| Andean Condor Vultur gryphus
Chilean name: Cóndor |
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Torres del Paine, Chile and Antisana Reserve, Ecuador The Andean Condor is distributed in the Andes from Venezuela to Tierra del Fuego. It is usually high up in the mountains but comes down to sea level in the deserts of Peru and Chile and also in the far south. See the distribution map at Birdlife International. |
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It is found over Andean regions and grassland usually away from human habitation though I used to see a few
scavenging around the ski resorts of central Chile.
They feed mainly on carrion such as guanaco, sheep and stranded whales where groups of up to 40 birds can be attracted to a large carcass. |
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They are enormous with a wing span of over 3 metres and with long "fingers" at the tips. Adults are black with a white upperwing as seen in photos 5 and 6. It also has a fluffy white collar. The male has pinkish bare flesh on the head and a large comb which you can see in photo 1. The female lacks the comb and has a darker head (photo 2 to 5). This makes the Andean Condor the only New World Vulture with sexual dimorphism. | |||
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Photo 7 shows a juvenile in flight while photo 8 shows two adult males, a juvenile and an immature male to the back. | |||
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