The Aoos migrates 4,000 miles to Greece from Africa. This beautiful migrating bird is threatened with extinction. Credit: Till Niermann Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 InternationalThe Asproparis, a bird migrating almost 4,000 miles from Africa to Greece, is threatened with extinction.
The white vulture’s arrival heralds the end of winter and the arrival of spring in the Greek region of Epirus. But the perilous journey along the Mediterranean and through several countries, as well as the poisoned bait it ingests, threaten to finish off the species.
In Greece today, only five pairs remain, a decline from 15 pairs recorded in 2012 and 70 pairs recorded in 2000.
Threatened Birds Herald Arrival of Spring in Epirus
According to the Hellenic Ornithological Society, the avian scavengers arrive annually in Epirus. The society refers to the vultures as “Aoos,” deriving the name from the river valley where they nest and breed. The Asproparis manage to cross eight countries in about 40 days during their epic journey.
Beginning in Chad, they continue through Libya, Egypt, Israel, Jordan, Syria, and Turkey to finally arrive in Greece. Konitsa has become the breeding ground of choice that motivates the precise journey to the Aoos River valley.
