Vultures of France : species, history, threats and future
My first encounter with these majestic birds of prey dates back to 2007, during a few summer weeks of counting migrants on the Organbidexka pass in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques. This site is known to be one of the best in Western Europe for raptor migrations and is found in the heart of breeding colonies of Griffon Vultures, the most common and widespread species in France. All other vulture species can also be seen here. Griffon vultures are present daily from the migration monitoring spot and up to dozens of birds fly over the pass to the delight of ornithologists and visitors! The situation has not always been the same as in recent decades, however, and there was a time, not so long ago, when the sky was empty of vultures.
This article on vultures will discuss the 4 species of vultures that we can observe in France, the identification criteria, the causes of the disappearance of vultures in France, the history of the reintroduction, the status and evolution of the colonies. current as well as the work of the association Vautours en Baronnies with which we collaborate.
Before going any further, let's do a quick summary of the vulture species in France. 4 species are known: Griffon Vulture, Cinereous Vulture, Egyptian Vulture and Bearded Vulture.
First, the question some readers may ask themselves is, what is a vulture and what makes it different from other raptors? The vulture is a scavenging raptor, that is to say it feeds on animal corpses and its morphology is particularly well suited to this way of life (hooked beak, weak talons, acidic digestive system favoring elimination. bacteria).
Once the presentations have been made, we will be able to discuss the history of vultures in Europe and more particularly in France. Griffon Vultures have been present on our continent for 1.6 million years according to archaeological records and their range was much larger than today where they are confined only to southern regions. Since the domestication of livestock by humans, these raptors have adapted and become heavily dependent on livestock for food.
Current and historical presence map of the four vulture species. Source : http://rapaces.lpo.fr/grands-causses/les-quatre-vautours
Current and historical presence map of the four vulture species.Source : http://rapaces.lpo.fr/grands-causses/les-quatre-vautours
Griffon Vulture
The Griffon Vulture is the most common vulture species in France. It is very tall, with a wingspan ranging from 230 to 265 cm, for a height of 95-110 cm. The Griffon Vulture is generally the archetype of the vulture for the novice. It is the one that appears first during Pyrenean hikes and to a lesser extent in the Alps and the Massif Central. Its fingered wings are very long and its tail is short, like the Cinereous Vulture. Unlike the latter, the Griffon Vulture has a more "rounded" silhouette and a two-tone appearance: body and front of the wing (wing coverts) brown / reddish in appearance, tail and rear of the wing of the wing (flight feathers) black as well as the pale head. The difference between young birds and adults is subtle. Adult plumage is acquired in 5 to 6 years as in the Cinereous Vulture.
The Griffon Vulture has been virtually exterminated in France due to the use of poison, gunfire and the implementation of sanitary measures of compulsory rendering of dead cattle. Thus the species disappeared from the Alps and the Alpilles in the 19th century and from the Massif Central (Grands Causses) in 1946. There was only one small colony in the Pyrenees in the 1960s. The following decades saw the application of measures of protection (creation of nature reserves and feeding sites, establishment of legal protection statutes in 1962, reintroduction programs) which have allowed the species to thrive.
Cinereous Vulture
The second species of vulture that can be seen in France is also a giant. In terms of size, the Cinereous Vulture surpasses even the Bearded Vulture. It is quite simply the largest nesting bird in France since the dimensions of this bird range from 250 to 285 cm in wingspan for a weight varying from 5.5 to 9 kg!
The Cinereous Vulture is more localized in France and is found only in the Grands Causses, the Baronnies and in a locality of Hérault. The identification of this bird is relatively easy: up close it appears very large with long and broad wings and in comparison to the vulture. It has a very short tail giving it a very particular rectangular silhouette. The wing tips are highly digitized (i.e. the feathers are individually visible, well cut out on the wing, and resemble fingers). They are predominantly brown / black birds, although the adults have paler heads and ruffs than the young.
The Cinereous Vulture has had a similar fate to the Griffon Vulture since the date of its last sighting dates from 1906 in the Pyrenees and it disappeared for the same reasons as its cousin the Griffon Vulture. Traces of its presence in France go back far to the north, as far as Burgundy in the 11th century! It reproduced in the 19th century in Provence, in the Pyrenees and in the south of the Massif Central. Like his cousin the Griffon Vulture, he benefited from specific measures but later.
Bearded Vulture
They have not known an easier contemporary history. The Bearded Vulture was almost exterminated in France where only a few pairs remained in the Pyrenees and Corsica and it disappeared from Switzerland around 1890. It is the only one of the 4 species of vultures to nest today at the same time. in France and Switzerland. The very first sight of the bearded vulture, one of our largest European birds, is difficult to describe for any naturalist, but also for anyone lucky enough to observe it up close. It is not uncommon to observe it, skirting the slopes and ridges, sometimes with very little proximity, further reinforcing this impression of gigantism and exposing this majestic side which is specific to it and often leaves one speechless! This raptor is unique, if only for its ecology and its intriguing plumage!
The Bearded Vulture is truly a giant among our avifauna: its wingspan varies between 235 and 275 cm and can be 125 cm long. It weighs between 5 and 7 kilograms. And that's not all ! The oldest known individual in the world was 47 years old! It was a captive individual but this record is nonetheless worth mentioning. It is found in the mountains, in Switzerland and in France (Alps, Pyrenees, Corsica). It has a slender figure with long, narrow, pointed wings and a long, tiered tail (known as cuneiform: wedge-shaped). The adult and the young have very different plumages: while the adult has a light underside of the body (whitish to beige or even ocher) and the wings as well as the upper parts completely dark, the young is uniformly dark ( dark grey). Immature birds (between juvenile plumage and adult plumage) moult 5 years to acquire adult plumage and the plumage of the latter is intermediate throughout the period between the immature and adult stages.
