Fifteen young northern bald ibises reached an acclimation aviary in Barbate, Spain, on Oct. 2, bringing one part of a carefully guided migration to its destination. The birds have arrived at a managed site, not yet been released into the wild. Their next step is to adjust to the area with local conservation teams before a planned release later this winter.
The Andalusian regional government says the birds arrived at the San Ambrosio aviary in Barbate, in Cádiz province. They came from a breeding colony at Tierpark Rosegg in Austria and traveled with Waldrappteam Conservation & Research. The project’s caregivers prepared the young birds to follow a paramotor on a migration route south.
The migration began with 30 juveniles. On Sept. 13, 15 were handed to the Alive Foundation in Catalonia, where they are joining a local colony. The remaining 15 continued toward Cádiz. That split made the project more than a single point-to-point trip: one group is contributing to an intermediate project in Catalonia, while the other reached the Andalusian project’s aviary.
The birds are northern bald ibises, known in German as Waldrappe. The conservation method depends on human caregivers building a relationship with young birds and guiding them along a migration route behind a lightweight aircraft. The Junta de Andalucía describes the caregivers as adoptive mothers who accompany the birds through training and flight. Waldrappteam’s diary also describes the ground crew, the temporary camps and the aviary that must be moved along the route.
The diary makes clear that “migration” did not mean every bird flew every kilometer. When weather or flight motivation made progress difficult, the team adjusted plans and transported birds by car on some legs. The team says the final few kilometers were traveled by car on Oct. 2. Its diary describes a route of more than 2,500 kilometers; that is the team’s journey, not a claim that every ibis flew that distance.
The preparation began months before the trip. In July, the team reported that the young birds were completing flights of more than 20 kilometers, reliably following the aircraft and beginning to fly in formation. The training introduced them gradually to the aircraft and the routines of traveling together. By August, the project said the birds were ready to begin migration, with foster caregivers and a ground crew accompanying them.
The people on the ground had to move their temporary home along with the birds. The team’s diary describes packing up camp and placing the birds in transport boxes when strong winds made flying unsafe. After each move, the crew set up the aviary again to house the birds. Those decisions allowed the group to continue without treating every leg as a flight test.
The aviary is part of a larger local effort. The Andalusian government says Cádiz has a free-living population of about 300 northern bald ibises and recorded at least 53 fledglings in the 2026 breeding season. The new arrivals are not the same as those locally born birds, but their route links European breeding and migration projects with a region where wild ibises already live.
This cooperation has developed over several years. The Junta says the first guided migration to Andalusia was completed in 2023. Teams in Andalusia, Catalonia and Central Europe coordinate acclimation, release and monitoring, including the exchange of information about risks along the route. The group’s arrival this October is one step in that continuing effort, rather than proof that the species has recovered across Europe.
The longer test comes after the birds leave the aviary. The Waldrappteam says the young ibises are expected to be released into the wild this winter and remain in the Andalusian area until they reach breeding age and return to their breeding grounds. Whether they settle, survive and follow the route in future seasons will take time to learn. For now, the documented milestone is specific: 15 young birds reached the aviary, and people on both sides of Europe helped guide them there.
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