Are you a nature lover? Follow the Heartland of Legends route through hunting free, protected areas and if you are patient and observant, you may spot rare bird and animal species. One such route, also designated as an Important Bird Area (IBA), is the route between Kouris and Limnatis riverbanks towards Kouris Dam, close to the cliffs of Episkopi. There, you might be riding on the rocky mountains in company of a dozen Griffon Vultures.

Vultures have been flying over the island since ancient times and many traditions, proverbs, curses and folk songs refer to them. “They fell on him like gyps on a carcass” is a well-known Cypriot saying referring to one’s heirs or exploiters. Also, the Cypriot curse “May dogs and vultures devour you” is traced back to Homer’s Iliad as words of Priam against Achilles: “Then would the dogs and vultures speedily devour him as he lay unburied” (Iliad, Book 22, 42).

Vultures are magnificent creatures and not merely the evil carnivorous birds, ready to attack their pray. During the centuries they have served Cypriots in various ways: Their large feathers were used by lute players to play their lute, instead of the plastic fingerpicks they use today.Also, the bone of the vulture’s wing was sought after by shepherds to make eloquent flutes (Pithkiavli). Τheir larger feathers were also used by beekeepers to remove the bees from the honeycombs without injuring them. And of course, they would help shepherds by taking care of their dead livestock by consuming it, thereby cleaning up the countryside.

The Cyprus griffon vulture gyps fulvus is the biggest bird in Cyprus with a 2.5-meter wingspan. However, it is also one of the rarest. Counting only about 10-11 birds in 2012, the species is under severe extinction due to their slow breeding.

The population of the gyps was enriched with 22 vultures from Crete, within the framework of the project “GYPAS”. The success of that project was evidenced by the successful integration of the birds into the local population, the resettlement of historic colonies, and the successful breeding of the Cretan birds..

A professional team from Pafos Forest Department is working hard on increasing the gyp’s population. They refill the birdfeeders with hygienically controlled carcasses of dead animals twice a week and keep them clean from any left-overs. Gyp’s feeding patterns is what makes these birds important members of the eco-system, that’s why we call them “cleaners of the nature”.

Vulture conservation is a vital project for Cyprus fauna and ecosystem, and we need to ensure that gyps will keep flying over the Cyprus rural skies, keeping nature clean.

In the meantime, keep looking high in the west part of the island! Spotting a Griffon Vulture flying in the sky or resting on a cliff is not an easy task. If you are one of the lucky ones, you will cherish the day as a unique one!

Initiatives taken by private entities are also dedicated to saving the gyps Fulvus. The Ostrakon Project, ran by the company Air Balloon Digital Studio and its partners, the Cyprus University of Technology and conservation organisation BirdLife Cyprus, is one such initiative. The 2024 project is titled “Majestic Scavengers” and its aim is to raise public awareness of this critical environmental issue and support the efforts to rescue the Griffon Vulture.

Want to help Griffon Vultures thrive? Click here for more information on conservation projects and how you can get involved