It is the largest bird in the entire Iberian Peninsula. It has a wingspan of about 250 cm. Some specimens even reach 3 m. Its plumage is sombre. The feathers on the back are brown with blackish tints, the ventral part of the body being even darker. The neck and part of the head are completely bare, while the face and the top of the head are covered with down. At the base of the neck, a necklace of pale feathers of small length is striking. There are no apparent differences between males and females, although there are differences between adults and juveniles, which have an almost black plumage. Its flight silhouette is plank-like, with the neck tucked in as it flies, the tail short and triangular and the primary feathers widely spread, which reinforces its upward thrust. It is present in the southwest quadrant of the Iberian Peninsula and in Mallorca. It is mainly found in oaks, cork oaks and gall oaks, although in the Balearic Islands it appears in the pine forests of the coastal cliffs. This vulture is a sedentary bird, although young individuals make long exploratory journeys upon emancipation from parents. Its behavior is less gregarious than that of the griffon vulture. The black vulture breeds in the trees. The nest is renewed before each season, being able to reach a diameter of 2 meters and a height of up to one. The black vulture does not breed every year. It begins incubation in March. Both parents are engaged in this task, which lasts 55 days, so that at the beginning of May a single chick hatches. The incubation mission is carried out very conscientiously; some experts claim that it is very difficult during incubation to move a black vulture from the nest. They differ from griffon vultures in that they prefer the muscle tissue of carrion, even tearing the skin in order to devour the muscles. It spits out the hairs, after having choked on them, in the form of an indigestible ball. The remains of rabbits, squirrels, turtles and lizards have been found in their nests, suggesting that they can also capture small live prey.