site.btaSeven Birds of Protected Black Vulture Species Released in Eastern Rhodope Mountains

Seven cinereous (black) vultures were released in the Eastern Rhodopes as part of an initiative to reintroduce this protected species in Bulgaria, the Rewilding Europe Foundation said on Friday. This is the fourth group of black vultures released by the teams of the foundation and the Bulgarian Society for the Protection of Birds (BSPB), bringing the total number of released black vultures to 27.  

The birds arrived in the Eastern Rhodopes in May after being transferred from the partner centre of the Spanish non-governmental organization GREFA (Grupo de Rehabilitacion de la Fauna Autoctona) for the breeding and rehabilitation of rare birds. Before being released, the vultures were equipped with new GPS transmitters that will allow the team to monitor their movements, behaviour, and adaptation.

Data from previous releases show promising results: 20 birds have survived and continue to inhabit the area, with seven of them already occupying nests - some as pairs consisting entirely of released birds, and others in mixed pairs with local vultures from Greece. The vultures feed successfully both at specially constructed feeding sites and outside them, and often gather together with the griffon vultures inhabiting the area.

The released birds mainly explore the Eastern Rhodopes and the neighboring Sakar, but some of them have been observed at great distances - even as far as Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Ukraine, Romania, Greece, Albania, and North Macedonia. "Despite these travels, they spend most of their time in the release area, which is proof of their successful adaptation," the experts said.

The project will continue with at least four more releases until 2029. 

The black vulture (Aegypius monachus) is Europe's largest vulture species. It is listed as "extinct" in the Red Book of the Republic of Bulgaria (2015). The efforts for its reintroduction are carried out within the LIFE Rhodope Vulture project.