Condor

Condor is the common name for two species of New World

vultures, each in a monotypic genus. The name derives from the Condor
Quechua kuntur.[1][2] They are the largest flying land birds in the Temporal range: Late Pliocene –
Western Hemisphere. Holocene

They are:

The Andean condor (Vultur gryphus), which inhabits the

Andean mountains.
The California condor (Gymnogyps californianus),
currently restricted to the western coastal mountains of
the United States and Mexico and the northern desert
mountains of Arizona in the United States.
Andean condor soars over southern
Peru's Colca Canyon
Contents
Scientific classification
Taxonomy
Kingdom: Animalia
Description
Phylum: Chordata
Fossil record
Class: Aves
Behavior
Other Order: Cathartiformes

Gallery Family: Cathartidae

References Genera
External links Vultur
Gymnogyps
Taxonomy
Condors are part of the family Cathartidae which contains the New World vultures, whereas the 15 species of
Old World vultures are in the family Accipitridae, that also includes hawks, eagles, and kites. The New World
and Old World vultures evolved from different ancestors. However, they both are carrion-eaters and have
distinctive bare heads.

Description
Both condors are very large broad-winged soaring birds, the Andean condor being 5 cm shorter (beak to tail)
on average than the northern species, but heavier and larger in wingspan. California condors are the largest
flying land birds in North America. Among all living flying birds, the Andean condor is the third heaviest after
the Kori bustard and great bustard (up to 21 kg), and second only to the wandering albatross (up to 3.5 m) in
terms of wingspan.[3][4]
The adult plumage is uniformly black, with the exception of a frill of white feathers nearly surrounding the
base of the neck which are meticulously kept clean by the bird. As an adaptation for hygiene, the condor's
head and neck have few feathers, which exposes the skin to the sterilizing effects of dehydration and solar
ultraviolet light at high altitudes. The head is much flattened above. In the male it is crowned with a caruncle
or comb, while the skin of the neck in the male lies in folds, forming a wattle. The skin of the head and neck is
capable of flushing noticeably in response to emotional state, which serves to communicate between
individuals.

The middle toe is greatly elongated, and the hinder one but slightly
developed, while the talons of all the toes are comparatively straight
and blunt. The feet are thus more adapted to walking as in their
relatives the storks, and of little use as weapons or organs of
prehension as in birds of prey and Old World vultures. The female,
contrary to the usual rule among birds of prey, is smaller than the
male.

Although the California condor is, from beak to tail, about five cm
Andean condor soars over southern
longer, the Andean condor has a wider wingspan, ranging from 274–
Peru's Colca Canyon
310 cm (8.99–10.17 ft)[5] and heavier, reaching up to 11 to 15 kg (24
to 33 lb) for males and 7.5 to 11 kg (17 to 24 lb) for females.[6]
Overall length can range from 117 to 135 cm (46 to 53 in)[7]
Measurements are usually taken from specimens reared in captivity.[5]

California condors' wingspan measures up to 2.9 m (9.5 ft), and they

can weigh up to 10.4 kg (23 lb). The skin on the necks will vary in
color, depending on the age of the birds. Adult birds' skin color can
range from cream, pink, yellow, or even orange during breeding
season.
Immature California condor
Fossil record
Fossils from the Pleistocene era have been found in various parts of North America, including New York and
Florida, leading scientists to believe that California condors or their ancestors once lived on the west coast of
North America as well as all the way to the eastern coast. Some scientists also believe that an ancient relative
of the condor, Argentavis magnificens from South America, may have been the largest flying bird ever with a
wingspan of 7 metres (23 ft).[8]

Behavior
Sexual maturity and breeding behavior do not appear in the condor until 5 or 6 years of age. They may live for
50 years or more, and mate for life. The world's oldest condor died at 100 in the Jardin d'Essai du Hamma in
Algiers.[9]

The young are covered with a grayish down until they are almost as large as their parents. They are able to fly
after six months, but continue to roost and hunt with their parents until age two, when they are displaced by a
new clutch. There is a well-developed social structure within large groups of condors, with competition to
determine a 'pecking order' by body language, competitive play behavior, and a wide variety of vocalizations,
even though the condor has no voice box.
On the wing the movements of the condor are graceful. The lack of a large sternum to anchor correspondingly
large flight muscles identifies it physiologically as a primary soarer. The birds flap their wings on rising from
the ground, but after attaining a moderate elevation they seem to sail on the air, transiting from one upstream to
the next often without flapping its wings. One Andean condor was recording maintaining such flight for 106
miles, for over 5 hours.[10]

Wild condors inhabit large territories, often traveling 250 km (160 mi) a day in search of carrion. They prefer
large carcasses such as deer or cattle which they spot by looking for other scavengers, which cannot rip
through the tougher hides of these larger animals with the efficiency of the larger condor. In the wild they are
intermittent eaters, often going for a few days without eating, then gorging themselves on several kilograms
(pounds) at once, sometimes to the point of being unable to lift off the ground.

