/wildlife-comeback/vultu…

http://4vultures.org/