Rajka is the godchild of Raiffeisen Bank employees who, participating in the USAID project "Together for Nature" and in cooperation with the Foundation for the Protection of Birds of Prey, helped mark that bird in an effort to raise awareness of the importance of protecting endangered species. This initiative was launched by the American Chamber of Commerce in Serbia (AmCham) and aims to preserve the wealth of biodiversity and promote examples of good practice.
The griffon vulture Rajka is a typical member of a species specific for its wingspan of almost three meters, its way of feeding and finding its prey, its keen eyesight and its participation in so-called sky funerals (incarnation) in certain parts of the world.
The kingfisher, however, differs from its species by a specific record. It is the first griffon bird that is reliably known to have reached Africa from Uvac.
Rajka's journey from Uvac to Sudan was full of twists and turns, as we learn about thanks to the satellite tracking transmitter "installed" on her back.
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Since she started her journey, the transmitter showed the routes she flew, from Uvac through Bulgaria, Turkey, Syria, Iraq, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Israel, Sudan, until November 27 last year.
That day it stops sending a signal, somewhere in southern Egypt. The assumption was that she died and that she hit a transmission line, which often happens to griffon vultures during their journey.
At the beginning of March 2026, however, the signal from the satellite transmitter suddenly starts delivering all the routes she was flying. It is assumed that she was "invisible" because there was no stable network in the areas of Sudan where she was flying.
A video showing her being caught also appeared on social platforms. A translator from the Foundation for the Protection of Birds of Prey confirmed that the people were saying that they would feed it and release it. That happened, after which Rajka continued his journey.
She flew over 10 countries and the entire Arabian Peninsula. He is the only vulture that we know of that flew so many kilometers and loved traveling so much.
The kingfisher is now returning home, along with thousands of white storks and cranes. We expect her return to Uvac.
