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Nestled between the massifs of Mt. Zlatar in the southwest and Mt. Javor in the northeast is the Uvac Special Natural Reserve, a protected natural area of extraordinary importance. It spreads over the territory of the Nova Varoš and Sjenica municipalities, covering an area of 7,543 hectares, and is home to some 104 types of birds, the most significant being the griffon vulture, one of two remaining species of vulture that nest in Serbia.
 The canyon of the Uvac River with its tributaries and respective gorges takes up the reserve’s central section. The mighty force of water has carved into Mt. Zlatar’s sides and cut from Mt. Zlatibor massif’s southern slopes a majestic canyon with narrow meanders and plane bluffs of breathtaking beauty. The clear water of the seemingly tame Uvac River winds serpent-like through a canyon that resembles a labyrinth, offering no way but down the river’s flow. The canyon’s rocky sides – sometimes so narrow that a boat can hardly pass – are white at the bottom and smoothed by the water, while high up they are gray and black and streaked with shrubbery. Usually nesting on the ledges of inaccessible crags, 100 or so metres above the water’s surface, the griffon vulture has chosen the Uvac River canyon as one of its last dwelling places in this part of Europe.
 The griffon vulture (Gyps fulvus) is a rare type of carrion eagle of imposing size. It is indispensable in the food chain – it only feeds on carcasses, thus performing a natural recycling function and thereby preventing potential disease from spreading from rotting carcasses. Twenty or so years ago, this scarce bird species faced extinction. There were only seven pairs on the entire Uvac territory in 1990. Thanks to the activity of the Fund for the Protection of Birds of Prey and regular supplemental feeding, their numbers have risen significantly since then. As a result of measures aimed at their protection, the number of these scavengers has risen from the seven pairs (that was their count in 1993) to their current total, which is 300 birds. This griffon vulture colony is the most numerous in the Balkans and one of the largest in Europe.
 In many ways, the griffon vulture is an extraordinary bird. It is one of four types of vultures that dwells in Europe, but is also the only one that inhabits Serbia. It enjoys a very long lifespan – around 50 years. Weighing up to 15 kilos and with a wingspan measuring about 3 metres, it indeed looks imposing and is a genuine attraction when airborne.
Owing to its ‘good looks’ and impressive appearance, but also due to its way of life, it has often been described as a ‘mythical’ bird. Watching it cruise the skies, man has ever attached importance to its perfect flight. Such a perception gave rise to the belief that the griffon was capable of anticipating an oncoming storm, of dispersing clouds, sensing unwelcome events. Also, it was held in esteem by the nobility in medieval Serbia.
The female of the species lays one egg in late January or early February and both parents take turns sitting on it for the next eight months until it is hatched. They usually nest on limestone rocks in groups and form colonies. Very rarely does one come across isolated pairs. The hatched youngling remains in its nest for about four months before venturing on its first flight.
In the past, the griffon was widespread in Serbia, but an unresponsive society and greatly reduced livestock numbers brought it to the brink of extinction. As it feeds on the carcasses of mostly large mammals, the griffon vulture plays the role of nature’s sweeper, and, thanks to this specific feeding habit, acts preventatively in forestalling the spread of disease. It may be seen today in only three locations in southwestern Serbia – in the canyons of the rivers Trešnjica, Mileševka and Uvac. | 
