The Andean Condor

Conservation Status: Vulnerable

Appearance

Andean Condors are HUGE. Typically considered to be the largest raptor in the world, Andean Condors have wingspans that can reach 3.3 meters, or 10 feet and 10 inches, while also boasting a maximum weight of 33 pounds, or 15 kilograms. Plumage for adults is completely black, except for white bands present on their wings. Their bare skin is red, as seen by their featherless heads, and they have a ruff of white feathers at the base of their necks. An easy way of differentiating males from females, is by spotting a carbuncle - the flattened red comb at the top of their heads - a trait that only males posses. This is the only example of sexual dimorphism - or when males and females physically differ - in New World (The Americas) vultures. Male Andean Condors are also typically larger than females, an outlier amongst birds of prey, with most species having larger females.

 

Range

The Andean Condor gets its name from the place it’s most commonly found - the Andes mountains of South America. The mountain range - the longest in the world - runs through Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, Chile, and Argentina. It can often be found in open terrain like grasslands, alpine meadows, or rocky mountains - all in elevations of up to 16,000 feet, or 5,000 meters.

Blank map of world originally from Wikimedia, before adding approximate vulture range. Some Rights Reserved.

Feeding

Andean Condors have to subsets of carrion that it feeds on - naturally found carrion, and domestic animal carrion. Naturally found carrion includes the carcasses of animals like llamas, guanacos, rheas, and armadillos, while domestic animal carrion is mainly comprised of livestock like cattle, donkeys, horses, mules, sheep, pigs, dogs, and goats - as well as artificially introduced species like boars. This is critical for the wellbeing of human populations, as these carcasses being in close proximity to humans breeds a huge opportunity for other animals, like dogs and rats, to spread disease. Rarely, they will hunt small animals - mainly rodents and small birds. Andean Condors will typically forage over huge areas, and travel about 120 miles (200 km) per day while searching for food.

Image above originally from Wikimedia, taken by Michael Gäbler. Some Rights Reserved.

 

Interactions w/ Other Vultures

Andean Condors show varying degrees of cooperation with other vulture species. Turkey and both types of yellow-headed vultures are quite adept at finding carcasses, and Andean Condors may follow them and in exchange rip through tough hides in large carrion. However, Andean Condors have been shown to be able to find carrion without help from their smaller relatives.

Black vultures meanwhile, seem to pose some competition for carrion. The imposing size of the Andean Condor poses a threat for any other scavenger, but studies show that the number of black vultures feeding on a specific carcass is negatively related to the number of Andean Condors feeding on the same carcass. This seems to imply Black vultures do present some competition for food.

Image above originally from Wikimedia, taken by Colegota. Some Rights Reserved.

Breeding

Andean Condors are primarily thought to be cliff nesters, with nests found as high as 16,000 feet (5,000 meters), and eggs require incubation by both parents for over 50 days. Andean condors mate for life, with males having courtship displays that include dancing, hissing, clicking their tongues, and extending their wings while they inflate their neck and chest patch. They will hatch one to two eggs every other year. Within communities, a social hierarchy forms, with adult males at the top, followed by juveniles. Juveniles can be identified by their black head skin, along with browner neck ruffs and plumage. It can take up to six years of an Andean Condor’s 50+ year lifespan to reach sexual maturity.

Fun Fact: An Andean Condor nicknamed “Thaao” lived for 79 years, handing him the record longest lifespan for any bird.

Images above originally from Wikimedia, taken by Emilio del Padro (left) and Ester Inbar (right). Some Rights Reserved.

 

Other Ecological Impacts

Just like black vultures, foxes have been observed to compete for carrion - although Andean Condors are much more dominant over carrion resources.

One interesting observation that’s been made is the Andean Condor’s impact on the puma. Due to their size, Andean Condor’s are able to harass pumas to the point of forcing them to abandon their kills. This has lead to pumas becoming better at hunting more frequently and successfully, in order to ensure they eat despite losing out meals to Andean Condors.

Image above originally from Flickr, taken by Rob. Some Rights Reserved.

