meteora stories

Nature & environment

The Egyptian vulture and the winged guardians of the rocks

In 1980 around 50 pairs of Egyptian vultures nested at Meteora. Today every single bird counts.

· 3 min read

An adult Egyptian vulture soars with its black-and-white wings spread against a blue sky, seen from below, with the top of a Meteora rock pillar at the edge of the frame.
Image: AI-generated, illustrative

Rock, but also home

Most people come to Meteora for the rocks and the monasteries. Yet those same pillars, together with the forests and meadows of the Antichasia mountains, belong to the Natura 2000 network: the area is a Special Protection Area for birds (GR1440005) and a Site of Community Importance (GR1440003). According to IUCN’s World Heritage Outlook assessment of Meteora (2025), 163 bird species have been recorded here, 120 of which breed in the area.

The same assessment names the area as one of the core breeding grounds in Greece for the black kite (Milvus migrans), and also mentions the long-legged buzzard (Buteo rufinus), the lesser spotted eagle (Clanga pomarina) and the lanner falcon (Falco biarmicus). The rarest bird of the rocks, though, is the Egyptian vulture (Neophron percnopterus).

From 50 pairs to a single bird

The adult Egyptian vulture is white, with black primary feathers and a bare orange face; young birds are dark brown. According to the Hellenic Ornithological Society’s 2015 report on the species, Meteora was once its stronghold in mainland Greece, with around 50 pairs in 1980, and a gathering of 143 birds was counted here in August 1979. By 2003 the estimate was about 10 pairs, and by 2020, IUCN notes, a single bird was left in the wider area.

In 2024, according to NECCA, Greece’s Natural Environment and Climate Change Agency, a pair nested again and raised a chick, the first in the area since 2018. The youngster, Ionas, did not make it: his transmitter fell silent south of Kos on his first journey to Africa. In April 2025 one of the two adults came back to the rock where it has held its territory for more than ten years. IUCN (2025) says the area holds one of the last four to six Egyptian vulture territories in the whole of Greece.

What threatens it, what helps

The Egyptian vulture is Critically Endangered on the Red List of Threatened Species of Greece (NECCA, 2024) and Endangered globally according to IUCN. The greatest danger here is poison bait: the bird feeds on carrion and, as NECCA puts it, a single poisoned bait can be fatal. IUCN reports that at least four Egyptian vultures have been poisoned in the area since 2012, while the Egyptian Vulture New LIFE project also lists uncontrolled rock climbing and the lighting of the rocks as threats.

Since May 2024 a dedicated feeding station has been running, and teams with trained dogs search for poison baits. The Hellenic Ornithological Society monitors the birds with the Kalambaka Forestry Service, with funding from NECCA. IUCN (2025) records fewer poisoning incidents, only one in 2024.

Binoculars on a wooden viewpoint railing, with the Meteora rocks in the background and a bird of prey in flight
Image: AI-generated, illustrative

Good to know

  • Binoculars, not closeness. Watch from open viewpoints; there is no need to approach the rocks.
  • If the bird reacts, you are too close. The UK Birdwatchers’ Code says that if a bird flies away or keeps making alarm calls, you have come too close; a disturbed bird may stay away from its nest.
  • Keep it quiet. Talk quietly and do not play birdsong from your phone during the breeding season (Birdwatchers’ Code).
  • Nests and drones. If you see a bird slip into a crevice, do not share the spot online, and keep drones away from the cliffs. This is good practice, not a legal rule.
  • Season. Adult Egyptian vultures usually reach Greece between mid-March and mid-April and leave for Africa between early August and mid-September (Hellenic Ornithological Society, 2015). You will not see them in winter.

Directions: Antichasia Mountains and Meteora (Natura 2000)

Sources

  1. IUCN World Heritage Outlook: Meteora (2025 assessment)
  2. EEA Natura 2000: GR1440005 Antichasia Ori kai Meteora
  3. NECCA: An Egyptian vulture was born at Meteora after 6 years (2024, in Greek)
  4. NECCA: Red List of Threatened Species of Greece (2024, in Greek)
  5. Saravia, Tavares, Galanaki: Egyptian vulture, status of the species in Greece (Hellenic Ornithological Society, 2015, in Greek)
  6. Egyptian Vulture New LIFE: SPA Antichasia mountains and Meteora
  7. LiFO: Ionas, the young Egyptian vulture of Meteora, lost on his first migration (2024, in Greek)
  8. dasarxeio.com: The Egyptian vulture has returned to Meteora (2025, in Greek)
  9. The Birdwatchers' Code (SOC, RSPB, BTO and others)

See also

Nature & environment How the rocks of Meteora were born Meteora's pillars are built from river cobbles that settled in an ancient sea, millions of years ago. Nature & environment Theopetra: a stone wall against the Ice Age cold Some 23,000 years ago, at the height of the Ice Age, people piled stones across the mouth of a cave. Trails & hikes The old footpaths: walking without leaving a trace Monks and pilgrims once walked these paths. Walk them too, and leave nothing behind.