Bearded vultures are named for the long, broad, black bristles that grow from the base of the bill that resemble a beard.
Adult bearded vultures are a dark gray-black or gray-blue in color, with a slightly darker tail and lighter shaft-streaks. Each side of the face is separated by a thick black band around the eyes, with long, broad black bristles at the base of the bill that resemble a beard. The forehead is a creamy-white, yellow color, while the rest of the head is a maize color, often becoming more of a rusty red-orange rufous color on the neck and abdomen that is darker on the throat and neck. The face is variably black-streaked with black ear-tufts. The chest is speckled with black streaks and broken spots.
Bearded vultures are so named for the long, broad, black bristles that grow from the base of the bill that resemble a beard.
Sources: (Ferguson-Lees & Christie, 2001; Tenenzapf, 2011)
Image: Richard Bartz
