The species account for bearded vultures in Armenia within the National Atlas Book – The State of Breeding Birds of Armenia, has just been published. It reveals there are 11-12 breeding pairs of this species in the country, and that in the last decade the population seems to be stable. Interestingly, there is evidence that one new pair established itself near a new poultry farm. The main threats identified have been direct persecution for trophy or to have the animals as pet. Poisoning is also a threat. Previous estimates for the species in the country (BirdLife International 2015) suggested there were 15-25 breeding pairs, so this data further qualifies the distribution of the species in Armenia.
You can read the account at http://www.abcc-am.org/bearded-vulture.html
For further information please contact Karen Aghababyan at karen@aua.am
Photo: Bruno Berthemy-VCF
