Lammergeier

The Lammergeier, also called the Bearded Vulture, is a massive Old World vulture of high mountain ranges in Europe, Africa, and Asia. It is unusual among vultures for its striking orange-rust wash across the head, breast, and underparts, thought to result from deliberate dust-bathing in iron-oxide-rich soil or mud rather than true pigment.

The upperparts are dark grey to blackish, the head is pale golden-buff with a black mask through the eye, and bristly black feathers form a distinctive "beard" beneath the bill, giving the species its common name.

Distinctive Silhouette

Unlike most vultures, which have bare heads and fan-shaped or rounded tails, the Lammergeier has a fully feathered head and a long, wedge-shaped (diamond) tail, giving it a falcon-like or eagle-like profile in flight.

Key Field Marks

• Long, wedge-shaped (diamond-shaped) tail, unlike the fan or rounded tails of other vultures
• Long, narrow, pointed wings
• Bristly black "beard" of feathers at the chin
• Adults show orange-buff underparts and head; juveniles are dark sooty grey-black overall, taking 5-7 years to reach full adult plumage

Similar Species

• Egyptian Vulture — much smaller, mostly white with black flight feathers, also wedge-tailed but far less bulky
• Griffon Vulture — broad, rounded wings and a fan-shaped tail, with a bare (not feathered) head

The combination of feathered head, wedge tail, and long narrow wings makes the Lammergeier essentially unmistakable once size and shape are noted.

Range

Lammergeiers inhabit high mountain ranges including the Pyrenees, Alps, Caucasus, Himalayas, Ethiopian Highlands, Atlas Mountains, and mountains of southern Africa such as the Drakensberg.

Habitat

They favor remote, rugged terrain with cliffs for nesting, typically at elevations between roughly 1,000 and 4,500 meters.

Movements

Most populations are sedentary, holding large home ranges year-round rather than migrating.

Feeding

Lammergeiers soar for hours over mountain terrain searching for bones left behind by other scavengers and predators. They carry bones aloft, sometimes weighing several kilograms, and drop them from height onto rocky "ossuaries" to smash them into swallowable fragments. Their highly acidic stomach (around pH 1) dissolves even large bone fragments, allowing them to extract marrow.

Voice

Generally silent; occasionally gives thin, weak whistling calls.

Nesting and Breeding

Pairs are monogamous with long-term bonds. Nests are built on inaccessible cliff ledges or in caves. Typically two eggs are laid, but sibling aggression usually means only one chick survives (a behavior known as cainism or siblicide). Breeding begins in winter across much of the range.