The Andean Condor is the heaviest member of the order Ciconiiformes, and belongs to the family Cathartidae, the New World Vultures. As such, it is considered to be more closely related to storks than to the Old World Vulture family, Accipitridae, which includes eagles and hawks.
They live on the coast of Peru and Argentina and in the Andes Mountains of South America. These huge birds may cover 150 miles per day in search of food; they are mainly carrion-eaters, and have been reported to hunt only occasionally. They search the ground for carcasses of large animals such as deer and cattle. Their feet are not prehensile, and thus, are not capable of carrying off prey, as are the sharper talons of eagles and hawks. Their sharp beaks can cut through the tough hides of dead livestock and deer. Carrion eaters perform an important role in the ecosystem, cleaning up the dead, thus helping to prevent the spread of disease.
Due to their heavy bodies, (they may weigh up to 33 pounds), the Andean Condors live where strong thermal air currents exist to assist them in staying aloft. They have a wingspan of approximately ten feet, and are graceful fliers, almost constantly soaring, rarely flapping their wings. Observers have noted that flapping may occur only once in an hour! They can reach altitudes of approximately 18,000 feet, which is over three miles!
This majestic bird has mainly black plumage, with a band of white feathers around its throat, and, in the male, patches or bands of white on its wings. These white areas are not found in juveniles until after the first molt. The head lacks feathers, as in other vultures. This is thought to be an adaptation for cleanliness, as exposure to strong UV rays and high altitude winds tend to have a sterilizing effect on the exposed skin. The female is smaller than the male, which is another difference found to the contrary in most Old World vultures.
Males have a reddish or maroon comb as well. Apparently, the head and neck skin flushes when the individuals are aroused or in emotionally excited states. Perhaps this serves as a mood indicator to others of its kind.
Andean Condors are ready to breed at approximately five to six years of age.
They pair off for life, and may live for more than half a century. They breed at elevations above 10,000 feet, and lay one or two eggs on ledges of rock. The eggs are three to four inches in length and are of a pale, slightly bluish color. If one egg is lost or destroyed, the female will lay another. Conservationists have used this fact to increase the birds' populations: they may remove an egg and raise it in a hatchery, thereby inducing the female to lay another, which she is normally allowed to incubate and raise herself. Both parents assist in the care and feeding of young.
The young remain downy until near-maturity; they can fly at around six months of age. They stay with their parents for two years. Condor social behavior includes a wide range of vocalizations, pecking order behavior, and competitions in flight to determine the dominance of individual members.
Andean Condors were put on the Endangered Species list in 1973 by the US Fish and Wildlife Service. Factors in their endangerment include hunting, deforestation, air pollution and food and water contamination, as well as reduction in available food supply (declining populations of prey). Their slow reproductive rate is also a factor, as they lay eggs only every second year. There is not yet an accurate census of the numbers left, though, as previously mentioned, there are believed to be only a few thousand left in the wild
Currently, Andean Condors are being raised in captivity and prepared for release into the wild under the auspices of breeding programs such as the PCACD (Program for Conservation of the Andean Condor), which is a joint effort performed by several organizations from different countries. Chicks that are hatched in incubators become acclimated to condor behavior through exposure to adult captive condors in connecting enclosures. The chicks are fitted with transmitters for tracking upon their release back into the wild.
Another program that seeks to educate locals and protect the Andean Condor is the Condor Huasi Project. This program ensures a weekly food supply for some condors living in the area around the border of Peru and Ecuador, in order to appease local farmers who believe that the condors destroy their animals. They also educate youngsters about condors, discussing the ways in which their ancestors lived harmoniously with them, and hoping to perpetuate co-existence with condors among current and successive generations of ranchers.
The Condor is known as Kuntur in Quechua, which is the language of the Inca Empire and is still spoken by more than half of the population of Peru. The following is an excerpt from a folk lyric of the Quechua people:
Oh mighty Kuntur, who owns the skies
Take me home, up into the Andes, O mighty Kuntur
I want to go back to my ancestral home to be with my brothers
That is what I miss the most, O mighty Kuntur
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