SmartBirds
Photo: © Neven Petrov
During the traditional Balkan-wide count of Griffon Vulture roosting sites, the highest number of birds recorded in Bulgaria in recent decades was documented. On 22 November 2025, a team from the Bulgarian Society for the Protection of Birds (BSPB), the Rewilding Rhodopes Foundation, and volunteers counted 381 Griffon Vultures in the Eastern Rhodopes. For comparison, 40 years ago, the population in the area numbered only about 20 individuals and three breeding pairs. Thanks to the long-term efforts of experts and volunteers, supported by local communities, the Griffon Vulture population has gradually recovered, and today the Arda River valley hosts one of the largest natural colonies of the species in the Balkans.
At the reintroduction sites in Kresna, Kotel, Vratsa, Central Balkan, and Sliven, teams from FPS Green Balkans, Wild Flora and Fauna Fund, Society for the Protection of Birds of Prey, Central Balkan National Park, Nature Park “Vrachanski Balkan”, Nature Park “Blue Stones” recorded 273 individuals, bringing the total number of Griffon Vultures in Bulgaria to a record 654 birds.
Photo: © Ivan Linkov
Preliminary data from neighbouring countries indicate 112 Griffon Vultures in Greece, 479 in Serbia, and 30 in North Macedonia, resulting in a minimum total of 1,275 individuals across the Balkans.
The count involved 20 organisations and institutions, with 109 experts and volunteers, including 59 participants in Bulgaria alone. Alongside the increasing number of vultures, the number of participants and public interest in the activity is also growing. BSPB extends its sincere thanks to all volunteers who took part in the count.
Photo: © Ivan Linkov
The growing population of this emblematic Balkan species is a direct result of decades of dedicated conservation efforts and offers real hope for the future of the Griffon Vulture in Bulgaria and across this part of Europe.
Photo: © Ivan Linkov
