Vulture Conservation Foundation

14/10/2026

This year, the collaboration between the Vulture Conservation Foundation, BRCC and Central Asian Vultures resulted in three Cinereous Vulture chicks tagged in Uzbekistan and three chicks tagged in Kazakhstan.
For the first time ever, a chick has been tagged in northwestern Uzbekistan.

This collaboration started in 2024, when the VCF donated five GPS tags to the colleagues in Central Asia.
The monitoring results provided the first documented evidence of migration routes and wintering grounds for Central Asian Cinereous Vultures.
Information like this, and a growing database of movement routes, behaviors and potential threats, is vital for the conservation of the species.

Read the results of the monitoring and this year successes on our website

12/10/2026

A few days after the LIFE Safe for Vultures project released its last cohort of Griffon Vultures, a wild-hatched individual was hit and killed by a wind turbine blade in central-western Sardinia.

The event highlights a question that Sardinia, like much of Europe, will face more often: how expanding renewable energy implants and growing wildlife populations can coexist in the long term.
Mortality linked to energy infrastructure is currently the main documented anthropogenic threat to the species on the island. For this reason, preventing conflict is the number one priority for the LIFE Sase for Vultures project.

The transition to renewable energy sources is as necessary as restoring ecological networks. The solution to this emerging challenge is to build knowledge and select the best places and techniques to build infrastructure that are safer for wildlife.

Monitoring and collaboration between wildlife conservation and energy production companies are the two pillars of a future where renewable energy and vulture populations can grow together.

Read the article at https://4vultures.org/blog/griffon-vulture-killed-y-wind-turbine-sardinia/

📸©Francesca Piga, Bruno Berthemy


LIFE Programme LIFE safe for vultures

10/10/2026

Last week, we attended the workshop on National Illegal Killing of Birds Action Plan for North African Countries organised by Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (CMS) Intergovernmental Task Force on Illegal Killing, Taking and Trade of Migratory Birds in the Mediterranean (MIKT) in Tangier.

It was the chance to build contacts and cooperation with all participants and authorities of Morocco, Tunisia and Egypt. We presented our WildLIFE crime Academy project, focused on building capacity to prevent, investigate and prosecute Wildlife Crime.

At the end of the meeting, all participants visited Jbel Moussa Raptor Rehabilitation Centre. We contributed to the tagging of a Rüppell's Vulture with one of VCF's GPS tags. We have been cooperating with this centee for years, tagging and monitoring Rüppell's Vultures that move from Morocco to Iberia.

We're glad we could contribute to this workshop and we hope to expand our conservation network even further.

08/10/2026

In October 2025, more than 1,600 people across Europe took part in the 20th International Bearded Vulture Observation Days (IOD).

Together, they reported 1,321 Bearded Vulture sightings. In the Alps, the population is estimated at 470 to 594 birds, exceeding the modelled prediction of 460. About 12 birds were seen in the Massif Central, and between 59 and 62 in the monitored parts of Spain.

In Bulgaria, the IOD recorded a Bearded Vulture for the first time since the species disappeared there in 1972, following reintroduction efforts earlier in 2025.

➡ Read the full report: https://4vultures.org/blog/20-years-of-counting-bearded-vultures-in-europe/ .

In October 2025, more than 1,600 people across Europe took part in the 20th International Bearded Vulture Observation Days (IOD), coordinated by the International Bearded Vulture Monitoring Network (IBM). What began in the Alps over twenty years ago has become a major coordinated effort, helping con...

07/10/2026

The registration for the International Bearded Vulture Meeting 2026 is officially closed.

All participants should have received an email with organizational details and some travel tips. If you've registered and you have not received the email, please check your spam folder or write to us.

We have also updated our event page on the website. We're still finalising the programme, but a draft version is available on the event page. https://4vultures.org/event/international-bearded-vulture-meeting-2026/

Keep following our channels to receive all the updates.

06/10/2026

Are you ready?
The European Vulture Conference is coming back.
Mark it on your calendar!