For more information, we invite you to read our article dedicated to the Bearded Vulture.
Egyptian Vulture
The Egyptian vulture saw these numbers drastically decrease in the 19th century with a stabilization at around 60 pairs in the 70s. Since this period, a moderate increase has been noted with, as for the bearded vulture, significant differences between the population nuclei.
The Egyptian Vulture is the smallest vulture in France, with a wingspan between 155-170 cm and a height of 55-65 cm. It is located in the Pyrenees, South of the Massif Central and South of the Alps. It has a characteristic silhouette: wedge-shaped tail, rather broad and fingered wings as well as a small head. The adults have a typical two-tone appearance with black flight feathers (except on the top, these flight feathers are white in their center) and a body as well as white / cream coverts with more or less marked yellowish tones on certain parts (head, neck , chest, coat). Young Egyptian vultures are almost uniformly dark (brown / black) with some paler parts. Like previous species, immature plumage is intermediate until the acquisition of adult plumage generally in 5 years.
A successful comeback!
The Griffon Vulture has grown dramatically. While only about sixty pairs remained in 1960, the various protection measures paid off and the Pyrenees saw their numbers triple between 1976 and the end of the 1980s (for example there were 130-160 pairs in 1986 and 230 in 1989). This increase is also the result of the good dynamics of the neighboring Spanish population.
In parallel, 5 reintroduction programs were set up between 1968 and 2006. While there were 600 pairs in 2000-2002, the national numbers were 1,544 pairs in 2013. More recently in 2019, the counts made it possible to identify 1,254 pairs only in the French Pyrenees. In addition, colonies are expanding and new sites are regularly used for breeding.
The Cinereous Vulture was reintroduced in France in the Grands Causses (Massif Central) with 6 birds released in the gorges of Jonte and Tarn in 1992 in order to form a population nucleus. Until 2003, birds will be released and a total of 54 individuals will be reintroduced in France. The first young from these couples only flew in 2000 and the population has been slowly changing since. 28 breeding pairs were recorded in 2012 in France and, for example, in 2019, the Grands Causses alone hosted 26 breeding pairs, thus proving the slow but positive dynamics of the species. The progression of the species is less clear than the Griffon Vulture due to several factors including the released birds which are half young and immature unlike the Griffon Vultures which were adults when they were reintroduced.
The reproduction of the Cinereous Vulture in wooded areas is also a major disturbing factor (better accessibility compared to the reproduction of the Griffon Vulture on a cliff).
Finally, reintroduction programs were launched for the bearded vulture as early as the 1970s in France and Switzerland, but it was really in the mid-1980s that an international program was set up and bore fruit.
Today, while the population remains fragile, the overall numbers are slowly increasing even though local disparities are observed (Corsican breeders are in a phase of significant decline). In 2019, 46 pairs were known throughout the Alpine chain and in France 66 pairs were identified in total for the same year. Between 9 and 15 couples are present in Switzerland.
Association Vautours en Baronnies
The association of Vautours en Baronnies was created in 1992 in order to ensure a follow-up and a return of the populations of the 4 species of vultures on the entire Baronnies region, located in the French Alps (primarily in the department of Drôme). The association revolves around 3 main missions:
Information and animation for the general public and schools;
The management of the “Maison des Vautours”;
The management of the "rendering" service with the breeders of the region.
By going there, it is thus possible to make outings with an ornithologist to discover vultures, to visit the house of vultures in the town of Rémuzat where you can discover an exhibition on vultures as well as a documentary on them. is dedicated.
The Baronnies are particularly suitable for observations of all these vultures and depending on the observation sites, meetings can sometimes take place in very close proximity and offer remarkable photographic possibilities! Every year, we organize nature trips to Rémuzat to guide you in the best areas to meet these masters of the air! For each stay we make a donation to the association up to 10% of the profit.
Threats weighing on the kings of the skies, a positive future that remains to be watched
Threats are broadly the same for different vulture species. The larger species are very vulnerable and sensitive to electric cables and collisions with wind turbines, but also to poisoning (direct or indirect for the elimination of species considered to be harmful). We have other causes such as the abandonment of pastoralism, anthropogenic disturbances, open-air activities in full development, etc. Vultures are highly dependent on public policies and decisions inherent to trophic resources (importance of natural rendering without which vultures could not thrive and maintain their current populations).
Even today vultures, and in particular the Griffon Vulture, are far from being appreciated by all. The regional or even national press sometimes still reports attacks on herds and even on human beings, writing sensational articles with seductive and deceptive headlines.
Vultures are not bloodthirsty killers. Feedings can be impressive. Several dozen vultures can be observed gathering around a corpse that can fight with each other with its head and neck covered in blood. Put aside this aspect, these large raptors do not have the anatomical tools to attack and kill a prey, they are scavengers (for example they have weak claws that cannot cause injuries). You can therefore go out for a leisurely hike and enjoy the incessant broomstick of these majestic raptors without fear. Watching a wild vulture is a privilege.
Emilien
Guide Salva Fauna
References:
www.vogelwarte.ch/fr/oiseaux/les-oiseaux-de-suisse/gypaete-barbu
Maumaury L. Valloton L. & Knaus P. (2007). Les oiseaux de Suisse. 848 p.
rapaces.lpo.fr/grands-causses/les-quatre-vautours
rapaces.lpo.fr/vautour-moine/suivi-et-conservation
Issa N. & Muller Y. coord. (2015). Atlas des oiseaux de France métropolitaine. Nidification et présence hivernale. LPO / SEOF / MNHN. Delachaux et Niestlé, Paris, 1 408 p.
