Bearded Vulture

Alternative name: Bearded Vulture

Photo by Andrew S
Near Geech Camp, Simien Mountains, Ethiopia, November 2004

Gypaetus barbatus

Identification

Photo by Mike Barth
Ethiopia, September 2016

95-125 cm (37-49 inches) long with a 235-280 cm (91-110 inches) wingspan.
Adults have a buff-yellow body and head, the latter with the black moustache which give this species its alternative name. Tail and wings are grey.
Juvenile birds are dark all over, and take five years to reach full maturity.

Flight

Unlike most other vultures in flight due to its large, narrow wings and long, wedge-shaped tail.

Distribution

Mountains of Europe, Africa and Asia.
The rarest breeding vulture in Europe breeding in the Pyrenees, in Greece and the northern Caucasus, and in very small numbers in Corsica and Crete. A reintroduction programme began in the Alps in 1986 with the first breeding in 1997, this population now numbers about 200 and birds are regularly seen in France, Switzerland], Austria and Italy. In 1998 fully wild Lammergeiers successfully bred in the French Pyrenees.

In the Western Palearctic breeds most commonly in Turkey with relict populations in Sinai, possibly also Israel and northern Iraq. Also breeds in the south-west of the Arabian Peninsula and range extends east from the Caucasus across northern Iran to Pakistan, north into Central Asia, the Himalayas, Tibet and north-west and central China.

In Africa breeds in the mountains of Morocco and Algeria, also in eastern Egypt and south to eastern Sudan, Ethiopia and the mountains of Kenya and Tanzania. In southern Africa occurs in Natal, Lesotho, Orange Free State and the far north of Cape Province.

In the Western Palearctic vagrants recorded in Portugal, Germany, Switzerland, the Czech Republic and Slovakia, also Bulgaria and the Ukraine, Cyprus, Syria and Lebanon.

In 1994 a bird from the Alpine reintroduction programme was found on the Atlantic coast of France, in 1998 two were seen in the Netherlands, in 1999 another was recorded in Denmark. In May 2001 an immature was found on the German island of Ruegen in the Baltic and in 2002-3 there were further Dutch records. Occasionally seen at Gibraltar. In China a vagrant to Hopeh, Shansi and Hupeh.

Taxonomy

Subspecies

Up to four subspecies have been recognised:

• G. b. barbatus in northern Asia
• G. b. aureus in Europe, the Middle East and Asia
• G. b. meridionalis in the Arabian Peninsula, and eastern and southern Africa
• G. b. haemachalanus from eastern Asia

Clements¹ recognises only barbatus (north Africa and Eurasia) and meridionalis (Arabian Peninsula, and eastern and southern Africa).

A recent phylogeographic and genetic study², however, indicates that Asian birds are more closely related to eastern and southern-African birds than they are to most European birds. The authors of that study do not feel that it is appropriate to distinguish subspecies.

Habitat

In Europe usually 1,000-2,000m altitude in mountains. Found in areas with deep valleys and high ridges, nests on inaccessible cliffs or small caves and requires presence of chamois, ibex or wild sheep for carrion. In the Himalayas has been seen above 7,000m. Mountains.

Behaviour

Many adults constantly rub mud over their chin, breast and leg feathers, giving these areas a rust colored appearance.

Diet

Like other vultures it is a scavenger, feeding mostly from carcasses of dead animals. It usually disdains the rotting meat, however, and lives on a diet that is 90% bone marrow. It will drop large bones from a height to crack them to get smaller pieces. Its old name of Ossifrage (or Bone Crusher) relates to this habit. Live tortoises are also dropped in similar fashion to crack them open.

Breeding

It breeds on crags in high mountains in southern Europe, Africa, India and Tibet, laying one or two eggs in mid-winter which hatch at the beginning of spring. They breed from mid December to mid February, laying 1 to 2 eggs, which hatch between 53 and 58 days. After which the young spend 106 to 130 days in the nest, before flying out on their own.

Vocalisation

Lammergeiers are silent apart from shrill whistles at the breeding crags.

Movements

Adults are strictly resident and, while immatures may wander, they very rarely leave mountain areas.

References

1. Clements, J. F., T. S. Schulenberg, M. J. Iliff, D. Roberson, T. A. Fredericks, B. L. Sullivan, and C. L. Wood. 2016. The eBird/Clements checklist of birds of the world: v2016, with updates to August 2016. Downloaded from http://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist/download/
2. Godoy JA, Negro JJ, Hiraldo F & Donazar JA. 2004. Phylogeography, genetic structure and diversity in the endangered bearded vulture (Gypaetus barbatus, L.) as revealed by mitochondrial DNA. Molecular Ecology 13: 371-390.

• List of references

Recommended Citation

• BirdForum Opus contributors. (2024) Bearded Vulture. In: BirdForum, the forum for wild birds and birding. Retrieved 25 April 2024 from https://www.birdforum.net/opus/Bearded_Vulture

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