This bird appears in the Levitical and Deuteronomic lists of unclean birds, grouped with eagles, vultures, and other raptors. The precise species is uncertain—older English versions proposed 'osprey' (a fish-eating hawk), while more recent scholarship leans toward a type of vulture. The BDB notes that the Hebrew root is unknown and may be a foreign loanword. The multilingual glosses diverge: English opts for 'black vulture,' Spanish for 'azor' (goshawk) or 'águila marina' (sea eagle), French and German for 'black vulture.' The recurring association with נֶשֶׁר (eagle) and other carrion birds supports a vulture identification.