The bearded vulture, also known as the lammergeier, is a distinctive bird of prey. Unlike many other vultures, it has a fully feathered neck and head. A striking black band crosses its eyes, and bristles beneath its chin create a prominent beard-like feature, giving the bird its common name. This large scavenger primarily consumes the bones of dead animals, a dietary specialization that sets it apart.
Global Presence
Bearded vultures are found across a fragmented global range spanning mountainous regions of Europe, Asia, and Africa. In Europe, populations exist in the Pyrenees, the Alps, Corsica, and Crete. Their Asian distribution includes the Arabian Peninsula, the Caucasus region, the Zagros Mountains, and the Himalayas, extending into western and central China. Significant numbers are also found in the Altai Mountains and Ladakh in northern India. African populations inhabit the Atlas Mountains, the Ethiopian Highlands, and south through parts of Sudan, Kenya, and Tanzania, with an isolated group in South Africa’s Drakensberg mountains.
Preferred Habitats
Bearded vultures typically inhabit high-altitude, rugged mountainous terrains, ranging from 300 to 4,500 meters above sea level, though they are most frequently observed above 2,000 meters. These birds prefer remote, undisturbed areas characterized by cliffs, crags, precipices, canyons, and gorges. Their habitats often overlook high alpine pastures, montane grasslands, and meadows, which provide access to ungulate carcasses—a primary food source. They also utilize lightly forested slopes and high-lying steppes. The presence of strong air currents in these open, elevated landscapes is important for their soaring flight, enabling efficient searching for food across vast territories.
Survival Strategies
The bearded vulture’s survival depends on its specialized diet, which consists of 70–90% bone. This feeding behavior, known as osteophagy, allows them to utilize a food source largely ignored by other scavengers. For bones too large to swallow, vultures carry them aloft, often 50 to 150 meters high, and drop them onto rocks below to shatter them. This bone-dropping skill can take young birds up to seven years to master. Their powerful digestive system, with an extremely acidic stomach pH of around 0.7, dissolves large bone fragments within 24 hours.
Bearded vultures construct large nests primarily on sheltered ledges of inaccessible cliffs or in caves. These nests, made of sticks, are lined with softer materials like wool and hair. They are solitary nesters, though breeding pairs often maintain a close bond. Their wingspan, ranging from 2.28 to 2.85 meters, allows them to soar on air currents, covering territories of over 2 square kilometers daily in search of carcasses.
Restoring Their Range
Historically, bearded vulture populations faced declines, particularly in Europe, due to persecution and habitat changes. Many European populations, including those in the Alps, were extirpated by the early 20th century. Successful reintroduction programs, initiated in the late 1970s, have been instrumental in restoring their presence in former habitats. The Alpine Reintroduction Project, which began releasing captive-bred birds in 1986, is considered a conservation success, leading to a growing breeding population in the Alps.
Similar reintroduction efforts have taken place in Spain and France. These programs involve captive breeding in zoos and specialized centers, with young birds released into carefully selected areas. Conservation work focuses on expanding these populations, connecting isolated groups, and mitigating threats such as poisoning. Protecting undisturbed mountainous ecosystems remains important for the continued expansion and long-term survival of bearded vultures.