The northern bald ibis is a migratory bird that very nearly disappeared from Europe. Thanks to the efforts of the Northern Bald Ibis Team, several hundred are back, living in the wild.

In 2025, 32 fledglings will be joining them. They were raised at a camp in southern Germany. In mid-August, they'll take off on their long flight to their winter habitat in southern Spain.

On the way there, they’ll have to be in shape to cover 100 to 300 kilometers per day. The team will accompany the birds in powered paragliders to show them the way to Andalusia. The birds were hatched in a zoo and have no instinct or bird parents to guide them on their journey.

DW reporter Jens von Larcher was on site in southern Germany.