Bearded Vulture

Gypaetus barbatus

Order: Accipitriformes
Family: Accipitridae
Presence in the Strait: Vagrant
Protection in Spain: In danger of extinction · Andalusian Catalogue
In Spanish: Quebrantahuesos

Photograph: Diego González Dopico, CC BY, vía iNaturalist

Length: 100–115 cm
Wingspan: 245–272 cm
Weight: 6,000 g

Presence in the Strait

Accidental. Breeding in this area until the end of the 19th Century. Seven records that possibly correspond to four different birds: from the 8th to 10th January ‘93 in the municipality of Los Barrios; on 16.05.96 at the Marismas del Palmones; and on the 2nd & 21st September ‘98 and 14.09.99 in the municipality of Tarifa.

Identification

The size of a Griffon Vulture, with a long wedge-shaped tail; long, narrow pointed wings.

Bioestrecho editorial text. Last revised: 8 September 2026.

Photographs from iNaturalist observations with the licence checked file by file. Those marked “Strait” were taken within the area; place and date are those of each observation.

Calendar in the Strait

25 %

Peak in May. Observations under CC0 or CC BY licences. The distribution also reflects observation effort.

Where it is seen

Open records from the atlas database, in cells of about 9.0 km. Opacity follows the square root of the count, and also reflects where people observe most.

See on the map

Sensitive species (cliff nest, exposed to plundering and disturbance): its observations are shown with the location generalised to about 11 km, here and in the explorer. The original source keeps the exact position.

First open record: 7 November 2021
Latest record: 29 July 2022

The oldest and the most recent open observation in the extended area. A recent first observation does not mean the species is new: it means nobody had published it openly before.

Conservation

The catalogues, Andalusian and Spanish, are what binds; the Red Book assesses the Spanish population with IUCN criteria, and the global Red List is the context.

LCNTVUENCR

Andalusian Catalogue: In danger of extinction
Spanish Catalogue: In danger of extinction
Red Book of the Birds of Spain 2021: VU · Vulnerable · breeding
Global Red List (IUCN): NT · Near threatened

Plan: AVES NECRÓFAGAS · Annex I of the Birds Directive

Andalusian Catalogue: Junta de Andalucía, list of 24 April 2025. Spanish Catalogue: MITECO, table of 30 June 2025. Red Book: SEO/BirdLife, 2021 (Annex I). IUCN: via GBIF, 6 September 2026. Red Book and IUCN categories are assessments; catalogue categories are legal obligations.

Classification

Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Accipitriformes
Family: Accipitridae
GBIF taxon key: 2480649

Sources

Distribution and calendar: Bioestrecho's own database, ingested from GBIF and OBIS
Photograph: Diego González Dopico, CC BY, vía iNaturalist
Taxonomy: GBIF backbone, pending WoRMS for marine taxa
Editorial text: written by Bioestrecho
Last revised: 8 September 2026

Bearded Vulture

Presence in the Strait

Identification

Gallery