DON’T MISS
IamExpat Job BoardIamExpat HousingIamExpat Webinars
Newsletters
EXPAT INFO
CAREER
HOUSING
EDUCATION
LIFESTYLE
EXPAT SERVICES
NEWS & ARTICLES
Home
Lifestyle
Swiss news & articles
Bearded vulture continues its comeback in Switzerland, association confirms
Never miss a thing!Sign up for our weekly newsletters with important news stories, expat events and special offers.
Keep me updated with exclusive offers from partner companies
By signing up, you agree that we may process your information in accordance with our privacy policy

Bearded vulture continues its comeback in Switzerland, association confirms

Never miss a thing!Sign up for our weekly newsletters with important news stories, expat events and special offers.
Keep me updated with exclusive offers from partner companies
By signing up, you agree that we may process your information in accordance with our privacy policy
or
follow us for regular updates:



Related Stories

Man discovers mammoth tooth while kayaking on Swiss riverMan discovers mammoth tooth while kayaking on Swiss river
Canton Zurich beset by a plague of invasive antsCanton Zurich beset by a plague of invasive ants
April 2025 in Switzerland: 10 major changes expats need to know aboutApril 2025 in Switzerland: 10 major changes expats need to know about
Migros criticised for lowering animal welfare standards for imported meatMigros criticised for lowering animal welfare standards for imported meat
Asian hornet population in Switzerland triples in a year, new data suggestsAsian hornet population in Switzerland triples in a year, new data suggests
Number of deer in Canton Zurich reaches 38-year highNumber of deer in Canton Zurich reaches 38-year high
More and more golden jackals appearing in SwitzerlandMore and more golden jackals appearing in Switzerland
Experts alarmed as record number of Asian hornets found in SwitzerlandExperts alarmed as record number of Asian hornets found in Switzerland
For expats of all colours, shapes and sizes

Explore
Expat infoCareerHousingEducationLifestyleExpat servicesNews & articles
About us
IamExpat MediaAdvertisePost a jobContact usSitemap
More IamExpat
IamExpat Job BoardIamExpat HousingWebinarsNewsletters
Privacy
Terms of usePrivacy policyCookiesAvoiding scams

Never miss a thing!Sign up for expat events, news & offers, delivered once a week.
Keep me updated with exclusive offers from partner companies
By signing up, you agree that we may process your information in accordance with our privacy policy


© 2025 IamExpat Media B.V.
© 2025 IamExpat Media B.V.
Oct 14, 2023
Jan de Boer

Editor at IamExpat Media

Jan studied History at the University of York and Broadcast Journalism at the University of Sheffield. Though born in York, Jan has lived most of his life in Zurich and has worked as a journalist, writer and editor since 2016. While he has plunged head-first back into life in Switzerland since returning to the country in 2020, he still enjoys a taste of home at pub quizzes and karaoke nights.Read more

One of the rarest and most awe-inspiring birds found in Switzerland, the bearded vulture is continuing to make its comeback. The extremely rare species, previously hunted to extinction in the alpine nation, had a record number of offspring in 2023, officials have revealed.

Record number of bearded vultures born in Switzerland

According to the Pro Bearded Vulture Foundation, bearded vulture pairs successfully raised 25 young in 2023, a new record for Switzerland. For the first time since their reintroduction in 1986, young were raised in Canton Ticino alongside their more popular homes in Graubünden and Valais - although one pair is known to nest in Canton Bern.

With a wingspan of 2,6 metres and weighing up to 7 kilograms, the bearded vulture is the largest bird native to the country and is known to make its nests in the Swiss mountains. Unfortunately, before 1900, the bird was also known by the names Rossgyr (horse vulture) and Lämmergeier (lamb vulture), as farmers were under the false assumption that the birds were responsible for killing livestock as large as horses - today we know that they only eat animals that are already dead.

Bearded vulture returned to Switzerland after regional extinction

As a result, the Bearded Vulture was hunted to extinction in Switzerland, France, Austria, Germany, Italy and southern Europe. A total of 163 bearded vultures were reintroduced across Swiss cantons in 1986, although it took until 2007 until the first young were born in Switzerland.

Speaking to Watson, the foundation said that the successful reintroduction of the birds is of “great international importance,” given their decline in other parts of the world. While they are making a slow comeback in Switzerland and are populous in Ethiopia, Iran, Turkey and the Asian Steppe, the bearded vulture remains critically endangered or extinct across most of Europe and North Africa.

By Jan de Boer