Bearded Vulture / Lammergeier - with carcass bone in beak

Bearded Vulture / Lammergeier - with carcass bone in beak (Gypaetus barbatus). Spain. 10 foot maximum wing-span. Only bone-eating specialist bird in the world - Found in Spain, France, Greece, Turkey, Italy, Africa. Rare and declining in many areas. Recently reintroduced in the Alps. Adults feed on the bones of carcusses which they will often drop on flat rocks from the air to break them into smaller more easily swallowed pieces. Primarily high mountain dwellers, nests in caves and remote rocky cliffs and often engage in polyandry. Reddish color of adults comes from bathing in iron-rich springs and may confer status

Barbatus Bearded Bone Bones Carcass Carcasses Carrion Gypaetus Lammergeier Lammergeiers Scavanging Scavenger Vulture Vultures

Features In These Collections

> Contributors > CAN