the bearded vulture is a large old-world vulture found in parts of europe, asia, and africa. the majority of the bearded vulture’s diet consists of bones. small bones are eaten whole, while large bones are cracked open by the vultures, who drop them from great heights. the vultures are naturally a light off-white, but they dye themselves orange-red using clay. it’s theorized this is a status symbol, with the darkest-colored vultures being the highest ranking.
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bearded vultures’ diet consists almost entirely of bone – 70-90%. the vultures have incredibly acidic stomachs capable of digesting small bones. for larger bones, bearded vultures fly them up high in the air then drop them, repeating until they have cracked and the vultures can access the marrow.
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bearded vultures are known for their vibrant red coloration. however, this isn’t their ‘natural’ color; it is derived from red clay the birds rub onto themselves as a status symbol (the darker the color, the higher-ranking the bird). when bearded vultures aren’t provided with clay, they are white like this bird.
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