Andean condor
Vultur gryphus
SUBFAMILY
Catharnae
TAXONOMY
Vultur gryphus Linneaus, 1758, Chile. Monotypic.
OTHER COMMON NAMES
French: Condor des Andes; German: Andenkondor; Spanish: Cóndor Andino.
PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS
39–51 in (100–130 cm) 18.1–23.1 lb (8.2–10.5 kg). with a wingspan of as much as 10 ft (3 m). Black plumage with large white patches on the dorsal portion of the wings. Neck ruff of short white feathers. Sexually dimorphic with males exhibiting a large fleshy crest, tan-colored irises, and head skin ranging from dark gray to yellow. Females have red irises, grayish skin on their head, and can be 2.2–11 lb (1–5 kg) lighter.
DISTRIBUTION
Andes Mountains from Venezuela to Tierra del Fuego, ranging to the coast from northern Peru to southern Chile and Argentina.
HABITAT
Roosting and nesting occur in mountainous areas where winds allow the birds to range widely. Foraging occurs in open areas of savanna, grasslands, deserts, and beaches along the coast.
BEHAVIOR
Highly curious and intelligent, it finds food through observing the behaviors and activities of other species. Condors can travel hundreds of miles in a single day, foraging alone or in well dispersed groups at high altitudes. Strict hierarchy at a carcass reduces aggression to a minimum. At Andean condor roosts in South America, groups consisting of several immature birds seem to gain the same information advantage as in the black vulture system. In areas where large roosts are not convenient, however, juvenile bands move between territory pairs led by the older more experienced individuals of the group. Their brown, immature stage plumages, which gradually change to black and white by seven years of age, afford them safe passage between nesting cliffs defended against adults and gain them the advantages of associating with knowledgeable adult birds.
FEEDING ECOLOGY AND DIET
Scavenger of large carcasses that include marine mammals as well as wild and domestic ungulates. Have been known to feed on sea bird nestlings on offshore guano islands. Their large and powerful bills enable them to tear open thick hide.
REPRODUCTIVE BIOLOGY
Courtship displays have been seen throughout the year near the equator. To the far south nesting occurs from May through August. Incubation from 58 to 62 days (captive) and fledging takes about six months. While pairs may hold territories, nesting may occur every other year and may be postponed for several years if food availability is low. Parental dependency period is lengthy and may vary with food supply.
CONSERVATION STATUS
Listed as Near Threatened but still abundant in the Chile/Argentina Andes where thousands of birds exist. Fewer birds as one progresses north along the Andes until Colombia and Venezuela where the population consists of mostly reintroduced birds.
SIGNIFICANCE TO HUMANS
Pictographs and legends found throughout native cultures. "The sun rose and set by the wings of the condor," according to an Inca belief. Festivals and rituals involving this species still exist. A modern Andean festival involves tying a condor to a bull's back and sending the bull running through the town. If the condor survives, it symbolizes the successful resistance of the native South Americans against the Spanish conquistadors, and it is released back to the wild.
