130925-studie-wildlife-comeback-in-europe

4.14. Griffon vulture
Gyps fulvus
Summary
Background
Table 1.
Global IUCN Red List
status [13] , European
population and SPEC
status [14] and EU
population status [15]
of Griffon vulture.
The Griffon vulture declined throughout its
European range until the second half of the 20th
century, when legal protection came into force and
the use of the most lethal poisons against wildlife
was prohibited. By then it had disappeared from
many European countries. In the last forty years,
the species has staged a remarkable comeback, and
its European populations have increased significantly,
mainly in the Iberian Peninsula and France.
There are recent signs that the populations in the
Balkans and in Italy are also now slowly recovering,
but the species has gone extinct or is still declining
in some countries (e.g. Albania and Greece). This
significant population increase (c. 200% in the last
12 years) is mainly due to the successful implementation
of a series of conservation measures,
notably campaigns to minimise poisoning and
provide safe food at ‘vulture restaurants’. Its
range has also expanded, in most part thanks to a
number of reintroduction projects in France, Italy
and the Balkans.
Scale Status Justification
Global
Least Concern
Extremely large range, large population size
(since 1988)
and increasing population trend.
Europe
EU25
Secure
(Non-SPEC since 2004;
previously considered
Rare and SPEC 3)
Secure
The species underwent a large increase overall
in Europe.
General description of the species
Like other vultures, the Griffon vulture (Gyps
fulvus) is a scavenger, feeding mostly from
carcasses of medium-to-large sized dead animals,
which it finds by soaring over open areas, often
moving in flocks. In areas with healthy populations,
a dead animal can attract large numbers of
vultures within a short time [1] .
Griffon vultures are a very long-lived species,
and the maximum lifespan recorded in captivity
is 55 years [2] . Griffons first breed when they
are 4 or 5 years, laying a single egg per nesting
attempt. Most adults are sedentary, but young
and immature birds often disperse over longer
distances, reaching Africa and the Middle East.
Dispersal follows a southwesterly direction in
western Europe (through the Straits of Gibraltar)
and a southeasterly direction in the Balkans,
through Turkey, towards the Middle East and
northeast Africa [1, 3] .
In recent years, Griffon vultures have been seen
with more frequency in central Europe, including in
Belgium, the Netherlands and Germany, probably
related to the recent increase in Griffon vulture
populations in Spain and France, but these observations
may also be driven by local food shortages.
Immature and non-breeding Griffons from Spain
and France have also been recorded moving
increasingly north or northeast towards the Alps
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