Scientific name: Aegypius monachus (Linnaeus, 1766)
Bird group: Birds-of-prey
Field characters. Length 105 cm; wingspan 250-295 cm. Huge vulture, larger than Griffon Vulture. Plumage dark sooty, on a distance looking almost entirely black, but in close view flight feathers are slightly paler than underwing-coverts. Ruff in adult greyish, in juvenile black. Skin on head blue and pink and juvenile has extensive black 'hood'. Legs pale grey, looking white from a distance. Broad wings with obvious 'fingers', as in Griffon Vulture. Never soars on raised wings, but keeps wings level or even slightly lowered, with drooping hand. Tail is slightly longer than in Griffon Vulture and is slightly wedge-shaped, as in White-tailed Eagle. Usually alone, in pairs or in small flocks, never in large flocks as Griffon Vulture.
Voice. High-pitched shrill cry, but usually silent.
Distribution. Rare resident.
Habitat. Wooded hills, dry open plains and mountains.
Food. Feeds almost exclusively on carcasses of mammals: deer, horse, cow, donkey, wild boar, goat, rabbit, hare, squirrel, dog, fox. Relatively strong bill allows tearing through skin, taking tough muscle tissue, tendons and skin for food.
Eggs. Marked with large fine red brown/pale brown/brown streaks and blotches, sometimes completely obscuring the ground colour, rarely uniformly dirty white/white. Texture coarsely pitted, not glossy. Shape short subelliptical/subelliptical (seldom). Size 90 x 70 mm (83-104 x 58-75), weight 243 g.