The Vulture Paradox

In Italy, numerous species of avifauna have disappeared without reasons or convincing explanations. The historical presence of cranes, bustards, large birds of prey, especially vultures has left only toponymic (i.e., zoonymic) evidence, or legends and myths. Tracks of vultures are lost in a period after the De arte venandi cum avibus of Fredericus II and before the natural history writings of the sixteenth century authors. The use of ancient documents included in the Archivi Napolitani, such as the reconstructed Angevin Chancery, has made possible data mining and has provided new opportunities, also for understanding the past history of the Italian fauna. Following a patient collection of data, the extinction in Italy of Aegypius monachus, Gyps fulvus and of those which were considered magnae aves finds its explanation in an unusual use.