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Bound Eagles, Evil Vultures and Cuckoo Horses. Preserving the Bio-Cultural Diversity of Carrion Eating Birds

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Abstract

Vultures and eagles are large and impressive raptors that have a special role in the symbolic lore of local communities worldwide. We examine species folk names, everyday aphorisms, place names, local stories, ceremonies and folklore in modern Greece to demonstrate ways local communities conceptualize emblematic raptor species. As populations of these species are reduced or become extinct, local knowledge about them also disappears. On the other hand, conservation campaigns are mainly restricted on vultures’ sanitary services and ecotourism potential, often overlooking intangible values that are more stable and deeply rooted in local culture. Traditional ecological knowledge, local values and perspectives should be incorporated in reconstructing raptor public awareness profiles by modern conservation science for effective participatory conservation policy for these endangered species worldwide.

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Acknowledgments

The authors thank Eleutheria Giakoumaki (Research Centre for Modern Greek Dialects), Aikaterini Polymerou-Kamilaki (Hellenic Folklore Research Centre), Maria Miligkou-Markantoni (University of Athens), Vassilis Nitsiakos (University of Ioannina), Victoria Saravia (Hellenic Ornithological Society) and the Rizarios Foundation/Kostas Lazaridis Cultural Foundation. We also thank our colleagues Jovan Andevski, Pavlos Andriopoulos, Ali Apturahman, Panagiotis Azmanis, Stratis Bourdakis, Dimitris Bousbouras, Antonia Galanaki, Theodoros Kominos, Pantelis Konstantinou, Charis Kourouzidis, Costas Missiakos, Costas Papakonstantinou, Pavlos Pavlidis, Nikos Probonas, Giannis Rousopoulos, Dora Skartsi, Giannis Theodoropoulos, Dimitris Vasilakis, Stavros Xirouchakis, and the Hellenic Society for the Protection of Nature for their contributions to our lists of birds folk names; the linguists Maria Vrahionidou and Maria Goudi, the historians Theofanis Dasoulas and Grigoris Manopoulos for their comments on etymological issues; George Handrinos, José Antonio Donázar and John M. Halley for their comments on our first manuscript; Dimitris Bokis for permission to use his unpublished material; Garyfalia Theodoridou for her comments; Maria Ganoti, who inspired this research; the Museum of Greek Folk Musical Instruments, Athens, Alkiviadis Betsis for the map design, and anonymous reviewers for their valuable comments. Lastly we thank all local participants for their collaboration, time and hospitality during fieldwork.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Laboratory of Ecology, Department of Biological Applications and Technology, University of Ioannina, University campus, Ioannina, 45110, Greece

    Kalliopi Stara

  2. Hellenic Ornithological Society, Themistokleous 80, Athens, 10681, Greece

    Lavrentis Sidiropoulos

  3. Forestry Service of Ioannina, M. Kotopouli 62, Ioannina, 45445, Greece

    Rigas Tsiakiris

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  1. Kalliopi Stara
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  3. Rigas Tsiakiris
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Correspondence to Kalliopi Stara.

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Funding

This study was not funded by a specific grant, but was conducted in conjunction with the projects mentioned below.

Conflict of Interest

Kalliopi Stara collected data during her participation in the Balkan Vulture Action Plan project (2009) funded by Black Vulture Conservation Foundation, Frankfurt Zoological Society and Hellenic Ornithological Society and the LIFE project “Urgent measures to secure the survival of the Egyptian vulture (Neophron percnopterus) in Bulgaria and Greece” (LIFE10 NAT/BG/000152) implemented by BSPB, HOS, WWF Hellas and RSPB, funded by the European Union and co-funded by the AG Leventis Foundation and the European Commission. Lavrentis Sidiropoulos received grants from AG Leventis Scholarships Foundation during his MRes thesis (2012) and Mike Madders Field Research Awards, Natural Research LTD (project Golden eagle ecology in the Rhodope Mountains, Bulgaria and Greece, 2012 with Mrs T. Yotsova - Angelova and support from WWF-Hellas). He also collected field data during his participation in the Balkan Vulture Action Plan projects (2008–2010) funded by Black Vulture Conservation Foundation, Frankfurt Zoological Society and Hellenic Ornithological Society. Rigas Tsiakiris is a member of the scientific committee of the LIFE project “Urgent measures to secure the survival of the Egyptian vulture (Neophron percnopterus) in Bulgaria and Greece.”

Appendix

Appendix

Table 1 Local and official Greek (in bold) vulture and golden eagle names collected during the field work or found in the archives or literature
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Table 2 Zoonyms referring to eagles, griffon, black and bearded vultures in N Pindos NP and Tzoumerka NP
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Table 3 Examples of source material and Folklore
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Stara, K., Sidiropoulos, L. & Tsiakiris, R. Bound Eagles, Evil Vultures and Cuckoo Horses. Preserving the Bio-Cultural Diversity of Carrion Eating Birds. Hum Ecol 44, 751–764 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10745-016-9864-3

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