Fifteen new birds have joined a growing flock of bald ibises in northern Spain, guided there by human migration guides in micro aircraft who helped them along the route.
The birds are part of the growing European flock of the northern bald ibis (Geronticus eremita), the charismatic and frankly extraordinary bird that had been extinct on the continent for 300 years.
By the end of the 20th century, the last major population in Morocco had fallen from 9,000 to 250 individuals in the wild. But then captive breeding and reintroduction plans were launched at various sites in Europe, initially in Austria and in Jerez, Andalucía. This most recent project, in Alt Empordà, Catalonia, has just welcomed the birds from Austria, to join an already established flock.
“They are such intelligent birds,” says Bernat Garrigós, a biologist who runs the Alt Empordà project, “very sociable, all with different personalities. They like to check everything that comes into the project with their beaks; your socks, the food, everything.”
There is no fear of humans because, as Garrigós explains, the birds do not really know any predators. They are still curious, and trusting.
“We started working on the project in 2024, and by 2025 we had a first generation flock of nearly 60 ibises,” he says. “They were released in March 26 here [at Torre d’en Mornau, a converted Spanish army stable]. Currently there are two full-time and two part-time staff on the team, plus 20 volunteers, to manage the flock and site.
“The Aiguamolls Park [a protected coastal wetland and nature reserve] is a close collaborator and with whom we maintain a very close, ongoing relationship. The goal is to mitigate risk to breeding, and mortality, until there is have a self-sustaining population.”
In a year or two, and with some luck, Garrigós’ project should have its first breeding pair. Ibises do not breed until they are at least three or four years old. The plan is to establish a breeding colony, with nests on the towers dotted around the stables. The team will help by partially building the nests. Like most teenagers, they need to be shown how to make their beds.
The Alt Empordà group is in constant contact with the projects in Austria and Jerez, and the birds migrate between the groups with the help of the human “foster parents” of the Waldrapp team (Waldrapp is another name for these birds) who guide their path with the help of an ultralight aircraft. With 20 years of experience, they have helped Garrigós’ group avoid many of the mistakes made early on. So far, as a result, the mortality rate has been much lower.
Over the next 10 years, Garrigós is aiming to release his ibises into the Alt Empordà, the plan being a minimum of 50 breeding pairs and about 300 individuals living wild. The comarca, or county, which is about halfway between Austria and Jerez, serves as an excellent stopover point in the migration route. The shared goal for the three projects is to establish colonies across Europe. These colonies will be connected by migrating birds, to form breeding pairs of different lineage and creating a robust gene pool to ensure survival.
The project in northern Spain is one more piece in a broader European effort to save a species that has been among the most threatened in the world. The charisma of the ibis and the passion of the team are essential for promoting environmental education, raising awareness in younger generations and driving the importance of active conservation.
And that charisma is a useful tool for winning over people. Recently, representatives from the Endesa, a large electric utility company, came to visit and were so bowled over by the project that they began retrofitting their pylons to be more visible and less dangerous for birds, with the ibis particularly in mind.
“It’s not enough to stop destroying our environment,” says Garrigós. “We need to make a positive, active effort to prevent extinctions and the destruction of habitats where this and many other species live. In the end, it all comes down to having diverse, resilient ecosystems that provide the ecosystem services necessary for the survival of the ecosystem and of humanity itself.”
