(Vultur gryphus)
Location: Andean mountain region of South America
Habitat: Open areas or rocky cliffs of mountains
With an adult wingspan of about 10 – 12 feet, they are the largest flying bird in the world. They weigh 20 – 30 pounds and measure 4 feet tall. Their feathers are a glossy black or ashy white with black tips. The skin on their head is red to black. Their heads are nearly featherless because when feeding on a carcass they stick their head inside the animal to retrieve the meat and having no feathers on their head makes it easy to keep their heads clean. They have a large fleshy wattle over their beak called a caruncle, which is believed to make the males seem more intimidating. The skin on their head and throat form loose folds. They have a snowy white ruff around the shoulders which is for warmth. They have special muscles in their skin which allow them to pull this ruff up over the back of their head.
Due to their relatively large weight they soar on warm air currents. Soaring is the act of controlled falling through the air currents. The thermals, a column of warm upward moving air, will push the bird up faster than it falls. The birds move in circles in order to stay within the dimensions of the thermal column. So a circling vulture is not necessarily watching for food. This type of “flying” is very effortless and energy efficient. They are able to change directions with slight movements of their primary “thumb” feathers and their tails. They usually will stay grounded on cloudy days when there are no thermals.
They feed mostly on carrion (dead carcasses) or newborn animals and bird eggs. They have been seen eating dead deer, rabbits and squirrels as well as mice, fish, lizards and insects. They use their eyesight and associative learning, such as watching other animals’ behavior, to find their food. They can fly over 200 miles a day while searching for food. They can live without food for at least a week or two. They have an apparent hierarchy when feeding depending on age and sex, the oldest being the most dominant and all males except for young eat before females. They do share their feeding grounds with turkey vultures, king vultures and black vultures. However, fighting is not common because it is dangerous and can lead to injury. Instead, they have evolved ritual displays that show their dominance and allow them to resolve conflicts without aggression.
In 1973 they were listed as endangered by U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Biologists estimate that there are only a few thousand of these in the wild, more concentrated in the southern part of their range. They are a part of the American Zoo and Aquarium Association (AZA) Species Survival Plan program (SSP). They are raised by biologists who use condor-shaped puppets to feed and nurture the young so that they have little to no human interaction. Thirty-nine Andean condors reared in North American facilities have been reintroduced into the wild in Columbia and Venezuela. Observations have been made that these birds are breeding. These condors are endangered due to deforestation (loss of habitat), air pollution, water and food contamination (such as poison from lead shots in carcasses), reduction of food supply and most importantly hunting.
These birds are seen as a symbol of power and health. Unfortunately, the native villagers think that their bones and organs have special healing powers or that they give males high virility. Their ground bones are believed to alleviate rheumatism. Many natives eat the stomach of the Andean Condor because they believe it cures breast cancer. The eyes of the Condor are often roasted and eaten to sharpen one's sight, and their feathers are often placed under sleeping blankets to ward off nightmares. These beliefs are not true, however, they are a part of their culture and cultural beliefs can be very difficult to change.
In Ecuador and Chile Condor means “gold coin”. And the Incas of Peru thought the Condor flew the sun into they sky every morning. They thought it was a messenger to the gods.
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REFERENCES
The Andean Condor Home Page. http://www2.sandi.net/roosevelt/condorhome.html
The Chaffee Zoo. “Andean Condor”.
http://www.chaffeezoo.org/animals/andeanCondor.html
The Cleveland Metroparks Zoo. “All About the Andean Condors”.
http://www.clemetzoo.com/rttw/condor/allabt.htm
News from the Zoos. “AZA Condor SSP assists Andean condor release in Argentina”.
http://www.umich.edu/~esupdate/library/98.01-02/zoos.html
Smithsonian National Zoological Park. “Fact Sheets: Andean Condor”.
http://natzoo.si.edu/Animals/Birds/Facts/FactSheets/fact-andeancondor.cfm
