Lammergeier
The Lammergeier or Bearded Vulture is a huge bird 37 to 49 inches long with a wingspan of nearly 10 feet. It is quite unlike most other vultures in flight due to its large, narrow wings and long, wedge-shaped tail feathers.
The adult has a buff-yellow body and head, the latter with the black moustaches which give this species its alternative name. It may rub mud over its chin, breast and leg feathers, giving these areas a rust-coloured appearance. The tail feathers and wings are grey. The juvenile bird is dark all over, and takes five years to reach full maturity.
Lammergeiers breed on crags in high mountains in southern Europe, Africa, India, and Tibet where the population is resident. It has been successfully re-introduced into the Alps but is still one of the rarest raptors in Europe. Although the Lammergeier is threatened within its range in Europe, the species has a large range across Asia and Africa and is relatively common across much of that range. The habitat is exclusively mountainous terrain from 1,600 to 13,000 feet. An individual has been seen at 24,000 feet.
Like other vultures, the Lammergeier 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 into smaller pieces. Its old name of Ossifrage ("bone breaker") relates to this habit. Live tortoises are also dropped in similar fashion to crack them open.
Date: 14th November 2009
Location: Bernues, Aragon, Spain
The adult has a buff-yellow body and head, the latter with the black moustaches which give this species its alternative name. It may rub mud over its chin, breast and leg feathers, giving these areas a rust-coloured appearance. The tail feathers and wings are grey. The juvenile bird is dark all over, and takes five years to reach full maturity.
Lammergeiers breed on crags in high mountains in southern Europe, Africa, India, and Tibet where the population is resident. It has been successfully re-introduced into the Alps but is still one of the rarest raptors in Europe. Although the Lammergeier is threatened within its range in Europe, the species has a large range across Asia and Africa and is relatively common across much of that range. The habitat is exclusively mountainous terrain from 1,600 to 13,000 feet. An individual has been seen at 24,000 feet.
Like other vultures, the Lammergeier 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 into smaller pieces. Its old name of Ossifrage ("bone breaker") relates to this habit. Live tortoises are also dropped in similar fashion to crack them open.
Date: 14th November 2009
Location: Bernues, Aragon, Spain
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Also in: Aragon
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