A guide to birds of prey in Italy: the bearded vulture reintroduced in the Alps, the golden eagle, the peregrine falcon in the cities, the griffon vulture in Sardinia. Where to watch them, periods, best parks.
Italy has one of the most diverse raptor avifaunas in Europe: about 37 species of regular or near-regular diurnal birds of prey, plus 8-10 accidental or rare-passage ones. From the falcons in the heart of Milan to the eagles on the Dolomites, from the griffon vultures in the Sardinian Barbagia to the cinereous vulture, the only Italian breeding colony of this species. A story of extinctions and reintroductions, of conflicts with livestock farming, and of conservation successes that are incredible.
The bearded vulture ( Gypaetus barbatus ), or lammergeier, is the most spectacular of the birds of prey present in Italy. Wingspan up to 280 cm. It went extinct from the Alps in 1913. In 1986, the Foundation for the Conservation of the Bearded Vulture launched a reintroduction program in the Alps, the longest Alpine rewilding program ever carried out. Today about 70-80 individuals live in the Alps (2023 data), of which 15-20 in Italy (mainly Aosta Valley, Trentino, Alto Adige).
The bearded vulture feeds almost exclusively on bones. It has a digestive system with a gastric pH of ~1 that dissolves bones in 24 hours. It carries the bones too big to swallow into the air and drops them on the rocks to break them, a behavior from which the German name Lämmergeier (lamb vulture) derives, and the Greek legend according to which Aeschylus died struck by a tortoise dropped by an eagle (probably a bearded vulture that mistook the poet's bald head for a rock).
The golden eagle ( Aquila chrysaetos ) is the most iconic bird of prey in Italy: about 600-700 estimated breeding pairs (ISPRA 2022), distributed mainly in the Alps (80% of the population) and to a lesser extent in the Apennines, with some pairs in Sardinia. It isn't a rare bird, but seeing it requires mountain outings in the early hours of the morning or at sunset, when the eagle soars on thermals along the ridges.
The golden eagle hunts hares, marmots, young chamois, and wounded ungulates. In the Aosta Valley, the golden eagles tend to follow the herds of ibex and chamois of Gran Paradiso, the chances of a sighting near the herds are high. It nests on rock faces between 1,000 and 2,500 m, often the same faces used for decades. A nest (eyrie) can be used for generations, the oldest documented in Italy had been in use for over 50 years.
The peregrine falcon ( Falco peregrinus ) is the fastest sprinter on the planet: 389 km/h in a dive, documented by Guinness. Almost extinct in Italy in the 1970s due to the use of DDT (which caused thinning of the eggshells and infertility), it has recovered extraordinarily with the ban on organochlorine pesticides.
What's surprising is its urbanization: today the peregrine falcon nests on cathedrals, towers, and skyscrapers in Milan, Rome, Bologna, Turin, Florence, Brescia, Verona. In Milan, at least 8-10 pairs are documented regularly on the Duomo, the Torre Velasca, the Bicocca chimneys. In Rome, it nests on Castel Sant'Angelo and several buildings of the historic center. It feeds on pigeons, an ecological shift that wasn't planned but works perfectly for both parties.
Eleonora's falcon ( Falco eleonorae ) is one of the most peculiar birds of prey living in Italy, almost exclusively in Sardinia and the surrounding minor islands. About 40% of the world population nests on the Sardinian coasts: 5,000-6,000 pairs on the rock faces of islands and coastal promontories (Capo Caccia, Isola di San Pietro, Isola dell'Asinara, the Maddalena archipelago).
Eleonora's falcon synchronizes its breeding with the autumn migrations of the passerines: it nests late (July-September) to feed its chicks with sparrows, swallows, sand martins, and other small migratory birds that cross the Mediterranean in August-October. It's a highly specialized aerial predator, it hunts the migratory birds in full flight with chases that reach 150 km/h.
The cinereous vulture ( Aegypius monachus ), the largest bird of prey in Eurasia (wingspan up to 3 m, weight up to 12 kg), has in Italy a single breeding colony: the Sardinian Supramonte, with its epicenter in the area of Bosa and Orgosolo. About 12-18 breeding pairs (variable data, 2023). It had gone extinct from Sardinia in the 20th century and recolonized spontaneously from the Spanish Balearic-peninsular area in the 2000s.
It's the most difficult to spot for the normal tourist, it frequents remote zones of the Supramonte, far from the roads. The best way: guided excursions in the Gennargentu National Park with local guides from Orgosolo or Oliena. The Sardinian Fauna and Flora Center monitors the colony and can provide information.
The griffon vulture ( Gyps fulvus ) is the classic European vulture, bald head, long neck, wingspan up to 280 cm. In Italy it has two main populations: Sardinia (about 800-1,000 individuals, the largest population in Italy, distributed across all of the Supramonte and the Barbagia) and the Apulian Murge (Gravina in Puglia, Laterza), where a small colony has settled in recent decades.
The best way to see the griffon vulture in Sardinia: the SP4 between Bosa and Alghero (called "the most beautiful road in Italy") crosses the coast where the griffons soar on thermals every morning. Often visible from the roadside. Bosa Marina has a viewpoint on the Rocca di Serravalle where the griffons nest.
