Another successful Bearded Vulture (Gypaetus barbatus) breeding season has passed at the Bearded Vulture Captive Breeding Centre of Guadalentín. The center, located in midst of the lush greenery of the Las Villas Natural Park in Andalucia, has a strong track record of consistently increasing the number of laid eggs and chicks hatched from season to season.
During the 2023-2024 season, 12 Bearded Vultures eggs were laid of which 11 chicks hatched. The number of chicks hatched within this season is the highest we’ve recorded in Guadalentín so far.
All these chicks have a special purpose. Will they be released to help restore the wild populations of the species across Europe or will they remain in captivity to produce the next generation of birds that will be released?
Successful breeding season 2023-2024
The first signs of the start of the breeding season occurred at the end of September, which is a typical time for pairs to begin mutual grooming and nest building.
Egg-laying usually occurs three months after nest building and anywhere between 50 and 90 days after copulation. Bearded Vultures typically lay one or two eggs per season. In the wild only one chick survives due to an evolutionary bejaviour called ‘’cainism’ where the older and stronger chick attacks its younger sibling. However, in captivity we separate the second chick in an effort to promote its survival and increase the number of chicks bred in captivity.
Guadalentín specializes in double and even triple adoptions, a method developed to allow Bearded Vultures to safely raise more than one chick at a time. This method, in turn, allows the centre to adopt and raise chicks from other partners of the Bearded Vulture Captive Breeding Network, ensuring the young birds will grow up with wild instincts, allowing them to survive in the wild and become parents themselves.
This year a total of 12 eggs were laid by six different pairs: Lázaro & Nava, Josef & Keno, Borosa & Toba, Elías & Viola, Andalucía & Salvia and Montero & Nona. From these 12 eggs, 11 chicks hatched, of which one died during adoption.
This year, to name the chicks we have chosen nicknames from the theme of emperors of the Roman empire. The chicks received their official names once released.
Meet the Bearded Vulture chicks of Guadalentín
BG1199 “Julio César” that turned out to be “Julia”, after discovering that she is a female. This chick of Lázaro and Nava was the first one to hatch this season. She hatched already on the 2 February 2024 with a weight of 164,1g. Unfortunately, Julia was born almost completely blind. Due to her vision problem, adoption was not possible, and only way to secure her surviving was hand feeding and therefore she will be raised entirely by Guadalentín’s staff.
Due to her visual impairment, Julia cannot breed or survive in the wild. Despite her limitations, Julia serves an important role as a species ambassador. She will make occasional appearances at educational events, allowing people to learn about Bearded Vultures and realise their magnificence. Julia already made his public debut. During the release event in Cazorla and Sierra Nevada in June 2024, she left a lasting impression on all who saw her, especially the school children who had the opportunity to appreciate this majestic species making a comeback in their region. Julia makes a great conservation contribution for education and awareness, particularly, bringing these birds closer to kids – the generations that hopefully will protect this precious species in future.
Since Julia is specifically raised with close contact to people, she doesn’t get stressed by human presence, noise, or interaction and her well-being is highly considered at these events. Julias attendance at the release events also means there is no need to stress the birds being released in the wild by presenting them to the public. Using her for educational purposes is therefore beneficial in many ways.
BG1202 “Trajano”, a chick of Josef and Keno was the second one to hatch on 8 February. Trajano weighed 132,3g and its evolution in the laboratory was perfect. It was adopted by the couple Andalucía and Salvia and grew healthily. Trajano later got named as “Terre” and was released in Grands Causses on 16 May 2024 as part of the LIFE GypACT project.
BG1203 “Adriano”, another chick of Lázaro and Nava hatched the next day, 9 February, weighing 157,5g. Adriano had to be assisted in its hatching as it could not be born on its own but its further development has been perfect. Adriano was adopted by its biological parents Lázaro and Nava. Adriando will stay in Guadalentín for breeding.
BG1206 “Severo”. another chick of Josef and Keno, hatched on Valentines Day 14 February. Severo hatched with a weight of 129,5g and had normal development. With 10 days of age it was transferred at the FCQ´s centre in La Alfranca, Zaragoza.
© Bearded Vulture Captive Breeding Centre of Guadalentín
BG1207 “Marco Aurelio”, a chick of Borosa and Toba, hatched also on 14 February. Similar to Severo, its weight was 132,7g and development was normal. First Marco Aurelio was successfully adopted by the female Keno as aone. After that, it was adopted by the female Nona as alone. Marco Aurelio is the first chick that Nona has ever raised – well done to this new adoptive mum for doing an excellent job! Marco Aurelio later got named as “Tornado” and was released in Grands Causses on 16 May 2024 as part of the LIFE GypACT project
BG1211 “Nerva”, another chick of Borosa and Toba, hatched on 20 February with a weight of 121,1g. Its development in the laboratory was perfect; it was a very active and clever chick. At 7 days old, it was adopted by the pair Montero and Nona. Initially, the male Montero accepted the chick. However, an hour later, Montero misinterpreted the chick’s movement in the nest, leading to him grabbing the chick’s head with his beak which unfortunately, resulted in the chick’s death.
