{"id":36066,"date":"2023-09-21T18:28:57","date_gmt":"2023-09-21T15:28:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/4vultures.org\/?p=36066"},"modified":"2025-05-05T15:46:48","modified_gmt":"2025-05-05T12:46:48","slug":"after-being-rescued-from-the-nest-cinereous-vulture-aquis-is-back-in-the-wild-life-aegypius-return","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/4vultures.org\/pt\/blog\/after-being-rescued-from-the-nest-cinereous-vulture-aquis-is-back-in-the-wild-life-aegypius-return\/","title":{"rendered":"After being rescued from the nest, Cinereous Vulture \u201cAquis\u201d is back in the wild \u2013 LIFE Aegypius Return\u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"

Cinereous Vulture Aquis was still too young to fly when the projeto LIFE Aegypius Return<\/a> team brought it down from the nest to tag him and check his health condition. A strange lump was visible over the bird\u2019s eye. Concerned about its cause and potential consequences, the team transferred Aquis to a wildlife rescue centre instead of returning the chick to the nest.\u00a0After surgery and rehabilitation, Aquis was finally released this Tuesday in Tejo International Nature Park, Portugal. In the wild, for the first time as a flying juvenile, it has been exploring the southern area of the nature park.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Cinereous Vulture Aquis before the release in Parque Natural do Tejo Internacional (PNTI) Portugal \u00a9 Paulo Monteiro<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Cinereous Vulture Aquis takes flight! Release in Parque Natural do Tejo Internacional (PNTI) Portugal \u00a9 Paulo Monteiro<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

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Cinereous Vulture Aquis hatched in the Tejo International Nature Park.\u00a0\u00a0<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

During this breeding season, the LIFE Aegypius Return monitoring teams, with the support of ICNF, Quercus and Rewilding Portugal, have attentively followed the pairs and their chicks\u2019 development in the four Cinereous Vulture colonies. The male Aquis hatched in the Tejo International Nature Park<\/a>, in a place called \u00c1guas de Ver\u00e3o (Castelo Branco, Central Portugal) from which he got his name: aquis <\/em>means water (\u201c\u00c1gua\u201d) in Latin.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

From a safe distance, with the use of telescopes, our vulture experts can determine the right moment to tag the hatchlings in the nest<\/a>. It is a complex calculation, as the chick should be big enough to hold the GPS transmitter but still unable to fly to prevent it from falling off the nest. In July, the team concluded that Cinereous Vulture Aquis was ready to be tagged and prepared the operation to bring it down from the nest.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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A strange lump on Cinereous Vulture Aquis\u00a0<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

The tagging operation involves skilled technicians, from experienced climbers to veterinarians and conservation biologists. A health check-up is performed, and biological samples are collected, which allows us to find out the hatchlings\u2019 sex and collect their genetic information, among other valuable information.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

This year, 15 Cinereous Vulture hatchlings were tagged <\/a>and returned to the nest, but that was not true for Aquis. When the bird was brought down from the nest, the monitoring team was surprised to find a large lump over its eye. Unable to determine the cause of the protuberance, the team transported it to CERAS – Centro de Estudos e Recupera\u00e7\u00e3o de Animais Selvagens<\/a>, a wildlife rescue centre managed by Quercus Association<\/a>, instead of returning the chick to the nest.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Aquis with a visible lump over its eye \u00a9 Paulo Monteiro<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

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Rehabilitation at CERAS Wildlife Rescue Centre <\/h4>\n\n\n\n

As Aquis arrived at CERAS, it was submitted to surgery by the veterinary team. With the biological samples collected, a histopathology laboratory analysis (related to diseases in tissues) was run and tested for avian pox.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Aquis was lucky. The results indicated an extensive inflammatory process associated with bacterial colonies, but no viral infection was found. Although no inclusion bodies were retrieved during the surgery, the lump was probably a response to the penetration of a foreign body, with bacterial contamination.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Cinereous Vulture Aquis before, during and after the surgery at CERAS \u00a9 CERAS<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

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Back in the wild: Aquis is free again<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

To ensure the bird fully recovered before returning to the wild, Aquis was kept in captivity with minimum human contact to avoid imprinting it. Some weeks after the surgery, the inflammation was healed, but the team at CERAS decided to wait until the bird could fly independently.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On 19 September 2023, Cinereous Vulture Aquis was released in the Tejo International Nature Park in a closed event with the participation of SPEA<\/a> (the partner responsible for monitoring the Tejo\u2019s colony within LIFE Aegypius Return), Instituto da Conserva\u00e7\u00e3o da Natureza e das Florestas<\/a> (ICNF) and Quercus. Ahead of the release, Aquis was fitted with a GPS transmitter, which enables us to follow its movement on its adventures across the Iberian Peninsula. So far, it has been exploring the surrounding area, always keeping a short distance from the vulture feeder at Monte Barata.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The release of Cinereous Vulture Aquis in PNTI Portugal \u00a9 Ant\u00f3nio Marques<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

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The importance of monitoring Cinereous Vulture colonies <\/h4>\n\n\n\n

This story has a happy ending thanks to the committed team and interdisciplinary approach of the LIFE Aegypius Return project. The monitoring teams have been in the field<\/a> since early February, looking for new pairs and confirming breeding success in Portugal\u2019s four Cinereous Vulture colonies.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Monitoring and tagging chicks in the nest provides an opportunity to check their health condition and act swiftly in case they need to be rescued or rehabilitated, just as it happened with Aquis. These interventions help us increase breeding success and nestling survival. In addition, thanks to the data collected, we are able to analyse population dynamics, map their expansion and foresee potential areas where nesting and habitat conditions can be improved. Soon, we will reveal an updated estimation of the breeding success in Portugal this season, stay tuned.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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