The lammergeier (Gypaetus barbatus) is an Old World vulture
that is found in southern Europe, west and central Asia and a few regions in
Africa. It is a bird of mountainous regions and open grassland.
It has huge wings, a wedge-shaped tail and feathers at the
base of its bill that resemble a beard. In length it measures up to four feet
(1.2 metres), and it weighs 10-15 pounds (4.5-7 kg). Males and females have
similar plumage to each other.
The lammergeier – as might be expected – feeds on carrion,
but unlike many similar species it does not leave the bones of its food sources
to glisten in the sun. It has a particular taste for bone marrow, which it
obtains by carrying large bones high into the air and dropping them on to rocks
in order to break them open.
Lammergeiers are not regarded as a threatened species, being
relatively common in their local habitats.
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