For the first time in more than 30 years, a movie eagle chick hatched in the Rhodope Mountains of Bulgaria. Marking an exciting milestone in the recovery of one of Europe’s largest scavengers, this breeding success follows years of dedicated preparation and highlights how rewilding can help create conditions for wildlife to return and thrive.
Dimitar Gradinarov/BSPB
interesting landmark
The reintroduction of gray eagles is underway in Bulgaria’s Rhodope Mountains starting in 2023. Hopes were high that breeding would begin soon after seven more birds were released in 2025.
Now that hope has become a reality. Earlier this spring, the first chick hatched in Rhodopes, Bulgaria in over 30 years, marking a significant milestone in the recovery of this highly impressive and ecologically important species.
“This exciting news is evidence that the re-established movie vulture population in Rhodopes has begun its long journey toward recovery,” says Frans Schepers, executive director of Rewilding Europe, who first sighted movie vultures in the Greek region of eastern Rhodopes in 1987. “Behind every chick are years of dedication, from anti-poisoning efforts and community engagement to monitoring work and efforts to increase the availability of wild populations of carcasses — helping to restore these iconic scavengers as a permanent part of wild Europe. It’s a special moment to see them breeding on the Bulgarian side of this amazing mountain range as well.”
Takeoff from Rhodopes
Earlier this year, a monitoring team recorded eight pairs of film eagles in a rewilding environment in the Rhodopes Mountains, seven of which had settled into artificial nests specifically built for the birds to house. After four pairs began hatching, five chicks hatched successfully. These eight pairs make up about 25% of Bulgaria’s total golden eagle population, with the remainder found in the northern Balkan Mountains.
“These hatchlings are a sign of hope and the first step towards the return of the film vulture as a breeding species in the Bulgarian Rhodope Mountains,” says Dobromir Dobrev, an eagle expert at the Bulgarian Society for the Protection of Birds (BSPB). “After years of preparation, now the real hard work begins.”
Collaborative and Connected Recovery
The results of the programme, which began preparatory work in 2022 and carried out the first reintroductions in 2023 (40 birds have been released to date), demonstrate how quickly eagle populations can become established and begin to thrive when the right conditions are in place. What is evolving in the Bulgarian Rhodopes is more than reintroduced populations. Some pairs now include birds from across Greece’s borders, providing early signs of a broader, naturally linked recovery.
The vulture reintroduction initiative is being led by BSPB together with the Rewilding Rhodopes team and Spanish NGO GREFA as part of the EU-funded LIFE Rhodope Vulture initiative. The LIFE Rhodope Vulture initiative is a wide-ranging consortium of conservation groups and public authorities working to restore vulture populations and strengthen scavenger environments across the Rhodope Mountains in Bulgaria and Greece.
Guaranteed long-term growth
Reproductive success in the Rhodope Mountains is the result of a long-term, holistic landscape-scale approach. Rewilding Europe’s Circle of Life strategy recognizes that eagles can only thrive in ecosystems where natural processes, including endless cycles of life, death and rebirth, can be restored.
As Europe’s largest scavengers, vultures play an important ecological role, including consuming carcasses, preventing the spread of disease and returning nutrients to the soil. Increasing populations and rewilding of deer, wild boar and other wild herbivores have helped create conditions for these birds to thrive.
Sara Aliácar, Rewilding Landscape Manager at Rewilding Europe, said: “The hatching of these chicks reflects not only the success of our reintroduction program, but also many years of effort to strengthen the food base of eagles and other scavengers across the landscape.” “We will continue to strengthen the cycle of life to ensure this population remains viable, connected and continues to grow for generations to come.”
share space
Challenges surrounding the coexistence of humans and eagles remain across Europe. Poisoning, habitat loss and reduced food availability have once caused movie vultures to disappear from much of their former range, and illegal poisoning in particular continues to threaten Balkan vultures. Anti-poison dog patrols conducted in conjunction with state authorities remain an important part of conservation efforts in the Rhodopes, while education and community engagement are equally important.
“The Eagles provide a solid foundation to work with,” says Dobromir Dobrev. “If wildlife and humans learn to live together, they can share the same space.”
Bogdan Boev / Wildflowers of Europe
Towards a rougher sky
At least four releases of film vultures are planned for the Rhodopes until 2029. Breeding success, pair formation and colony growth continue to be closely monitored, and GPS tracking allows the team to understand feeding habits, migration and expansion across the landscape.
The partnership between GREFA and Rewilding Europe, strengthened by the new agreement signed in 2025, will be critical to accelerating the return of eagles across Europe. By combining species reintroduction expertise with large-scale rewilding, this collaboration is already helping to restore eagle populations and other key species. In recognition of this collective effort in nature restoration, GREFA has named Rewilding Europe 45th.Day Anniversary Award for International Associations Collaborating with GREFA in June.
But now a new generation of film eagles has set its sights for the first time in the Rhodope Mountains of Bulgaria. This is the beginning of a promising new chapter for the surrounding landscape and those working to restore it.
Anton Stamenov/BSPB
