Switzerland: The Northern Bald Ibis is set to return

The Zooschweiz association, with its nine affiliated animal parks such as Goldau SZ, Basel and Garenne VD, is behind the plans.

The plan is to use birds hatched in captivity. The project follows breeding efforts in Germany, Austria, Spain and Italy, as Zooschweiz announced.

Relentless hunting drove the Northern Bald Ibis to extinction

The migratory bird was once widespread throughout the Alpine region. However, relentless hobby hunting, which did not spare even the eggs, soon spelled its demise. Initially it survived only in a few valleys. By the early 17th century, it had disappeared entirely.

In Turkey, the population shrank within a century from 3’000 individuals to just three. These were captured for captive breeding.

Today, Northern Bald Ibises (Geronticus eremita) exist in the wild only along the Atlantic coast of Morocco. But even there, only a few hundred remain. The Northern Bald Ibis is thus one of the most endangered bird species in the world.

Reintroduction with ultralight aircraft

The Northern Bald Ibis, a member of the ibis family, breeds and lives year-round in colonies. In winter it flies to the Mediterranean region. Preferred nesting sites include ruins and various cliff faces.

To save the species, reintroduction programmes were launched in Andalusia, Spain, and in the Alps of Germany, Austria and Italy. The birds were partly hand-reared and must relearn the behaviour of a migratory bird. To achieve this, they are guided over the Alps and to their wintering grounds each autumn by pilots flying ultralight aircraft.

In recent years, whenever individual birds strayed into Switzerland during migration, they invariably caused a great stir. One particularly memorable case was the female Shorty, who overwintered alone at Lake Zug as a juvenile bird in 2012/2013.

In 2014, Shorty again lost contact with her fellow birds during the flight south and had to be nursed back to health at the Goldau Animal Park. 2015 brought a happy ending: Shorty hatched two chicks in Burghausen (Germany). In 2016, another female Northern Bald Ibis lost contact with the group and reappeared at Lake Maggiore in Ticino.

Breeding Programme in Switzerland

As with the Bearded Vulture project, Northern Bald Ibis chicks are now being raised at the La Garenne Animal Park. Breeding pairs from Goldau and Basel are already on site. More from the Czech Republic and Portugal are expected to follow.

With its red bald head, curved bill, and feathered neck, the Northern Bald Ibis is a striking bird. This wading bird grows up to 80 centimetres tall and has a wingspan of 1.30 metres. Its plumage is deep black with green, blue, or purple iridescence. More on wildlife and biodiversity.