The Eurasia griffon vulture (Gyps fulvus) is one of the most majestic presences in the skies of the central Apennines, in Italy, with its over 2.7 meters of wingspan. This big vulture, present in southern Europe, north Africa, near East and Asia, lives in hilly and mountainous areas with presence of rock walls, on which it nests forming colonies composed by several individuals. Griffon vultures are necrophagous, feeding exclusively on carrion, that they spot spending long time flying, even at high altitudes. The head and neck are covered in short feathers, to facilitate access to carcasses.
Through the nineteenth and twentieth century the griffon, once present on the Alps and Apennines, became extinct from the Italian mainland due to poaching and poisonings, and to the changes in the livestock management practices, that led to a reduced availability of carcasses. Since the 70s, reintroduction projects led to the re-establishment of colonies in north, central and southern Italy and on the Italian islands, which showed a promising trend of growth.
In the Sirente Velino Nature Park, in the region of Abruzzo, griffons are a well-known presence to those who enjoy the mountains. From mid-morning, with the ground getting warmer, they start soaring using the updraft accompanying hikers along the slopes of Monte Velino, Monte Cafornia or Monte Magnola. Their current presence in the park, however, dates to less than thirty years ago. The first specimens, coming from Spain, were reintroduced in the Monte Velino Nature Reserve by the the Corpo Forestale dello Stato (Italian environmental police) in 1994, and up to 2002 more than 90 individuals were released in the reserve. Today, with over 300 specimens, the population grew substantially, and dispersal processes led to the establishment of satellite colonies in different mountain massifs in central Apennines.
The observation of this magnificent birds in the harsh mountainous landscape of the Marsica region, lets the mind travel to the Andes peaks where condors, distant relatives of the griffons, dominate the skies.
