The Lammergeier: A Bone-Eating Scavenger from Central Asia

by Lucas Abiy, age 8

Did you know there is a bird that can eat and digest bones? They are called Lammergeiers.

The true size of the Lammergeier's beak is hidden by its long, stiff bristles. In fact, the bristles are hiding nearly three inches of its beak! While the beak is a way for these birds to carry food, their big feet, muscular toes, and sharp, curved talons are important for holding food as well.

Other vultures have bare heads and necks. However, Lammergeier has light orange feathers and often gets confused with the Egyptian vulture due to their similar colors. One way to differentiate them is that the Lammergier has black circles around its eyes that lead to its beak, and the Egyptian vulture is smaller and has white feathers.

Lammergeiers live all across central South West Asia, from Turkey to the East of China and Mongolia. It is also found in East, South, and North Africa, Corsica, Greece, the Pyrenees, and the Arabian Peninsula. This species eats small mammals such as mice, squirrels, and possums. The average Lammergeier wingspan is eight to nine feet. The Lammergeier is a carrion feeder, sometimes dropping rocks to break open things such as small mammals and ostrich eggs. They usually lay two to three eggs.

Lammergiers are fascinating birds due to their bright and unique features. Their vibrance sets them apart from other vultures and their specialized bone eating habits make them well adapted to their ecosystem.

[Source: The Encyclopedia of Animals]