{"id":36931,"date":"2026-07-23T14:03:28","date_gmt":"2026-07-23T11:03:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bspb.org\/?p=36931"},"modified":"2026-09-02T11:07:24","modified_gmt":"2026-09-02T08:07:24","slug":"record-number-of-egyptian-vulture-chicks-hatched-in-bulgaria-in-nearly-20-years","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bspb.org\/en\/record-number-of-egyptian-vulture-chicks-hatched-in-bulgaria-in-nearly-20-years\/","title":{"rendered":"Record number of Egyptian Vulture chicks hatched in Bulgaria in nearly 20 years"},"content":{"rendered":"

Photo: \u00a9 Dimitar Gradinarov\/BSPB<\/em><\/p>\n

The Egyptian vulture population in Bulgaria remains stable in 2026 with 3<\/strong>6 occupied territories across the country \u2013 2<\/strong>9 in the Eastern Rhodopes and 7 in northern Bulgaria.<\/strong><\/p>\n

The population of the species has been declining for decades in all Balkan countries including Bulgaria since the 80s. In 2019, the tide started to turn. In 2024, after decades of a lasting decrease and two LIFE projects tackling threats to the species on a Balkan and flyway level, the first signs of increase in the population of the Egyptian vulture was registered in Bulgaria. Since then, we have seen a gradual increase in the last 6 years, largely attributed to the large-scale conservation measures increasing survival and the restocking program for the species in Bulgaria (Figure 1).<\/p>\n

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Figure 1. Number of occupied EV territories in Bulgaria (2012-2026)<\/em><\/p>\n

The 2026 breeding season will be also remembered for the record high number of hatched chicks in the wild \u2013 35. One pair is still incubating therefore if successful this number may further grow. The last time when 35 chicks were hatched was 2008, almost 20 years ago. Furthermore, the breeding season in the Eastern Rhodopes seems to be extraordinary with 10 pairs having two-chick broods. On contrary the breeding season in northern Bulgaria is the worst ever recorded since 2003 when the Egyptian vulture monitoring program was kicked off by the BSPB \u2013 only 3 hatchlings.<\/p>\n

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Photo: \u00a9 Dimitar Gradinarov\/BSPB<\/em><\/p><\/div>\n

The last few years in the Balkans have been marked by a number of mortality incidents<\/a> with \u00a0breeding Egyptian vultures. Nevertheless, the population trend remains stable thanks to the successes of the Egyptian vulture restocking program and the recruitment of captive bred birds into the breeding population. Since the start of the Restocking program, a total of 7 different released individuals have occupied breeding territories\u2013six females and one male. Increased survival of immatures has greatly contributed to the population growth too with more than 40 birds that have recruited into the breeding population as replacements or newly established pairs since 2017. The increased survival of both adults and juveniles<\/a> is the most plausible explanation of the firm resistance of the Egyptian vulture population especially in the Eastern Rhodopes \u2013 the heart of the population of the species in the Balkans.<\/p>\n

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Photo: \u00a9 Dimitar Gradinarov\/BSPB<\/em><\/p><\/div>\n

Since 2023, 25 birds have been released under the program for strengthening the population of the Egyptian vulture in Bulgaria.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Activities in 2026 are carried out with the financial support of Heidelberg Materials Bulgaria, BirdLife International, and the \u201cFrom the Iron Curtain to the Green Belt\u201d project, funded by the Endangered Landscapes & Seascapes Programme (ELSP) that is managed by the Cambridge Conservation Initiative \u2013 a collaboration between the Chancellor Masters and Scholars of the University of Cambridge of The Old Schools and leading internationally-focused biodiversity conservation organisations. The University and the ELSP are supported by Arcadia \u2013 a charitable fund of Peter Baldwin and Lisbet Rausing.<\/p>\n