Bearded Vulture
Gypaetus barbatus
The Bearded Vulture (Gypaetus barbatus) is a uncommon kites, old world vultures, eagles, and hawk found in 45 countries, weighing about 5.7 kg. The bearded vulture, also known as the lammergeier and ossifrage, is a very large bird of prey in the monotypic genus Gypaetus.
About the Bearded Vulture
The bearded vulture, also known as the lammergeier and ossifrage, is a very large bird of prey in the monotypic genus Gypaetus. The bearded vulture is the only known vertebrate whose diet consists of 70–90% bone.
Text adapted from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
How to identify it
The bearded vulture is 94–125 cm (37–49 in) long with a wingspan of 2.31–2.83 m (7 ft 7 in – 9 ft 3 in). It weighs 4.5–7.8 kg (9.9–17.2 lb), with the nominate race averaging 6.21 kg (13.7 lb) and G. b. meridionalis of Africa averaging 5.7 kg (13 lb). In Eurasia, vultures found around the Himalayas tend to be slightly larger than those from other mountain ranges. Females are slightly larger than males. It is essentially unmistakable with other vultures or indeed other birds in flight due to its long, narrow wings, with the wing chord measuring 71.5–91 cm (28.1–35.
What the Bearded Vulture sounds like
Where it lives
Recorded as a rare visitor in Sweden, Norway, Netherlands, Belgium, Eritrea, North Macedonia, Poland.
When to see it
The Bearded Vulture can be seen all year round, with peak activity in May. It is a resident species across most of its range.
Easily confused with
Quick questions
- How do you identify a Bearded Vulture?
- The bearded vulture is 94–125 cm (37–49 in) long with a wingspan of 2.31–2.83 m (7 ft 7 in – 9 ft 3 in). Full identification notes are on this page.
- How big is a Bearded Vulture?
- The Bearded Vulture is a huge sized bird weighing about 5.7 kg.
- Where can you see a Bearded Vulture?
- The Bearded Vulture occurs in 45 countries, including France, Spain, India, China and South Africa.
- What does a Bearded Vulture sound like?
- You can listen to 3 field recordings of the Bearded Vulture on this page, contributed to xeno-canto under open licences.
- What birds look similar to a Bearded Vulture?
- The Bearded Vulture is most easily confused with the Black Hawk-Eagle, the Long-crested Eagle and the Black-collared Hawk.
- Is the Bearded Vulture endangered?
- The Bearded Vulture is listed as Near Threatened on the IUCN Red List.
Learn the Bearded Vulture for real
BeakBrain drills you on photos and calls until you can greet this bird by name in the field. Free to play, on any device.
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