56 black vulture chicks now tracked by GPS in Portugal

Portugal's LIFE Aegypius Return project has fitted 13 more black vulture chicks with GPS/GSM trackers this breeding season, bringing the total monitored since 2023 to 56. Field teams visited breeding colonies in Douro Internacional, Tejo Internacional, Herdade da Contenda and Vidigueira/Portel, also ringing chicks and collecting biological samples for research. The tracking data helps assess environmental threats and informs technical opinions on renewable energy projects near vulture habitats. The species, extinct as a breeder in Portugal for 40 years until 2010, remains classified as endangered, with wildfires, extreme weather and expanding wind and solar projects among the risks facing its recovery.