Ficedula, the Association for the Study and Conservation of Birds in Italian-speaking Switzerland, reports that the bearded vulture—the largest vulture in the Alps, with a wingspan of three meters—has returned to nest in Ticino after more than 150 years.

Due to prolonged persecution, the Bearded Vulture had completely disappeared from the Alps. In Ticino, the last individual—a young female—was caught in a leghold trap and killed in 1869. Thanks to a major reintroduction project launched in the 1980s, this magnificent vulture began nesting in the Alps again about twenty years ago.

Since 2017, Ficedula has been coordinating the annual Bearded Vulture census in Ticino, which is conducted simultaneously throughout the Alps in October, in collaboration with the Pro Gipeto Foundation. Over the past few years, more than 100 volunteers, spread throughout the Sopraceneri region, have participated in this effort. As anticipated, thanks to the team’s efforts, the first nest on Ticino soil was finally discovered in early October! The pair of bearded vultures has completed construction of the nest, which is located in an inaccessible spot, sheltered from the snow.

The inside of the nest is completely lined with sheep’s wool; in fact, the bearded vulture was also known as the “lamb vulture” precisely because of its habit of using the wool from dead sheep to line its nest. In reality, the bearded vulture is not a predator but feeds exclusively on bones; farmers have nothing to fear!

Egg-laying often occurs around the time of the first major snowfall. We therefore hope that the heavy snow currently falling in Ticino will bring good luck to Ticino’s first established pair of bearded vultures.

Now we just have to wait patiently, and if all goes well, the “little” Gipeto will take flight in late spring 2021.

Ficedula thanks everyone who is participating in the Gipeto censuses and invites all citizens to submit their winter sightings via email to segreteria.ficedula@gmail.com or contact the Association at 079 207 14 07; website: www.ficedula.ch.

For confidentiality reasons, no further information will be provided.