A rare bird for Belarus, the griffon vulture, visited the Sharkovshchina district

Near the Yalnya marsh, photographer Valery Kovalenok from Sharkovshchina captured a rare bird for Belarus – the Griffon Vulture. This is reported by the website of the public association "Aхова птушак Бацькаўшчыны" (Birds Protection of the Homeland).

Valery Kovalenok said that local shepherds called him, having noticed an unusual large bird among the crows. When they arrived at the scene, the black-winged residents immediately took off, leaving the exotic guest alone. The Griffon Vulture allowed the photographer to approach within 15-20 m, then took off – its wingspan was over two meters. After circling over the cows, the bird returned to its previous spot.

The Griffon Vulture is a large bird of prey from the hawk family, a scavenger. It inhabits Southern Europe, Asia, and North Africa. It also nests in the Caucasus Mountains, and an isolated population has survived in Crimea. The body length is 93-110 cm, and the wingspan is 234-269 cm. It has a typical vulture appearance: a disproportionately small head covered with white down, an elongated hooked beak, a long neck with a collar of elongated feathers, and a short rounded tail. It struggles to take off from a level surface; in flight, it retracts its neck, and its wingbeats are rare, slow, and deep. The arrival of the Griffon Vulture has been officially registered in Belarus for the fifth time. Previously, it was recorded in 1924, 1979, 1983, and 1996.

Sergey Kovalevsky, "Vitebskiye Vesti".