During adoption, The staff at the conservation centre are typically extra vigilant during the adoption process, closely monitoring how the adult birds behave, as some species can be particularly particular and picky when it comes to accepting and caring for chicks. This is done to try to avoid injuries or deaths of the chicks during the adoption. Despite these precautions, incidents like what happened with Nerva cannot always be completely avoided. The behaviour and instincts of the adult birds can sometimes lead to unexpected and tragic outcomes, even when the staff is closely observing the process. While the loss of Nerva is unfortunate, these types of incidents can provide valuable learning opportunities for the staff and researchers involved in these conservation efforts.
BG1215 “Augusto”, a chick of Montero and Nona, hatched on 25 February weighing 176,2g. Despite swallowing meconium at birth, no treatment was needed and its development was perfect. Augusto was successfully adopted by the female Viola as a lone chick. Augusto later received the name “Guaita” and was released in Maestrazgo, Spain along with two other females.
BG1216 “Tiberio”, a chick of Elías and Viola, hatched on 25 February with a weight of 156,5g. Tiberio developed perfectly in the laboratory. On 7of March, when it was 11 days old, it was transferred to the FCQ´s centre in La Alfranca, Zaragoza
BG1221 “Teodosio”, a chick of Andalucía and Salvia, hatched on the 26th of February 2024 weighing 149,6g. Born from an egg with a very thin eggshell that had two breaks along its main axis, the Guadalentín staff were initially doubtful of its survival. However, to everyone’s surprise, even though hatching had to be assisted by the staff, Teodosio’s development was normal. At 7 days old, it was first adopted by the female Nona as a lone chick, but this did not work out. Finally, it was adopted by the female Keno, and this adoption was successful, despite the fact that she was already raising BG1207 Marco Aurelio. At the end of May 2024, Teodisio was released in Vercors, France as part of the LIFE GypACT project and received the name Fuego.
BG1229 “Lucio Vero”, another chick of Elías and Viola, hatched on 4 March 2024 with a weight of 151,9g. The hatching took place in Nona’s nest at 4 am. Nona focused on incubating the shell remains, leaving the chick half buried in wool and alone. At 4:20 am, the chick was removed from the nest to prevent it from dying of cold and was moved to the centre’s laboratory. Its development in the laboratory was perfect. Initially, it was adopted by the male Elías as a lone chick, which went very well. One week later, it was adopted by the female Viola, who was already raising Augusto (BG1215), and this adoption also went smoothly. At the end of May 2024 Lucio Vero was released in Vercors, France as part of the LIFE GypACT project and received the name “Boreale”.
BG1238 “Vespasiano”, a chick of Montero and Nona, hatched on 11 March 2024 with a weight of 159g. Its development in the laboratory went well. It was adopted by the male Elías as a lone chick after the chick he was previously raising was removed; this adoption worked perfectly. Vespasiano was released in Grands Causses in June 2024 as part of the LIFE GypACT project and received the name “Tourmente”.
Additionally, Just after Severo and Tiberio were transferred to Aragon, (FCQ breeding centre in La Alfranca, Zaragoza), two Pyrenean chicks were transferred from there to Guadalentín. One of them (BG1219) was adopted by Lázaro and Nava and another (BG1248) was adopted by Keno. Both were released in Cazorla, Spain.
Adopted by Lázaro and Nava.
© Bearded Vulture Captive Breeding Centre of Guadalentín
Adopted by Keno.
© Bearded Vulture Captive Breeding Centre of Guadalentín
What happens next?
All of these young vultures serve a crucial role — whether they got released into the wild to help reintroduce Bearded Vulture populations or became part of the captive stock, where they will mature into healthy adults and produce chicks for conservation efforts.
Consistent breeding success only possible through collaboration
This breeding success is a testament to the unwavering commitment of the Junta de Andalucía, combined with the steadfast conservation efforts of the Bearded Vulture Captive Breeding Network and our dedicated staff at Guadalentín.
Guadalentín is one of the most significant centres within the Bearded Vulture Captive Breeding Network, coordinated by us here at the Vulture Conservation Foundation (VCF) on behalf of EAZA‘s EEP (Bearded Vulture EEP).
Within the the Bearded Vulture captive breeding network, we collaborate with 40+ European institutions such as zoos, private collections and specialised breeding centres to optimize breeding outcomes and maintain conservation efforts across Europe. For decades, we have been releasing captive-bred Bearded Vultures across Europe to restore local populations in areas where the species became extinct or are under threat. VCF oversees global captive Bearded Vulture efforts, ensuring coordination and adherence to EEP guidelines.