Slow Years in the Cliffs: teacher key

Bearded Vultures, grade 11 edition, written for 11th grade. Bearded vultures often breed successfully only every second or third year. Records give lifespans of more than 30 years in the wild and over 45 in captivity.

Read the book. Print this page for the key.

Questions and answers

1. What are bearded vultures mostly?
   • Monogamous (answer)
   • Unable to fly
   • Found only at sea level
2. At what average age do wild males first breed, according to the studies?
   • 3 years
   • 8.9 years (answer)
   • 20 years
3. How long is a bearded vulture egg incubated?
   • About 15 days
   • About 154 days
   • About 54 days (answer)
4. A pair lays two eggs but can rear only one young. How many young does it rear?
   • One (answer)
   • Two
   • Three
5. How old is a young bird when it usually leaves its parents' territory?
   • About 2 weeks
   • About 8 months (answer)
   • About 8 years
6. As of November 2026, how many birds was the Lesotho and South Africa population put at?
   • 20 to 25
   • 2,000 to 2,500
   • 200 to 250 (answer)

Words

• monogamous: one partner
• incubated: kept warm
• brood: young family
• carrion: dead animal flesh
• hatching: coming out