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** Vulture Conservation Foundation news bulletin
August 2020
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** You can still celebrate the International Vulture Awareness Day tomorrow on 5 September!
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Tomorrow, it's the day to show our appreciation to nature's clean up crew together!

Let's be honest. Although vultures provide important free environmental services that benefit nature, wildlife and humans, they do not have the best reputation, and they need all the help they can get to change that. During the International Vulture Awareness Day ([link removed]) tomorrow, you can help us change the negative perception of vultures! Challenge your friends to test their vulture knowledge while learning more about the species by joining our Virtual Vulture Trivia Quiz, or by organizing the Vulture Scavenger Hunt with your family to educate children early on about the importance of these magnificent birds!

Participate in the Virtual Vulture Trivia Quiz: [link removed]

Organize a Vulture Scavenger Hunt: www.4vultures.org/vulture-scavenger-hunt

There are other ways you can get involved. If you cannot participate in an activity, make sure to join the conversation online to help us raise awareness about vultures. Follow us on Facebook ([link removed]) , Twitter ([link removed]) , Instagram ([link removed]) and LinkedIn ([link removed]) to stay tuned.

Get involved in other ways: www.4vultures.org/international-vulture-awareness-day-2020


** Bearded Vulture Captive Breeding Course
in Andalusia
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For the fifth consecutive year, a workshop on Captive Breeding of Bearded Vultures will take place in Andalusia. Learn what it takes to breed the species in captivity by Pakillo Rodríguez, the manager of Guadalentín, which is the most important centre of its kind, breeding the most chicks in captivity and specializing in double adoptions. The course will cover both practical and theoretical aspects of breeding the Bearded Vulture in captivity. It will take place between 18 to 20 September, and it will be taught in Spanish. There are only a few places left. For more information and to reserve your place, visit: Taller Cría en Cautividad de Quebrantahuesos en Andalucía ([link removed])


** Latest news about Europe's four vulture species
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** Griffon Vulture
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Perfectly preserved Griffon Vulture vulture fossil from the Late Pleistocene found in Italy ([link removed])

Mama drone' helps feed Griffon Vulture chick in Israel to rescue it ([link removed])

The Griffon Vulture colony in the Eastern Alps is increasing and occupying new areas ([link removed])

Griffon Vulture chicks jump from nest in Serbia following helicopter disturbance ([link removed])

Electrocution and collision: Good and bad news for vultures in Castile and León, Spain ([link removed])

Griffon vulture population in Israel reaches a new high ([link removed])

Vulture Scavenger Hunt — an educational activity for children ([link removed])

Report on wildlife poisoning in Spain between 1992-2017 ([link removed])

Critical EU vote this Thursday to ban lead shot in wetlands – and that matters to vultures too! ([link removed])

Celebrate the International Vulture Awareness Day on 5 September with us! ([link removed])


** Egyptian Vulture
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Egyptian Vultures: the start of autumn migration ([link removed])

Report on wildlife poisoning in Spain between 1992-2017 ([link removed])

Vulture Scavenger Hunt — an educational activity for children ([link removed])

Celebrate the International Vulture Awareness Day on 5 September with us! ([link removed])

Critical EU vote this Thursday to ban lead shot in wetlands – and that matters to vultures too! ([link removed])


** Bearded Vulture
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A Bearded Vulture released in Maestrazgo this year was found dead ([link removed])

Bearded Vulture fledges in Picos de Europa for the first time in decades ([link removed])

Vulture Conservation Foundation's statement on 'repatriation' of the Bearded Vulture in the UK ([link removed])

Report on wildlife poisoning in Spain between 1992-2017 ([link removed])

Vulture Scavenger Hunt — an educational activity for children ([link removed])

Critical EU vote this Thursday to ban lead shot in wetlands – and that matters to vultures too! ([link removed])

Celebrate the International Vulture Awareness Day on 5 September with us! ([link removed])


** Cinereous Vulture
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Portuguese Cinereous Vulture equipped with GPS tag in the nest ([link removed])

Report on wildlife poisoning in Spain between 1992-2017 ([link removed])

Electrocution and collision: Good and bad news for vultures in Castile and León, Spain ([link removed])

Vulture Scavenger Hunt — an educational activity for children ([link removed])

Critical EU vote this Thursday to ban lead shot in wetlands – and that matters to vultures too! ([link removed])

Celebrate the International Vulture Awareness Day on 5 September with us! ([link removed])


** Latest news from our vulture conservation projects
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Vultures Back to LIFE ([link removed]) led by Green Balkans and the Fund for Wild Flora and Fauna, aims to reintroduce the Cinereous Vulture back to Bulgaria since it was declared extinct in the 1980s.

