THEY’RE massive, they’re rare – and now they’ve gone off-piste.
For the first time on Mallorca ever, a pair of black vultures have been caught nesting outside their usual island stronghold in the Serra de Tramuntana mountains.
A pair of the giant birds, with wingspans of nearly three metres, have set up home in Arta’s Llevant Peninsula Natural Park – and conservationists are hailing it as a ‘historic milestone’.
Environment boss Joan Simonet said the discovery ‘opens a new chapter of hope’ for the species. The Mallorca colony is the only island population of the species in the world.
READ MORE:
- Joy as Europe’s most critically endangered seabird spotted nesting off coast of Spain’s Ibiza
- Once endangered Atlantic bluefin tuna is now thriving in Spain’s Balearic Islands
- Four endangered Iberian lynxes released into the wild in Spain’s Granada
- Two chicks of an endangered pheasant species born in Fuengirola (Malaga)
And it looks like things are going well – this year 35 vulture pairs across Mallorca produced 35 chicks, with 32 already taking to the skies.
The birds’ comeback has been helped by grazing sheep, donkeys and cows keeping the landscape open, plus a clampdown on pesky wild goats.
Once labelled ‘endangered’ here, the vultures are now classed as ‘vulnerable’. Still rare – but no longer on the brink.
Locals are being told: keep your distance, don’t spook them, and let the monster birds get on with the business of keeping Mallorca wild.
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