When: 14-17 September 2027
Where: Plovdiv, Bulgaria

What's the plan?
✈️Arrival on 13 September
📚Conferences 14-16 September
🦅Field trips on 17 September

Register here to be updated on every step of the organisation and all the amazing speakers who will join us. https://b8123a87.sibforms.com/serve/MUIFAKk_xc-ar593ONR33IOQ-drkYKnAUX63scysidovkjVuWgOMV6sByFRjAwYaUBicuHoT95xChGMOYy9mAyW3sFgcoMr1Saclju_ETVv1azuzPziDL9nSLBs5Kev-ZJEIH3yoATi4RB99kPaJjelbi1J_JrDo7x516YwaNq5bCvjX77r8hbASTtbMON3sztbX2Q1Ya9Qct1pIGQ==

The vulture conservation and research community will meet in Plovdiv, one of Bulgaria’s oldest and most fascinating cities and among the most ancient in Europe, to share and discuss the latest insights on vulture conservation and emerging challenges.

New location, new programme but our objective stays the same: linking scientific research with conservation actions and fostering new collaborations within the conservation community.
Experts from Europe and beyond will share their latest insights on vulture conservation and research, including a number of emerging topics. Alongside the scientific programme, there will be social activities that give participants the chance to network and to experience the natural and cultural heritage of the region.

Over the coming months, we will share news on our social media channels with . Don't forget to follow us to stay updated.

05/10/2026

The LIFE Safe for Vultures project released its fourth and last cohort of Griffon Vultures!
Sixteen vultures, six females and ten males, left the Villasalto acclimatisation aviary in Sardinia and joined the 84 individuals released by the project since its start in 2021.

Read their stories and the successful results of the project in our news.

The LIFE Safe for Vultures is coming to an end, but its results will contribute to vultures conservation for years to come. It improved food availability for vultures with the development of around 30 farm feeding stations that have become a good-practice model for many other conservation projects in Europe. It worked alongside E-distrivuzione to reduce electrocution and collision with energy infrastructures, and with the Forestry Corps and their anti-poison dog units to prevent poisoning and poaching.
Thanks to this project and its partners the Sardinian Griffon Vulture population is growing and the region is ready to support its expansion.

04/10/2026

Today we celebrate vultures and their unique role in the ecosystem.
To see the world through their eyes means seeing landscapes evolve from great altitude, and spotting carcasses from kilometers. It means following the thermals up high and roasting on tree tops and cliffs.

Unfortunately, sometimes, it also means feeding on a poisoned bait destined to carnivores, or perching on an uninsulated electrical infrastructure.

While they watch the world from above, we watch over them. Every day.

You can help us by donating to our conservation actions, and sharing our stories on social media.
Visit our website to find out more.

03/10/2026

Yesterday, we virtually participated in the "Buone pratiche per la Conservazione di rapaci necrofagi e Avvoltoi in Lombardia e in Italia settentrionale" conference.

The conference focused on the conservation status of scavenger raptors in North Italy and on the first results of the experimental feeding station in the Prealps.

Our Director, José Tavares, contributed to the talks with a presentation on the Vulture Conservation Foundation's experience with supplementary feeding stations. Many of the projects we collaborate with use this tool to support the survival and growth of local vulture populations, with good results.
Our long-term experience taught us that feeding stations should not be the ultimate solution. They are part of a process that supports vulture populations' recovery, but in the end we should ensure that they support, not substitute for, the return of natural recycling.

📸© LIFE Safe for Vultures, Bruno Berthemy

02/10/2026

The summer months ended, and with them came the first adventures of young Griffon Vultures as they spread their wings for the first time.

First flights are often imperfect, but for Griffon Vultures living close to the sea, like those in Sardinia and Croatia, they can become dangerous. There, a young bird that misjudges its first flight can end up in the water or on a rocky shore. Heat and exhaustion can worsen their situation quite quickly.

Thankfully, the LIFE Safe for Vultures and the LIFE SUPport projects are always ready to rescue young vultures in need. In these cases, citizens are the best sentinels. The public awareness that projects carry on throughout the year educates people on how to identify and correctly report vultures in danger to the authorities, so that the projects' network of local partners can rescue them.

Read these summer rescue stories on our website https://4vultures.org/blog/summer-griffon-vultures-rescues-2026/



📸 ©LIFE Safe for Vultures; Beli Visitor and Rescue Center for Griffon Vultures - LIFE SUPport

Beli Visitor Centre and Rescue Centre for Griffon Vultures
Biom Javna ustanova Priroda

LIFE safe for vultures
Dipartimento di Medicina Veterinaria - Sassari
Agenzia Regionale Forestas