Ethiopia: Simien Mountains NP – Lemmergeyer Vultures

Lemmergeyer or the bearded vulture is a large bird of pray that is rather rare to see as it lives only in high mountains above 9-10k feet in some places of Southern Europe and Northern Africa. Simien NP was a fantastic place to see them up close (well, using goat meat and bones helped) on the ledge of an escarpment with a view of Simien Mountains. Lemmergeyers are large birds with very colorful plumage and a 3m/9 feet wingspan! What’s more interesting – they don’t eat meat like other vultures but feed exclusively on bone marrow – they can swallow massive bones and their digestive system then dissolves this! If the bones are to large to swallow, they drop them from thousands of feet high and crack them against the rocks on the ground, swallowing the pieces later. Observing these birds within literally feet away was one of the most incredible wildlife experiences I ever had.
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