Other
The Moche people of ancient Peru worshiped nature.[11] They placed emphasis on animals and often depicted
condors in their art.[12] The Andean Condor lives for a long age, 50 years and it has been said that in the wild
they can live to 60 years of age.

Gallery
California condor's head California condor in flight over
the Grand Canyon.

Condor flying alone in the Numbered condor in Grand

Grand Canyon, Arizona Canyon, Arizona

Moche condor. 300 AD. Larco

Museum Collection Lima, Peru

References
 1. J. Simpson; E. Weiner, eds. (1989). "Raven". Oxford English Dictionary (2nd ed.). Oxford:
Clarendon Press. ISBN 0-19-861186-2.
2. "A Quechua metaphor for a plane: Kuntur-man = "looking like a Condor" " (https://web.archive.o
rg/web/20140606223245/http://www.quechua.org.uk/Eng/Main/AnalysisMainFrame.htm).
Quechua.org.uk. Archived from the original (http://www.quechua.org.uk/Eng/Main/AnalysisMain
Frame.htm) on 2014-06-06. Retrieved 2010-03-20.
3. Robertson, C. J. R. (2003). "Albatrosses (Diomedeidae)". In Hutchins, Michael (ed.). Grzimek's
Animal Life Encyclopedia. 8 Birds I Tinamous and Ratites to Hoatzins (2 ed.). Farmington Hills,
MI: Gale Group. pp. 113–116, 118–119. ISBN 0-7876-5784-0.
4. Dunn, Jon L.; Alderfer, Jonathon (2006). "Accidentals, Extinct Species". In Levitt, Barbara (ed.).
National Geographic Field Guide to the Birds of North America (fifth ed.). Washington D.C.:
National Geographic Society. p. 467. ISBN 978-0-7922-5314-3.
5. Ferguson-Lees, James; Christie, David A. (2001). Raptors of the World. Boston: Houghton
Mifflin. ISBN 0-618-12762-3.
6. Lutz, Dick; Lutz, Richard L. (2002). Patagonia: At the Bottom of the World (https://archive.org/de
tails/patagonia00rich). DIMI Press. pp. 71 (https://archive.org/details/patagonia00rich/page/71)–
74. ISBN 0-931625-38-6.
7. Hilty, Stephen L. (1977). A Guide to the Birds of Colombia (https://books.google.com/books?id=
1k5fV_hQqE8C&pg=PA88). Princeton University Press. p. 88. ISBN 0-691-08372-X.
8. Campbell, K.E. & Tonni, E.P. 1983. Size and locomotion in teratorns (Aves: Teratornithidae).
Auk. 1983; 100(2): 390-403
9. "The world's oldest condor dies" (https://web.archive.org/web/20140605053251/http://www.enn
aharonline.com/en/news/4416.html). Ennahar Online. 2010-07-28. Archived from the original (h
ttp://www.ennaharonline.com/en/news/4416.html) on 2014-06-05. Retrieved 2014-06-02.
10. https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/technology/andean-condor-soared-for-100-miles-without-
flapping-its-wings/ar-BB16Jzx1
11. Benson, Elizabeth. The Mochica: A Culture of Peru. New York: Praeger Press, 1972.
12. Berrin, Katherine & Larco Museum. The Spirit of Ancient Peru:Treasures from the Museo
Arqueológico Rafael Larco Herrera. New York: Thames and Hudson, 1997.

External links
BirdLife Species Factsheet Andean Condor (http://www.birdlife.org/datazone/species/index.htm
l?action=SpcHTMDetails.asp&sid=3822&m=0)
BirdLife Species Factsheet California Condor (http://www.birdlife.org/datazone/species/index.ht
ml?action=SpcHTMDetails.asp&sid=3821&m=0)
California Condor Conservation (http://www.cacondorconservation.org)
Scientists Work to Repopulate Colombia's Skies with Condors (http://www.latimes.com/news/n
ationworld/world/la-fg-colombia-condors30-2009aug30-pictures,0,377184.photogallery) -
slideshow by the Los Angeles Times
Ventana Wildlife Society: Condor Recovery (https://web.archive.org/web/20161019135151/htt
p://www.ventanaws.org/species_condors/)

The dictionary definition of condor at Wiktionary

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This page was last edited on 11 June 2021, at 17:44 (UTC).

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