Bearded vultures aren't just skilled scavengers—they're also accidental historians. A new study in Ecology reveals that the nests of these rare birds in Spain have acted as natural time capsules, preserving artifacts spanning centuries. Researchers combing through 12 abandoned nests discovered a trove of 226 items made or altered by humans, from medieval crossbow bolts to a surprisingly well-preserved almost 700-year-old sandal made from twigs and grass cord and a 150-year-old woven basket, reports Popular Science. Other weaponry included parts of a slingshot.
The sandal was one of dozens of items made from esparto grass, which gave espadrilles their name, LiveScience reports. Researchers also found 129 pieces of cloth and 72 pieces of leather. Unlike most birds, bearded vultures favor rocky shelters and cliffside caves, building homes that can last for hundreds of years, assuming the elements cooperate. The nests, layered with everything from eggshells and animal bones to human debris, have endured even after the species vanished from southern Spain some 70 to 130 years ago.
The study team, with members from Spain's Institute for Game and Wildlife Research and the University of Granada, also found more than 2,100 bones, dozens of hooves, and eggshells, some of them ancient. Even stray hairs survived among the debris, offering clues about past environments and the species that once roamed the region. The researchers note that the bearded vulture's sturdy nests and cliffside locations have turned them into "natural museums, conserving historical material in good condition."
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The researchers say that beyond the archaeological value, the finds, especially eggshells, will provide information on factors like pesticide consumption that could offer clues to the species' extinction in the area. With just 309 breeding pairs documented across Europe, such information is of the "utmost importance for the recovery of the species at the European level," the researchers say.
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