High above the treeline of the European Alps and the craggy serrations of the Pyrenees, a silhouette unlike any other patrols the thermals. With a wingspan stretching nearly three meters, the Bearded Vulture (Gypaetus barbatus) occupies a niche so specialized that it stands alone among the world’s raptors. Unlike the more common Griffon or Cinereous vultures that rely on soft tissue, the Bearded Vulture is an osteophage—an animal whose diet consists almost exclusively (up to 85 to 90 percent) of bone. This year, new longitudinal studies and successful reintroduction counts across the European massif have shed light on the sophisticated cognitive and physiological mechanisms that allow this bird to thrive in some of the continent's most inhospitable terrains. Historically known by the evocative but misleading name 'Lammergeier' (lamb-vulture), this species was nearly driven to extinction in Europe by the early 20th century due to myths that it carried off livestock and eve...