The bearded vulture ( Gypaetus barbatus ) and the griffon vulture ( Gyps fulvus ) compete for the record for wingspan (both up to 280 cm). For weight, the griffon is heavier (up to 12 kg vs. 7 kg for the bearded vulture). The cinereous vulture is the largest of all (up to 300 cm, 12 kg) but is rare, about ten pairs in Sardinia.
The best sites to see the golden eagle in Italy are: Gran Paradiso National Park (Aosta Valley), the Valnontey and Cogne area; Stelvio National Park (Trentino-Alto Adige), the side valleys; Abruzzo National Park (the Camosciara area); the Sardinian Supramonte; the Tuscan-Emilian Apennines. The best period is March-June, when the eagles are active in the morning thermals along the ridges.
Yes, in a hunting dive. The official record is 389 km/h, measured with scientific instruments by Ken Franklin in 2005 in California. In horizontal flight, the peregrine falcon reaches "only" 110-130 km/h, fast but not the first. In a dive, it compresses its wings to its body forming an aerodynamic teardrop shape that no other bird achieves. The nictitating membranes (third eyelid) protect the eyes from the air at those speeds.
All Italian birds of prey are protected by Law 157/1992 (the Hunting Law) and by the Birds Directive 2009/147/EC. Capturing, injuring, disturbing the nests of, or killing any bird of prey is illegal and punished with criminal penalties (up to 2 years in prison for the most protected species). Some species (bearded vulture, cinereous vulture, Egyptian vulture) have additional protection as endangered species in Italy.
The lanner falcon ( Falco biarmicus feldeggii ) is the Italian subspecies of the lanner falcon, a strictly Mediterranean falcon present in Southern Italy (Sicily, Apulia, Calabria, Basilicata) with 50-80 pairs. It's one of the most beautiful falcons in Italy, similar to the peregrine but with a brick-red crown. Heavily threatened by the reduction of pastures and by electrocution on the power lines.
The common buzzard ( Buteo buteo ) is the most common bird of prey in Italy, about 100,000 individuals across the country. You see it practically everywhere: on the edge of the motorways, on the light poles in the countryside, circling over the hills. It isn't glamorous like an eagle, but it's an effective predator of rodents, earthworms, and amphibians, fundamental for the balance of the Italian agricultural ecosystems.
| Species | Best period | Recommended sites |
|---|---|---|
| Bearded vulture | February-April (courtship) | Gran Paradiso, Stelvio |
| Golden eagle | March-June (nest activity) | Dolomites, Gran Sasso, Supramonte |
| Peregrine falcon | All year (cities in spring) | Milan Duomo, Castel S. Angelo |
| Eleonora's falcon | August-September (nesting) | Capo Caccia, San Pietro (SA) |
| Griffon vulture | All year | Bosa (SA), Gravina (BA) |
| Cinereous vulture | March-July (at the nest) | Sardinian Supramonte |
| Short-toed eagle | April-August (in Italy) | Umbrian-Marche Apennines |
| Lanner falcon | February-May | Sicily, Calabria, Basilicata |
Raptor birdwatching in Italy doesn't require expensive equipment. A good 8x42 binocular (Nikon Prostaff, Celestron TrailSeeker, €80-150) is enough to start. A 20-60x spotting scope is indispensable for photography and for identifying the Alpine species at a distance. The best Italian resources: LIPU (www.lipu.it) organizes guided birdwatching throughout Italy; the magazine "Ornitologia Italiana" publishes up-to-date reports; the ornithological site www.ornitho.it collects over 8 million Italian observations, the most complete database available. The eBird app (Cornell Lab) is used by all serious birdwatchers to record and share sightings.
Surprisingly, the Castelli Romani area has interesting birds of prey: the peregrine falcon nests on the Tuscolo (Frascati), the short-toed eagle is present on the hills of Lazio from April to August. The Circeo National Park (LT, 1h from Rome) has marsh harriers and kites in the migratory periods. For more spectacular views, the Abruzzo National Park is 2h30 away, golden eagle guaranteed with a morning of searching.
In the last twenty years, the Italian birds of prey have colonized the cities systematically. The most documented case is the peregrine falcon, already mentioned, but it isn't the only one. The common kestrel ( Falco tinnunculus ) nests on the bell towers of almost every Italian city with more than 20,000 inhabitants, look at the holes in the old medieval towers, it's almost always there. The barn owl ( Tyto alba ), technically a nocturnal bird of prey, is common in the historic centers of the Po Valley and central Italy. The black kite ( Milvus migrans ) frequents the open-air markets of some Southern cities (Palermo, Catania, Reggio Calabria) hunting fish scraps, a behavior documented for decades.
Milan is probably the Italian city with the most studied urban-raptor community. In addition to the peregrine falcon (8-10 pairs), it hosts: the hobby ( Falco subbuteo ), which hunts swallows over the Naviglio Grande; the sparrowhawk ( Accipiter nisus ) in the peripheral parks like Parco Sempione; the buzzard on migration over the skies of San Siro from October to November. The Milano Falchi is a group of citizen scientists who monitor the peregrine nests from the countryside to Porta Nuova.
In case of an injured or distressed bird of prey in Italy, the number to call is 1515 (Forestry Corps/Forestry Carabinieri) or 112. The Wildlife Recovery Centers (CRAS) are distributed throughout the country, the LIPU runs the largest ones. Don't touch an injured bird of prey with your bare hands: the talons are potentially dangerous and the stress from human contact can kill an already weakened bird. Always wait for the specialized rescuers.