Bearded Vulture Movements in Portugal - A Baseline for Coordinated Conservation in Iberia
Year: 2026
Type: article
Abstract: The Bearded Vulture (Gypaetus barbatus) was historically distributed across the Iberian Peninsula but underwent severe declines during the 19th and 20th centuries, becoming extinct throughout its range, apart from the Pyrenees. In recent decades, coordinated conservation and reintroduction programmes in Spain and across Europe have promoted a gradual recovery of the species, including the strategic re-establishment of breeding nuclei and dispersal corridors. Portugal lies within the Bearded Vulture historical range, but the species became extinct by the late 19th century. Nevertheless, the increasing number of dispersive individuals present across Iberia, is driving a growing presence of the species in Portugal. Here, we compile and analyse movement data from tagged individuals from different reintroduction projects in Spain, to characterise spatial use, timing, and habitat associations of Bearded Vultures in Portugal. Since 2011, at least 15 tagged Bearded Vultures have been recorded entering Portuguese territory, with the first confirmed individual crossing into the Malcata region. Preliminary results indicate that visits are sporadic but geographically structured, with repeated use of mountainous and border regions, particularly in the Northern part of the country. These findings highlight Portugal’s role as part of a broader Iberian connectivity network and reinforce the importance of transboundary cooperation for the species’ recovery and long-term viability. The recently adopted Iberian Strategy for the Conservation of the Bearded Vulture emphasizes this need for coordinated management, including habitat management (e.g., through the expansion of the network of non-fenced farm feeding areas), increase capacity of authorities to mitigate to respond to key threats such as poisoning (e.g., strengthen the capacity of the programme “Antídoto”, WildLIFE Crime Academy), and the reinforcement of population connectivity. Our results provide the first synthesis of cross-border movements of the Bearded Vulture into Portugal, contributing with baseline information to better target future conservation action aimed at facilitating the natural return of this emblematic scavenger to Portugal.
Language: English
Topic: Avian ecology and behavior
Subfield: Ecology
Field: Environmental Science
Domain: Physical Sciences
SDG: Life on land
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W7207594243