Alternative name: Bearded Vulture
- Gypaetus barbatus
Identification
95-125 cm (37-49 inches) long with a 235-280 cm (91-110 inches) wingspan. Buff-yellow body and head, grey tail and wings. Juvenile birds are dark all over, and take five years to reach full maturity.
Distribution
Taxonomy
Gypaetus barbatus has three subspecies:
- G. b. barbatus;
- G. b. aureus; and
- G. b. meridionalis.
Habitat
Mountains.
Behaviour
The diet is 90% bone marrow. It will drop large bones and live tortoises from a height to crack them to get smaller pieces.
One to two eggs are laid and incubated for 53 and 58 days. Thereafter the young spend 106 to 130 days in the nest, before flying out on their own.