Ernest Garcia
Well-known member
Good news regarding vultures anywhere is hard to come by these days but recent breeding census results from Spain are encouraging. The 2017 census of Griffon Vultures found over 35,000 pairs, some 25% more than in 2008. The very interesting details may be found in the recent monograph 50 of the Spanish Ornithological Society, available on their website (https://www.seo.org/2019/09/06/censo-buitre-leonado-2018-espana/) – in Spanish with English summary. During the same period the Black Vulture population in Spain has increased by 30% to at least 2,544 pairs. The Egyptian Vulture population increased overall by 3% to 1,490–1,567 pairs, although still showing declines in some regions. The Bearded Vulture population in the Pyrenees in 2018 comprised 125 definite territories plus 141 probable territories. Also in 2018 re-introduced Bearded Vultures established two breeding pairs in Cazorla, Andalusia and a reintroduced female paired with a wild-origin male in the Picos de Europa, Asturias. Vultures benefit in Spain from abundant food, secure nest sites and greatly reduced persecution. However, the recent authorisation of diclofenac as a veterinary drug by the European Union is a potential calamity that is being urgently addressed by SEO/Birdlife.