The nests of these birds in Spain are medieval museums, and we had no idea

There are many museums of medieval historybut not all of them are run by people. Some of them have remained close to us for centuries thanks to their good work. osprey, but we didn’t even realize it. Yes, yes, bearded men. This species of vulture nests in rock cavities and likes to use human utensils to make their nests more comfortable. Because the cool environment inside rock cavities is ideal natural preservative, Over the centuries, these birds have accumulated a large number of objects, the observation of which can take us on an interesting journey through history.

This was recently confirmed by a group of Spanish scientists. When analyzing the interior 12 abandoned bearded vulture nests A large amount of treasure has been found in southern Spain.

Some of them are so old that they can give us information about medieval history of our country. But that’s not all. They can also tell us how flora and fauna have changed over the centuries, or even how the environment has evolved. use of pesticides. These are museums that have remained forgotten for a long time. Luckily, now that we know they exist, there may be many more that remain to be explored.

What is interesting about the nests of bearded vultures?

Bearded vultures nest in natural holes in rocks. They are not easy to find even for them. That’s why they inherit them generation after generation. This results in successive generations of bearded vultures keeping the ranch habitable (at least for them) for centuries. They are responsible for more than just delivering food to the chicks. They also post all sorts of branches and objects which makes the place softer and more comfortable.

If we analyze a bearded vulture’s nest, to no one’s surprise, we find the most bones. This is their main food, since with their beaks they reach the bone marrow and absorb it with all the nutrients.

However, under these mountains of bones that no longer have marrow, we can find other objects or branches that bearded vultures have carried there over generations.

The nests have been turned into museums of medieval history

Lead author of the recently published study, Anthony Margalidadevotes part of his research to studying the nests of bearded vultures. In the most recent of them he found objects created by people, such as ropes or pieces of fabric. These findings made him think that perhaps there could be objects much older than those found on the surface.

To make sure of this, he joined other scientists from different parts of Spain and went south. A century ago, bearded vultures were distributed throughout almost the entire Iberian Peninsula. However, little by little their population declined, so that today they are only indigenous Pyrenees. Yes, some specimens have been reintroduced into Asturias and Andalusiaah, but they have not yet become widespread. For this reason, most Andalusian bearded vulture nests today empty and abandoned. There are no birds that interfere with scientists’ research, but there are a large number of objects for research.

Let’s start with the fact that bones are important.

Most of the bones found in 12 selected bearded vulture nests had ungulate mammals. This allowed researchers to gain insight into the fauna of this region over the centuries. Typically, the deeper the bones were, the older they were, but that’s not the only thing that could be done to calculate the age of objects.

Objects for human use made from materials from living beings. This is, for example, the case several esparto sandals or an item decorated with sheepskin. This living origin makes it possible to analyze its antiquity very well through verification carbon-14. Thus, it was clear that the sandals were 674 years old, and the piece of leather was 650 years old. Fragments of a 151-year-old basket were also found. And the weapon could not disappear. For example, a crossbow arrowhead, a piece of a wooden spear and another piece of an esparto sling.

Bearded vultures, without suspecting it, began to take a little look at each period of historythe oldest of which is medieval history.

Research can also be done on pesticides.

Some of them have been found in the nests of bearded vultures. the shells of your own eggs. Since the females of this species lay only 1-2 eggs per year, you can take a trip through history year after year and analyze presence of toxic substances, like pesticides, in shell.

Bearded vultures have a lot to teach us. Their nests are a mixture museums and time capsules. As one of the greatest figures of Spanish history would say, who wouldn’t like it? This is another reason to fight for the conservation of this species.