The Gipeto Project
The partnership between Ficedula and Gipeto began thirty years ago with the launch of the inventory of breeding birds in Ticino. The primary objective of this research was to fill the gaps in knowledge identified in the first Atlas of Breeding Birds in Switzerland, published in 1980. This provided an opportunity to involve the dozens of surveyors who had been in the field for the Ticino Bird Atlas during the winter in the survey of breeding birds. In this context, Ficedula also asked Ticino hikers for the first time to report sightings of the bearded vulture through an article in “L’Alpinista ticinese” in 1993.
At that time, information about this vulture was still very scarce. In fact, after its eradication from the Alpine Arc, there were no sightings for over a century. It was only after the reintroduction project began (1986) that the first individual was officially identified within the canton in 1987, and it wasn’t until 2005 that the first adult was spotted, in the Blenio Valley. Over the years, to gather information, Ficedula has organized various courses on identifying diurnal raptors, set up booths at events in Leventina, the Blenio Valley, and the Maggia Valley, held conferences, and conducted many other educational activities. Citizen science, which began as early as the 1980s, has increasingly become a core working method of the cantonal association: informing and engaging the public.
The events dedicated to the Bearded Vulture have been held every year in early October. Ficedula has been organizing them since 2017, in collaboration with the Pro Gipeto Foundation. Dozens of enthusiasts participated, contributing their data to our understanding of the species’ distribution in Italian-speaking Switzerland.
These have been years of hard work in the mountains, often in the cold, not without a few mishaps—some days filled with wonderful discoveries, and others, when the first nesting attempts failed, marked by moments of great frustration.
Then finally, after two years of failed attempts, the first pair of bearded vultures in Ticino raised their first chick, which fledged on July 31, 2023. This first bearded vulture was symbolically named “Lepontino” to associate it with the Ticino Alps (Lepontine Alps).
Since then, Ficedula has been monitoring the nesting of this pair annually; they raised a second bearded vulture, “Lepontino II,” in the summer of 2025.
If you’ve spotted a Bearded Vulture, please note the location, date, and age of the bird. By doing so, you’ll contribute to our understanding and conservation of this species in Italian-speaking Switzerland. Photos and/or videos are particularly valuable, as they help document the bird’s distinctive plumage and its interactions with other large diurnal raptors.
