Bearded vultures are the only known vertebrates whose diet is almost exclusively composed of bone (70-90 percent).
Which bird consumes only bones?
Bearded vultures are the only animals that eat bones almost exclusively (70-90%). On Crete, it is known as the "bone eater." Birds throw large bones from height to rocky slopes, breaking them, and quickly descending into a characteristic spiral.
Do birds eat bones?
The real "bone eaters" are lammergeiers (also known as bearded vultures). .. Being able to carry half the weight of bones, birds use thermals to jump up, drop from large heights and crush them into the rocks below. This is a skill that takes 7 years to master.
Why do bearded vultures eat bones?
Birds often swallow the remaining bone after working to obtain the maximum amount of bone marrow. Bearded vultures have a very elastic esophagus, so these parts can be easily swallowed. It stretches to accommodate larger bone fragments and strangely shaped fragments.
What do vultures do with their bones?
Small bones can be crushed with a beak, but large, dense bones must be dropped during flight into a rocky landscape called the ossuary [4]. After that, the vulture flies to the part where the bone is broken and consumes the bone marrow. This process can be repeated multiple times for the same bone.
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