Bearded Vulture

Gypaetus barbatus (Linnaeus, 1758)

Accipitridae — Kites, Hawks, Eagles

Bearded Vulture, Gypaetus barbatus, breeds across Africa and the Palearctic, including northern, eastern and southern Africa, and central and south-west Asia. It is a very large bird of prey in the Accipitridae family, and it nests on crags in high mountains. A striking feature is its feathered neck, which sets it apart from Old World vultures. It is the only known vertebrate whose food is made up mostly of bone. Females lay one or two eggs in mid-winter, and these hatch at the start of spring.

Order
Accipitriformes
Family
Accipitridae — Kites, Hawks, Eagles
Breeding range
Africa, Palearctic: n, e, s AF; c, sw Asia
Bearded Vulture
© Scarabinol · Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0

Tours where you can spot this bird

21 tours in Spain 8, India 3, Ethiopia 3, South Africa 2, Georgia 2, Turkey 1, Nepal 1, China 1

Private Sierra de Gredos Birdwatching Tour
Private Sierra de Gredos Birdwatching Tour
Spain / San Martin del Pimpollar Private tour 4h

A private birdwatching outing across the varied mountain, woodland, meadow and river habitats of Sierra de Gredos, with the route selected f...

From EUR 35 Next: May 1, 2027
Western Himalayas Birding Tour
Western Himalayas Birding Tour
India / New Delhi Private tour 14 days

A spring birding circuit from Corbett and the Kumaon foothills to Sattal, Ranikhet, Chopta and Tungnath for Himalayan pheasants and mountain...

Sani Pass Birding Tour from Underberg
Sani Pass Birding Tour from Underberg
South Africa / Underberg Group tour 1 day

A full-day specialist 4x4 birding route from Underberg through Sani Pass to Lesotho’s alpine highlands for regional endemic birds....

From ZAR 1,500
Aragonese Pyrenees Birding: Valleys, Forests and Cliffs
Aragonese Pyrenees Birding: Valleys, Forests and Cliffs
Spain / Madrid Group tour 4 days

Four days of birding in Aragón’s Pyrenees, including the Ordesa area, Hecho and Ansó valleys and Riglos cliffs. Meet in Madrid; guiding,...

From EUR 600
Sierra de Gredos Birding from Madrid
Sierra de Gredos Birding from Madrid
Spain / Madrid Group tour 2 days

Explore the rocky heights and lower oak and pine forests of the Sierra de Gredos on a two-day birding trip from Madrid, with transport, guid...

From EUR 250
Private Custom Catalonia Birding Experience
Private Custom Catalonia Birding Experience
Spain Custom tour

A private, tailor-made Catalonia birding experience with an ornithologist guide, shaped around season, habitats and your target species....

4-Day Aladağlar & Sultan Marshes Birdwatching Tour
4-Day Aladağlar & Sultan Marshes Birdwatching Tour
Turkey / Camardi Group tour 4 days

A four-day Aladağlar birding program combining Caspian Snowcock searches on high plateaus with forest birds and Sultan Marshes wetlands....

From EUR 450
16-Day North India Birding: Wetlands, Corbett and Himalayan Foothills
16-Day North India Birding: Wetlands, Corbett and Himalayan Foothills
India / Delhi Private tour 16 days

A customizable 16-day North India birding circuit through Ranthambore, Bharatpur, Corbett, Kotabagh and Nainital, from wetlands to Himalayan...

Private 17-Day Langtang and Gosainkunda Birding Trek
Private 17-Day Langtang and Gosainkunda Birding Trek
Nepal / Kathmandu Private tour 17 days

A seventeen-day birding trek through Langtang National Park and the Gosainkunda high country, with time for forest, river and alpine species...

Private 4-Hour Birding Tour at the Covadonga Lakes
Private 4-Hour Birding Tour at the Covadonga Lakes
Spain / Cangas de Onis Private tour 4h

A private, easy-paced birding walk around Lake Ercina and the Covadonga highlands, with mountain raptors and seasonal breeders in focus....

From EUR 50
Private 4-Hour Birding Tour in Ponga Nature Park
Private 4-Hour Birding Tour in Ponga Nature Park
Spain / Cangas de Onis Private tour 4h

A private mountain birding outing through Ponga and the Beyos Gorge, combining roadside viewpoints with short walks in forest and open count...

From EUR 60
Andalucía Birdwatching Tour
Andalucía Birdwatching Tour
Spain / Seville Private tour 6 days

A six-day, five-night birding journey through Cazorla, Sierra Morena, Seville countryside and Doñana....

From EUR 1,600
Kazbegi Caucasus Mountain Birding Tour with Nika Paposhvili
Kazbegi Caucasus Mountain Birding Tour with Nika Paposhvili
Georgia / Stepantsminda Private tour 3 days

Give Kazbegi three flexible mountain-birding days with Nika Paposhvili, using early starts and changing elevations to search for Caucasus sp...

Spring Birding in Georgia
Spring Birding in Georgia
Georgia / Tbilisi Group tour 7 days

A 7-day spring birding circuit through Georgia's Greater Caucasus, steppes, semi-desert, reservoirs and Tbilisi-area habitats....

From EUR 1,800
Rare and Endangered Ethiopia Birding Tour with Surprise Ethiopia Tours
Rare and Endangered Ethiopia Birding Tour with Surprise Ethiopia Tours
Ethiopia / Addis Ababa Private tour 12 days

Twelve-day Ethiopia birding tour focused on rare and endangered species, remote sites and conservation-oriented fieldwork....

Awash National Park Birding Tour with Surprise Ethiopia Tours
Awash National Park Birding Tour with Surprise Ethiopia Tours
Ethiopia / Awash Private tour 2 days

Two-day Awash National Park birding tour for raptors, savanna birds, waterbirds and Awash Falls scenery....

Bale Mountains Birding Tour with Surprise Ethiopia Tours
Bale Mountains Birding Tour with Surprise Ethiopia Tours
Ethiopia / Goba Private tour 3 days

Three-day Bale Mountains birding tour targeting Ethiopian highland endemics around Harenna Forest and the Sanetti Plateau....

Bespoke Iberian Birding, Wildlife and Back-Roads Tour
Bespoke Iberian Birding, Wildlife and Back-Roads Tour
Spain Private tour

A private, tailor-made Spain or Portugal journey combining birdwatching and wildlife stops with quiet roads, mountain scenery, villages, reg...

Pangot & Sat Tal Short Birding Tours
Pangot & Sat Tal Short Birding Tours
India / Pangot Private tour 5 days

Explore Pangot’s Himalayan forests and Sat Tal’s lakes on a five-day journey from Delhi, with pheasant searches, varied woodland birding...

8-Day St Lucia and Sani Pass Birding Tour
8-Day St Lucia and Sani Pass Birding Tour
South Africa / Durban Private tour 8 days

An 8-day KwaZulu-Natal birding itinerary linking Umdoni, Oribi Gorge, Ingeli Forest, Sani Pass, Eshowe, St Lucia and iSimangaliso....

Sichuan China’s Iconic Birds and Mammals
Sichuan China’s Iconic Birds and Mammals
China / Sichuan Group tour 12 days

A 13-day small-group birding expedition through Sichuan’s most biodiverse mountain regions, targeting China’s iconic endemic birds and m...

From EUR 4,479