Female vulture already 36

There are new offspring in the Valley of the Vultures

"Alexa" and "Andreas Hofer" are rearing their eighth young.(Bild: NPHT/Matthias Lehnert)

The 36-year-old female bearded vulture "Alexa" recently gave birth to another young. She is the oldest breeding bird in the Alps. The endangered animals find shelter in the Rauris Kruml Valley.

A young bird of the rare bearded vulture is expected to fledge this summer in the Hohe Tauern National Park. During eyrie inspections in the Rauris Kruml Valley, two reintroduced bearded vultures were recently observed feeding a young bird. This is the eighth time that the parent couple "Alexa" and "Andreas Hofer" have produced offspring. This is encouraging, as the animals were once almost completely extinct. In the previous year, the vulture pair also suffered a breeding failure.

Vultures: "cleaning patrol" to contain diseases
What makes the event so special, however, is the age of "Alexa". At 36 years old, she is demonstrably the oldest breeding bird in the Alps. Bearded vultures live to be 30 years or older in the wild. However, having offspring at this age is a remarkable event. The "cleaning patrol" of the Alps, as animal conservationists call it, eats carrion and thus curbs the spread of disease.

Vultures only raise one young per year
Bearded vultures only raise one young bird per year. They therefore urgently need peace and quiet during rearing. The young hatch in March and April. If the parent birds are disturbed, they leave their eyrie - the young become easy prey. The Kruml Valley is currently closed due to the risk of avalanches and should be avoided until May.

Releases of bearded vultures began in the "Valley of the Vultures" in 1986. Since then, they have reintroduced themselves to the Alpine region. With a wingspan of up to three meters, bearded vultures are among the most impressive animals in the Alpine region.