Overview
- The zoo initially reported the death of its 46-year-old male but later clarified the deceased bird was his 26-year-old partner.
- Sexes are difficult to distinguish in bearded vultures, which contributed to the misidentification, according to the zoo.
- The female hatched in 1999 in Poznań, lived in Nuremberg since 2010, and produced six offspring with the surviving male.
- The male hatched in 1979 at Alpenzoo Innsbruck, arrived in Franconia in 1980, and has sired 13 offspring as the oldest male in EAZA’s breeding program.
- Nuremberg will continue its bearded vulture breeding efforts and may pair the male with a new partner, as reintroductions in Berchtesgaden have released about ten birds since 2021 with one death from rockfall reported.