Conservation

Andean Condors are considered to be vulnerable, a category for endangered species. Further south, its population has remained relatively stable, but further up north near Colombia and Venezuela, Andean Condors have become extremely rare, and in throughout South America, its range has decreased. This is due to loss of habitat, poisoning through lead poisoning from lead bullets that killed carrion, and direct hunting and poaching - due to the misconception that Andean Condors attack and kill livestock. Andean Condors face difficulty when faced with lead poisoning and hunting due to their long lifespan, lack of predators, and low reproductive rates.

In response, captive breeding programs have been put into place. When losing an egg, Andean Condors will simply lay another one - this allows scientists to essentially double the reproductive rate of Andean Condors, with scientists raising chicks for three months with glove puppets that resemble a Condor’s head, which is done to prevent imprinting on humans. After this, the juvenile’s are released into the wild, and monitored through the use of satellites.

Image above originally from Flickr, taken by Brian Henderson. Some Rights Reserved.

 

Cultural Impact

The Andean Condor is immensely revered in western South America, with four countries having it in their coat of arms - Colombia, Chile, Bolivia, and Ecuador, with these nations also having it as their national bird. The Andean Condor also features in in the coat of arms of two Ecuadorian provinces, and one Venezuelan state. The Andean Condor has also made appearances on various postage stamps, banknotes, and coins.

Less contemporary, Andean Vultures have heavily featured in various parts of indigenous cultures in the Andes region, from mythology to art. Andean Condors in Incan mythology are considered a symbol of power and health - with condors being considered the rulers of the upper world, and intermediaries with the world of spirits and with Inti, the Incan sun deity.

Image above originally from Wikimedia, taken by Tillman.
This is a faithful photographic reproduction of a two-dimensional, public domain work of art. The work of art itself is in the public domain

References

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    Cisneros-Heredia, D.F. 2006. Notes on breeding, behaviour and distribution of some birds in Ecuador. Bulletin of the British Ornithologists' Club 126 (2). p. 153–164

    Ecology of Condors: the California Condor and Andean Condor. 2006. Ecology.info.

    Elbroch, L.M., and H.U. Wittmer. 2013. Nuisance ecology: do scavenging condors exact foraging costs on pumas in Patagonia? PLOS ONE, 8(1), e53595.

    Fjeldså, J. and N. Krabbe. 1990. Birds of the High Andes. Apollo Books. p. 90.

    Friends of the Zoo. 2008. Andean Condor. Smithsonian National Zoological Park.

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    Gomez, L.G., D.C. Houston, P. Cotton, A. Tye. 1994. The role of greater yellow-headed vultures Cathartes melambrotus as scavengers in neotropical forest. Ibis. 136 (2). p. 193–196.

    Howard-Malverde, R. 1997. Creating Context in Andean Cultures. Oxford University Press. p. 16.

    Lambertucci, S.A., K.L. Speziale, T.E. Rogers, and J.M. Morales. 2009. How do roads affect the habitat use of an assemblage of scavenging raptors? Biodiversity and Conservation, 18(8). p. 2063-2074.

    Lutz, D. and R.L. Lutz. 2002. Patagonia: At the Bottom of the World. DIMI Press. p. 71.

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    Mills, A., J. Parker, J. Stanton. 2006. Mythology: Myths, Legends and Fantasies. New Holland Publishers. p. 493.

    Mundkur, B. 1983. The Cult of the Serpent. SUNY Press. p. 129.

    Perrig, P.L. and E. Donadio, A.D. Middleton, & J.N. Pauli. 2017. Puma predation subsidizes an obligate scavenger in the high Andes. Journal of applied ecology, 54(3). p. 846-853.

    Ríos-Uzeda, B. and R.B. Wallace. 2007. Estimating the size of the Andean Condor population in the Apolobamba Mountains of Bolivia. Journal of Field Ornithology 78(2). p. 170-75.

    Roach, J. 2004. Peru's Andean Condors Are Rising Tourist Attraction. National Geographic News 07-22-2004. National Geographic, Washinton D.C.

    Tait, M. 2006. Going, Going, Gone: Animals and Plants on the Brink of Extinction. Sterling Publishing. p. 22.

    Werness, H.B. 2004. The Continuum Encyclopedia of Animal Symbolism in Art. Continuum International Publishing Group. p. 103.

    Zoo Family Mourns Death of Oldest Living Andean Condor in Captivity | Connecticut's Beardsley Zoo ,Archived 2012-05-20 at the Wayback Machine. Beardsleyzoo.org.