86. Bearded vulture

The Bearded vulture, Gypaetus barbatus, is the symbol of Bulgarian nature conservation. Unfortunately, it disappeared from our country - the last birds were killed by poachers in the Sliven Balkan region. It feeds mainly on carcasses and bones of dead animals which it rises in the air and drops to break and make suitable for swallowing. It breaks the shells of turtles in a similar way before eating them. Sometimes it captures some smaller and less mobile animals. Its wingspan reaches up to 2.5 m. In 2007 a program for reintroduction of the bearded vulture in Bulgaria was launched and implemented by the environmental NGO Green Balkans. For some time, one of the aviaries in Stara Zagora is inhabited by a couple of birds from this rare species.