Turkey Vulture

Lore & Background

The Andean condor is a national symbol of Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru and plays an important role in the folklore and mythology of the Andean regions. The generic term Vultur is directly taken from the Latin vultur or voltur, which means 'vulture'. Its specific epithet is derived from a variant of the Greek word γρυπός (grupós, 'hook-nosed'). The word condor itself is derived from the Quechua kuntur. The Andean condor was described by Swedish scientist Carl Linnaeus in 1758 in the tenth edition of his Systema Naturae and retains its original binomial name of Vultur gryphus. The Andean condor is sometimes called the Argentinean condor, Bolivian condor, Chilean condor, Colombian condor, Ecuadorian condor, or Peruvian condor after one of the nations to which it is native.

In Their Own Story

In The Voyage of the Beagle, Charles Darwin mentioned watching condors for half an hour without once observing a flap of their wings. The condor soars with its wings held horizontally and its primary feathers bent upwards at the tips. The lack of a large sternum to anchor its correspondingly large flight muscles physiologically identifies it as primarily being a soarer. It flaps its wings on rising from the ground, but after attaining a moderate elevation it flaps its wings very rarely, relying on thermals to stay aloft. Flight recorders have shown that '75% of the birds' flapping was associated with take-off', and that it 'flaps its wings just 1% of the time during flight'. The proportion of time for flapping is more for short flights.

Reader's Guide

The Andean condor is found in South America in the Andes and the Santa Marta Mountains. In the north, its present range begins in Venezuela and Colombia, where it is extremely rare, then continues south along the Andes in Ecuador, Peru, and Chile, through Bolivia and western Argentina to the Tierra del Fuego. Its habitat is mainly composed of open grasslands and alpine areas up to 5,000 m (16,000 ft) in elevation. It prefers relatively open, non-forested areas which allow it to spot carrion from the air, such as the páramo or rocky, mountainous areas in general. The condor is primarily a scavenger, feeding on carrion. It prefers large carcasses, such as those of deer or cattle. It reaches sexual maturity at five or six years of age and nests at elevations of up to 5,000 m (16,000 ft), generally on inaccessible rock ledges. One or two eggs are usually laid per clutch. It is one of the world's longest-living birds, with a lifespan of over 70 years in some cases. The Andean condor is considered vulnerable by the IUCN. It is threatened by habitat loss and by secondary poisoning from lead in carcasses killed by hunters. Captive breeding programs have been instituted in several countries.

Did You Know?

• The Andean condor has a maximum wingspan of 3.3 m (10 ft 10 in) and weight of 15 kg (33 lb).
• It is one of the world's longest-living birds, with a lifespan of over 70 years in some cases.
• The female condor is smaller than the male, an exception to the usual sexual dimorphism seen in birds of prey.
• Flight recorders have shown that the condor 'flaps its wings just 1% of the time during flight'.
• The word condor is derived from the Quechua kuntur.