Centuries-old vulture nests in Spain found stuffed with shoes, weapons and human relics

ABANDONED bird nests in southern Spain have turned out to be time capsules crammed with human relics – including a 700-year-old sandal, a painted leather mask fragment and even a medieval crossbow bolt.

The extraordinary finds were uncovered by archaeologists from the University of Granada, who studied the deserted homes of the bearded vulture, or “bone-breaker”, a huge bird of prey that vanished from Andalusia more than a century ago.

Researcher Sergio Couto, from the university’s Cultural Archaeology Lab, pieced together the mystery by scouring old nature books, interviewing elderly villagers and trekking through remote mountain ranges where the vultures once nested.

When the team began excavating the crumbling cliff-edge nests, they struck gold. Among the piles of animal bones and eggshells – the birds’ leftovers – they discovered 2,483 separate remains. Most were gnawed bones from the vultures’ diet, but a staggering 9% were man-made objects.

These included 25 woven esparto grass items, 72 pieces of leather, 11 locks of hair and 129 fragments of cloth. One nest even held a complete 13th-century espadrille, perfectly preserved thanks to the cool, dry cave conditions.

The nests, described by scientists as “natural museums”, offer a unique glimpse into Spain’s past – from everyday farming tools and slings to ethnographic treasures comparable to those found in Neolithic caves.

The study, carried out in collaboration with the Institute for Game and Wildlife Research (IREC), examined over 50 abandoned nests between 2008 and 2014. Twelve were analysed layer by layer like archaeological digs, and the results have just been published in the journal Ecology.

Experts say the preserved eggshells could even help track pesticide contamination over centuries, shedding light on why the bearded vulture disappeared locally – and what it will take to bring it back.

Couto said: “These nests are like hidden museums that no one has touched for hundreds of years. They don’t just tell us about the vultures – they tell us about ourselves.”

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