a rare vulture, Gypaetus barbatus, of S Europe, Africa, and Asia, with dark wings, a pale breast, and black feathers around the bill: family Accipitridae (hawks)
Also called: bearded vulture or (archaic) ossifrage
Word origin
C19: from German Lämmergeier, from Lämmer lambs + Geier vulture
lammergeier in American English
(ˈlæmərˌgaɪər) or ˈlammerˌgeyer (ˈlæmərˌgaɪər)
noun
a very large Old World vulture (Gypaetus barbatus) with grayish-black plumage streaked with white and a tuft of bristles over the nostrils and under the bill; bearded vulture
Word origin
Ger lämmergeier < lämmer, pl. of lamm, lamb + geier, vulture, akin to gier, greed < IE base *ghī-, var. of ghē- > gape