New Insights into the Cosmetic Behaviour of Bearded Vultures

[Miguel Cádiz]

I knew that bearded vultures used mud or something to stain their breast feathers as I read Clives page about them here: https://wildsideholidays.co.uk/bearded-vulture-gypaetus-barbatus-quebrantahuesos/

But, now I just read this study that is actually very interesting… Up to the point that even the small streams that have this mud that the birds can use also need protecting!

The adventitious nature of the rufous colour of bearded vultures was first suggested in the XIXth century, and proved conclusively almost a century later. However, for more than 20 years, no advances about this mysterious behaviour have been made, and observational studies are needed to discover its function. Here, with the help of camera-traps and GPS transmitters we provide new observations about the regular use of a ferruginous spring situated in the Spanish Pyrenees by the species, providing new insights on the behavioural ecology of bearded vultures.

The study for all to read is here: https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2615/13/15/2409

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