The bearded vulture is one of the three large European vultures. The other two are the griffon vulture and the black vulture. In the center of the photo, from left to right, are the griffon vulture, the bearded vulture, and the black vulture, accompanied by ravens and other griffon vultures nearby.

The natural plumage of the adult bearded vulture on the lower neck, chest, and belly is white. When in mating mood, birds of both sexes bathe in mud or puddles rich in iron oxide, which they find in nature. This causes their plumage to take on a coloration ranging from pale yellow to ochre-red.

Did you know that the bearded vulture is depicted on the official emblem (attached photo) for protected sites and territories in Bulgaria? This symbol was proposed by Nikolay Boev (1922–1985) – a Bulgarian zoologist, ornithologist, and conservationist.

The bearded vulture has disappeared from the continental part of the Balkan Peninsula. The last known pairs nested in the “Tikveš” Reserve in Macedonia and the “Dadia” Reserve in Greece until the late 1980s. The last known bird was observed around 2003 in the area between Greece and Macedonia

On April 14, 2025, the Fund for Wild Flora and Fauna (FWFF) celebrates its 25th anniversary — a quarter of a century dedicated to the conservation of Bulgaria’s unique natural heritage.

Over 80% of the bearded vulture’s diet consists of bones. The most preferred are the limbs of sheep, goats (both wild and domestic), and ibex. By feeding mainly on bones and meat from dead animals, the bearded vulture is vulnerable to poisoning, as the carcasses it finds for food are sometimes deliberately laced with poison.

The bearded vulture’s currently preferred habitat consists of rocky and treeless mountain ridges and slopes above the tree line. Nests are located on cliffs at altitudes of 1,200–2,200 meters.

We are thrilled to share this long-awaited moment with you — on May 17, the first three young bearded vultures will be released into the wild in Bulgaria, within the territory of the “Sinite Kamani” Nature Park. This is not only a key step in the implementation of the Bearded Vulture Life project but also a historic moment for nature conservation in Bulgaria.

On the national holiday, we received an alert from the griffon vulture Búval, donated by Paris Zoo (Parc Zoologique Paris), equipped with a GPS transmitter, indicating poisoning in the area of the village of Moshtanets, Blagoevgrad municipality, within the Natura 2000 zone Oranovsky Gorge – Leshko. A rapid site visit revealed a cow sprinkled with poison and two dead vultures nearby.

The 2025 breeding season for cinereous vultures in the Balkan Mountains has begun. Occupation and refurbishment of nests, copulations, and intense courtship flights have been observed.

Bearded vultures in breeding centers and zoos in Europe have started their 2024-2025 breeding season. This is especially important for Bulgaria, as it will provide the three chicks for the first release of the species in the country in 2025, in an effort to restore the species after a 50–60 year absence.

A flock of nearly 1,000 sheep moves between different pastures in Kotel Mountain to influence valuable grassland habitats, which vultures in the area regularly visit. Without grazing, these areas quickly become overgrown with ferns, shrubs, and trees (succession).

The record for Black Vulture breeding in Bulgaria was broken in 2024. For the first time in the species’ modern history in the country, seven chicks hatched in one year following the start of the reintroduction program in 2018. Five chicks survived and were wrapped with transmitters in their nests in the Balkan mountain.

The area chosen by some of the released Cinereous vultures in Balkan Mountain for long stays and likely nesting in 2023/2024 is under fire up to 15000 ha coniferous and deciduous forests, permanent crops, pastures, houses, livestock barns, and more were burned.

Two of the four released Cinereous vultures have permanently settled in the Kresna Gorge, exploring the area and staying near the feeding site. They have started a core group that will attract, retain, and establish more birds of this species here.

International meeting organized by the LIFE SUPport project in Croatia. Representatives from the Society for the Protection and Research of Birds in Serbia visited the Kresna Gorge.

Nine Cinereous vultures were transported to the Kresna Gorge in Bulgaria. The birds were tagged and will be acclimated in the aviary before being released into the wild. They were donated to our country by Spain.

The Cinereous Vulture in 2024 already has a national population of 18- 20 pairs. The Griffon vulture national population exceeds the psychological threshold of 200 pairs and is now in the range of 202-209 pairs.

The Bioparc Conservation distributed 524,025 euros to 37 projects in 2023 to save endangered species around the world. Over 4 million euros have been donated since 2001 to conservationists and NGOs on four continents. Vultures reintroduction in Bulgaria is a part of those projects.

The three pairs of Cinereous vultures from 2023 continue to thrive in the same configuration, with an additional two pairs from 2023, who were moving together but have now reached sexual maturity.

This remarkable tally contributes to a national record of 523 griffon vultures, nearly half of the Balkan population (excluding islands). The combined count across all four reintroduction sites in the country—East Balkan Mountain, Vrachanski Balkan, Kresna, and Central Balkan—reached a historic high of 197 individuals.

A century ago, the first captive bearded vultures in the world were bred in the Sofia Royal Zoo of Ferdinand I. From 1916 to 1924, the pair of Bearded vultures managed to raise 8 chicks in the following years. The young are released in the Alps.

From 14 to 17 November 2023, a significant event took place: the 2nd European Vulture Conference in Cáceres, Spain, which brought together over 400 specialists worldwide working on the study and conservation of vultures.

Mapping watering places mainly in Kotel Mountain and (re)create of tens of fountains with troughs, small ponds, reservoirs. Bai Husein has taken on the role of mentor to our colleague, Stamen Stanchev. Together, they are working to revitalize the once-dry troughs of ancient mountain fountains, ensuring that the cool, gushing water flows once again.

The FDFF maintains a 60-decare enclosure in Levka with 65 fallow deer for the Deer Release Program, which supports vultures. Releasing deer into vulture reintroduction sites enhances their natural food supply, reducing predator attacks on domestic livestock and minimizing human-predator conflicts.

At the “Knowledge for Natura 2000” project in Bansko we addressed the prevention of predator poisoning, shared detection protocols, and highlighted the severity of the issue in front of state representatives from national and nature parks and wildlife agencies.

On Sep 25, 2023, in Sofia, we officially launched “Bearded Vulture LIFE” (#101113869 LIFE22-NAT-BG-Bearded Vulture LIFE), whose goal is to bring back the Bearded Vulture, which has disappeared from nature. It unites the efforts of 8 partners from 3 European countries.

FDFF has initiated improvements of own livestock farms at vulture reintroduction areas. Farms keep autochthonous breeds of livestock in Kotel and Kresna Gorge. They provide a consistent food source for vultures and serve as headquarters for project staff and volunteers.

In the summer of 2023, a group of griffon vultures from the Kresna Gorge (over 30) spent their summer in the Rila National Park and Rila Monastery Nature Park. It marked the first year of a new griffon vulture colony in Kresna Gorge, choosing Rila over Pirin.

On August 1st, an international project titled “Life for the Bearded Vulture” was launched to reintroduce the Bearded Vulture, a symbol of Bulgarian nature protection to Bulgaria and the Balkan Peninsula.