Once believed extinct, Northern Bald Ibis bird returns to European skies after 300 years

The Northern Bald Ibis , a species of bird previously believed to be extinct in Europe for over three centuries, has made a remarkable comeback. This resurgence is the result of extensive conservation efforts dedicated to the process.

CNN reported that the bird’s population plummeted due to hunting, habitat destruction and pesticide use, leaving only 59 pairs in the wild by the 1990s and that too all in Morocco.

However, focused conservation efforts have increased that number to over 500 individuals, resulting in the International Union for Conservation of Nature ( IUCN ) upgrading its status from critically endangered to endangered in 2018.

In addition to the Moroccan population, reintroduction programs have successfully brought the Ibis back to Europe for the first time since the 1600s. Around 270 birds now make up a managed migratory population as a result of these efforts.

The success is largely due to initiatives such as the one in Andalusia, Spain, which began in 2004. Hand-reared chicks were gradually released into the wild to help rebuild the species.

A unique reintroduction project in Austria and Germany, led by biologist Johannes Fritz , further aided the species’ recovery. Fritz taught captive-bred birds to migrate by leading them with an ultralight aircraft, inspired by the film Fly Away Home. The migratory route originally led from Germany to Italy, but environmental factors caused a shift to Spain in 2023.

Although European birds now migrate largely without human assistance, challenges remain. Pesticide use threatens their food supply, and climate change is disrupting their migration patterns. In 2023, 17 per cent of the migrating birds were killed by poachers, highlighting the ongoing dangers the species faces.

Morocco remains home to the largest wild population of northern bald ibises, concentrated in protected areas like Souss-Massa National Park , established in 1991. These birds, which do not migrate, have stabilised, aided by research and monitoring programs since 1994.

Historically, the species spanned Europe, the Middle East, and North Africa. A once vast migratory route in the Middle East, passing through countries like Ethiopia, Saudi Arabia, and Turkey, dwindled in the 20th century. The last Middle Eastern colony was presumed extinct when no birds returned to Syria in 2015.

This species was once revered in ancient cultures, even earning its own hieroglyph symbolising "spirit."