It has almost completely disappeared in the Balkans. There are probably one couple remaining in the Kozhuf mountains and another in the Korab mountains in the west of Macedonia. Poison, more specifically strychnine, used in the 60s and 70s, has been the main cause for the disappearance of the bearded vulture in the Balkans. Its disappearance can be confirmed in the Parnasos, Giona and Olimpos mountains, although some areas still have to be properly prospected, such as the Pindos mountains and the eastern part of Rodopi. In the olden days it used to extend over the main mountainous areas of Greece including Peloponeso and the island of Rhodes. It was frequent in many regions of the Balkans in the 19th century. In 1860 14 specimens were observed together in the midden of Kronstadt-Carpatos. In Albania there are no recent data but seemingly up to two possible couples and a few solitary individuals are known. It is extinct in Dalmacia (1880), Bosnia-Herzegovina (1895-1912), Serbia (1954-5), Montenegro (1950), Rumania (1935-40), Bulgaria (1930-1970) and in several areas of Albania and Macedonia. Some isolated specimens have been observed in Macedonia and Bulgaria, in old breeding areas. It is believed that some have come from the north of Turkey and the Alps.