Wednesday 17 December 2008

Griffon Vulture


Snapped this Griffon (Gyps fulvus) as it came over the village. The Griffon lives in the Pyrenees all year round nesting on South facing cliffs and eating carrion. They depend on traditional hill farming for much of their food - cows and sheep which die on mountain pastures.
Winter is a hard time for them with freezing temperatures (it can drop to minus 30 degrees where they nest) and not much food available. Amazingly they can live more than 100 years.

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