By Daniel Arenas (Ornithologist and Nature Correspondent)
Names
English: Bearded Vulture, Lammergeier
Scientific: Gypaetus barbatus
Spanish: Quebrantahuesos
Size
Length: 100-115 cm
Wingspan: 250-290 cm
Weight: 4,500-7,100g
Habitat
Lives only in mountainous areas. Searches for food mostly above tree line. Some
juveniles can leave mountains for some time.
Distribution
In Europe only in the Pyrenees, on Crete, Corsica and on the Balkan. Reintroduced
population in the Alps. Also lives in Turkey. Outside Europe eastwards till China and
Mongolia. In Africa it occurs in east and south Africa. Also occurs in south-west of
Arabian Peninsula.
Migration
Adults are sedentary and stay in their breeding territory. Juveniles can disperse over
long distances. Birds from the Pyrenees also move around and are sometimes seen
outside the Pyrenees, for example in the Picos de Europa mountains in northern Spain.
Breeding and Reproduction
Bearded Vultures first start breeding when 6-8 years old, which is among the highest
numbers for any raptor in the world . Bearded Vultures breed very early in the year.
In the Pyrenees, egg laying is between 11th of December and 12th of February. This
is very early, especially because temperatures at this times are normally very low and
nests are usually quite high in the mountains. But with this tactic, the Bearded Vulture
will find plenty of food when the chicks hatch and the snow melts as many dead
mammals like Chamois or Red Deer are buried under the snow during winter.
Bearded Vultures normally lay two eggs and incubate them for 52 - 58 days. The
second born chick is killed by it's older sibling. The second chick is an insurance in case
the first egg doesn't hatch.
The chick spends between 103 and 133 (medium 123) days in the nest.
