Bearded Vulture
Gypaetus barbatus
Its rusty-orange underside is not innate: the bearded vulture colours its own plumage by bathing in mud or water rich in iron oxide. Exterminated in the Alps in the 20th century, it has been successfully reintroduced there since 1986.
- Group
- Birds of Prey
- Photos
- 3
- Taken
- 2025
Profile: Bearded Vulture
- Family
- Hawks, eagles and kites (Accipitridae)
- Size
- approx. 94–125 cm
- Wingspan
- approx. 2.3–2.9 m
- Weight
- approx. 4.5–7 kg
- Habitat
- High mountains with steep cliffs for nesting and bone-dropping, plus open alpine meadows and pastures for foraging.
- Diet
- Carrion and above all the bones of dead animals; bones too large to swallow are dropped from the air onto rock slabs to break them.
- When to see
- Resident and seen in the mountains all year; breeding starts in the middle of winter.
Learn more: Wikipedia · NABU (German)