Latest news
One more captive-bred Griffon Vulture ready for life in the Bulgarian wild ([link removed])

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The LIFE Rupis ([link removed]) project, led by Portuguese wildlife organisation SPEA and co-funded by the MAVA Foundation, is working in the cross-border Douro region of Spain and Portugal to protect and strengthen the populations of Egyptian Vultures and Bonelli's Eagle.

Latest news
Egyptian Vultures: the start of autumn migration ([link removed])

Mass vulture poisoning in Guinea-Bissau:
Update on toxicology results and criminal investigation
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The biggest vulture mortality event in the world unfolded in Guinea-Bissau during the beginning of 2020, with an estimate of over 2000 Critically Endangered Hooded Vultures (Necrosyrtes monachus) losing their lives due to intentional poisoning. The Vulture Conservation Foundation (VCF) ([link removed]) , the IUCN's Vulture Specialist Group (VSG) ([link removed]) and BirdLife International (BLI) ([link removed]) have been actively following the incident, pushing the authorities to take urgent action and supporting the investigation. The toxicology results and criminal investigation confirmed that the vultures were deliberately poisoned for belief-based use, and some suspects have been recently identified.

Lethal poisoning of 2000+ Critically Endangered vultures in Guinea-Bissau — Update on the toxicology results and criminal investigation ([link removed])
Research Review
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Research plays a crucial role in the attempt to protect vultures as it can help inform future conservation strategies and actions. Here at the VCF, our staff and board members significantly contribute to vulture studies, and we continually review research carried out by our colleagues to stay up to date with the latest vulture insights. Here are this month's research reviews:

Study shows that painting a single wind turbine blade black reduces bird collision ([link removed])

New study demonstrates prevalence of high lead contamination among raptors, especially scavengers, in Europe ([link removed])
Egyptian Vultures:
The start of Autumn Migration
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It's that time of the year again when Europe's only long-distance migratory vulture, the Egyptian Vulture ([link removed]) , embarks on its long migration journey!

Every year, adult and young birds leave their breeding and hatching places in autumn, travelling from Europe to Africa. Young birds then usually stay in Africa for at least 18 months (sometimes longer) before returning to their natal origins in Europe in the spring, and starting their annual cycle of migration to Africa in the autumn and back to Europe in the spring. After five or six years they reach sexual maturity and try to establish their own territory and form a breeding pair, often not far from where they hatched themselves. Although most Egyptian Vultures in Europe migrate, there are a few exceptions - some birds stay in Europe all year round. For example, the resident Menorca population, some individuals regularly wintering in Extremadura, and elsewhere, like the Italian Egyptian Vulture Diego that remained in Italy last year ([link removed]) instead of migrating.

We here at the Vulture Conservation Foundation follow the movements of several Egyptian Vultures as part of different projects. From late August, several of our Egyptian Vultures equipped with GPS tags already started heading south, signalling the start of the species autumn migration ([link removed]) ! You can keep track of the migratory birds by following our Egyptian Vulture online maps ([link removed]) .

You can track the movements of the other European vulture species we tagged within our different projects and regions by visiting our online public maps ([link removed]) .

Bearded Vulture online maps ([link removed])
Cinereous Vulture online maps ([link removed])
Griffon Vulture online maps ([link removed])


** Watch our latest video
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Cinereous Vultures in Portugal — First-ever nestlings equipped with GPS tags in the Douro

Photo credits: Bruno Berthemy, Mohamed Henriques and Vulture Conservation Foundation
Follow us on social media and keep up to date with the latest news from the Vulture Conservation Foundation.
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If you have any news you would like to share, please contact Eleni Karatzia (mailto:[email protected]) , Events, Outreach and Communications Officer.

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