Human-Led Migration Boosts Northern Bald Ibis Reintroduction in Catalonia

Fifteen northern bald ibises (Geronticus eremita) have recently joined an existing flock in Alt Empordà, Catalonia, after being guided from Austria by volunteers piloting ultralight aircraft. The birds are part of a pan-European effort to re-establish the species, which vanished from the continent for three centuries. The Alt Empordà team, led by biologist Bernar Garrigós, aims to create a self-sustaining colony that will eventually host at least 50 breeding pairs and roughly 300 wild individuals within the next decade.

The Guardian

By the end of the 20th century, the last major wild population in Morocco had collapsed from about 9,000 to 250 birds. Captive-breeding programmes were launched in Austria and Jerez, Andalucía, and later expanded to other sites across Europe. These initiatives have produced a growing European flock that now migrates between coordinated release locations.

The Guardian

• Population growth: The Alt Empordà project began in 2024; by 2025 it had assembled a first-generation flock of nearly 60 ibises.

The Guardian

• Breeding timeline: Ibises typically do not breed until they are three to four years old, so the team expects the first breeding pair to emerge within a year or two.

The Guardian

• Nest support: Nests are being installed on towers surrounding local stables, with the team partially constructing them to teach the birds “how to make their beds.”

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• Migration assistance: Experienced “foster parents” from the Waldrapp team use ultralight aircraft to guide the birds along a migration corridor that links Austria, the Alt Empordà stopover, and Jerez. Their two-decade expertise has lowered mortality compared with earlier attempts.

The Guardian

• Long-term goal: Over the next ten years the project plans to release ibises into the wild, establishing a minimum of 50 breeding pairs and a total of about 300 individuals. The comarca’s central location between Austria and Jerez makes it an ideal stopover, facilitating gene flow among the three coordinated colonies.

The Guardian

Endesa, a major Spanish electric-utility company, visited the site and responded by retrofitting its transmission pylons to be more visible and less hazardous for the ibises. Bernar Garrigós emphasizes that conservation must move beyond merely halting environmental damage, arguing for proactive measures that protect habitats and maintain ecosystem services essential to both wildlife and humanity.

The Guardian

• “It’s not enough to stop destroying our environment,” — Bernar Garrigós, a biologist

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