Bearded Vulture
Gypaetus barbatus
This bird eats the bones.
Most scavengers go for the meat. The Bearded Vulture specializes in what is left: bones make up roughly 85% of its diet. It can swallow smaller pieces, while larger bones get an aerial delivery onto rocks to break them into manageable portions. Somewhere in the mountains, a bird is operating a very unusual kitchen.
Bone Recycle Bin — BONE APPÉTIT
What's real?
Bearded Vultures swallow smaller bones and break larger ones by dropping them onto rocks. This is a simplified illustration, not measured drop height or digestion time. No files on your computer are touched.
A recovery story worth keeping in flight.
Bearded Vultures disappeared from the Alps after persecution. Coordinated captive breeding and reintroductions have brought them back. The Vulture Conservation Foundation works with partners on this long-running recovery—proof that conservation can change a species' story.
Recovery in one region does not mean a species is safe everywhere. Learn about the work behind the return.
See the fieldwork, meet the researchers, or support bird science.
Meet the Alpine recovery team ↗Links go directly to conservation organizations.