Endangered bird species

Bearded vultures should no longer disappear from Tyrol

Bearded vultures were wiped out in this country in the 20th century. Now they are back.

(Bild: Hansruedi Weyrich www.weyrichfoto.ch )

The bearded vulture is one of the largest birds in Europe. But it is also one of the most endangered. There are only a few specimens left in Austria. Tyrol's nature parks are working together to keep the bearded vulture here.  

With a wingspan of almost three meters and magnificent plumage, the bearded vulture is not only one of the largest birds in Europe, but also one of the most impressive. After the species was wiped out in this country in the 20th century, attempts to reintroduce it in recent decades are slowly bearing fruit.

Nine breeding pairs in Austria
Last year, there were nine confirmed breeding pairs in Austria, three of them in Tyrol. The population in the entire Alpine region is currently estimated at 300 to 400 animals.

Provincial Councillor René Zumtobel, Elisabeth Weninger and the Director of the Ötztal Nature Park, Thomas Schmarda (from left), hold the silhouette of a bearded vulture made of fabric, which makes the impressive wingspan of the birds of prey tangible.

(Bild: Land Tirol/Neuner)

54,000 euros for bearded vulture management
A dedicated bearded vulture management team has now been set up for North Tyrol to ensure the continued existence of the birds of prey. Over the next three years, the province of Tyrol will provide a total of up to 54,000 euros for this purpose, with around 43 percent being covered by EU funding. "Since the first successful reintroduction in the Hohe Tauern National Park in the mid-1980s, things have been going uphill bit by bit," says a delighted René Zumtobel, Provincial Councillor for Nature Conservation.

The five Tyrolean nature parks Karwendel, Kaunergrat, Tiroler Lech, Ötztal, the Zillertal Alps High Mountain Nature Park and the Department of Environmental Protection of the Province of Tyrol form the central network node of the project under the leadership of Elisabeth Weninger.