In 2023, the number of bearded vulture offspring in Switzerland was higher than at any time since reintroduction began some thirty years ago.
Some 25 bearded vulture pairs successfully raised an offspring, according to the Foundation Pro Bearded Vulture.
For the first time, the canton of Ticino also succeeded in raising young animals, as the foundation announced on Wednesday.
A total of 163 bearded vultures have fledged in Switzerland as part of the reintroduction program, according to the report. The first successful broods of reintroduced bearded vultures took place in 2007 in the cantons of Graubünden and Valais. Since 2019, a pair has also been breeding in the Bernese Oberland.
The successful reintroduction of the bird of prey in Switzerland is also of great importance internationally, the foundation said. In many regions in Eurasia and North Africa, the bearded vulture is highly endangered or extinct.