Endangered status: near threatened

Region: Pyrenees/ Sierra Nevada/ Alpine Mountain ranges,

Threats: habitat degradation, over hunting (from fear of the species)

References:

• BirdLife International (2022) Species factsheet: Gypaetus barbatus. From http://www.birdlife.org

• VultureConservationFoundation (2022) Vultures: Bearded Vulture. From 4vultures.org

• IUCNRedList (2022) Species: Bearded Vulture. From icunredlist.org

The Bearded Vulture is listed as near threatened by the IUCN (International Union for the Conservation of Nature) Red List. They were most known for their diet which consists of mainly bones, which led to the fear that they killed sheep and small children; this myth resulted in unsustainable hunting of this bird. In the late 1970s the Alpine Reintroduction Project worked on conservation efforts to boost the Bearded Vulture’s population. Current threats for the species include habitat degradation (mainly construction and powerlines), loss of food availability, and indirect poisoning.