Andean condor

The Andean condor, scientifically named *Vultur gryphus*, is a large New World vulture native to South America and the sole surviving species in its genus, *Vultur*. Its range covers the Andes mountain range and the nearby Pacific coast of western South America. Boasting a maximum wingspan of 3.3 meters (10 feet 10 inches) and a weight of up to 15 kilograms (33 pounds), it ranks among the heaviest flying birds globally and is widely regarded as the world's largest bird of prey. This bird is a national emblem for Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru, and it holds a significant place in the folklore and mythology of the Andean region.

The condor is a large, black vulture distinguished by a ruff of white feathers at the base of its neck and, particularly in males, prominent white patches on its wings. Its head and neck are mostly featherless, displaying a dull red color that can flush and shift in response to the bird's emotional state. Males have a wattle on the neck and a large, dark red comb, or caruncle, on the crown. Unusually for birds of prey, females are smaller than males. Primarily a scavenger, it feeds on carrion, favoring large carcasses like those of deer or cattle. It reaches sexual maturity at five or six years of age and nests at elevations up to 5,000 meters (16,000 feet), typically on inaccessible rock ledges, laying one or two eggs per clutch. It is among the longest-living birds, with some individuals surviving over 70 years.

The Andean condor is listed as vulnerable by the IUCN. Its main threats are habitat loss and secondary poisoning from lead in carcasses killed by hunters. Several countries have established captive breeding programs to help the species.

Swedish scientist Carl Linnaeus first described the Andean condor in 1758 in the tenth edition of his *Systema Naturae*, keeping its original binomial name, *Vultur gryphus*. It is sometimes called the Argentinean, Bolivian, Chilean, Colombian, Ecuadorian, or Peruvian condor, after the nations it inhabits. The genus name *Vultur* comes directly from the Latin word for "vulture." Its specific epithet, *gryphus*, derives from a variant of the Greek word *grupós*, meaning "hook-nosed." The common name "condor" originates from the Quechua word *kuntur*.

The exact taxonomic placement of the Andean condor and the other six New World vulture species remains uncertain. Though New World and Old World vultures look alike and fill similar ecological roles, they are not closely related, having evolved from different ancestors on different continents. The relationship between the two groups is debated; some earlier authorities suggested New World vultures are more closely related to storks, while more recent ones place them in the order Accipitriformes alongside Old World vultures, or in their own order, Cathartiformes. The South American Classification Committee has removed New World vultures from Ciconiiformes, listing them as *incertae sedis*, but notes a possible move to Falconiformes or Cathartiformes.

The Andean condor is the only accepted living species in its genus, *Vultur*. Unlike the California condor, which has an extensive fossil record, the Andean condor's fossil record is sparse. Presumed Plio-Pleistocene species of South American condors were later found to be identical to the modern species, though one known from a few small bones in a Pliocene deposit in Bolivia may represent a smaller subspecies, *V. gryphus patruus*.

The Andean condor is found in South America across the Andes and the Santa Marta Mountains. Its current range begins in Venezuela and Colombia, where it is extremely rare, then continues south through Ecuador, Peru, Chile, Bolivia, and western Argentina to Tierra del Fuego. Its historic range was larger, extending from western Venezuela to Tierra del Fuego along the entire Andes chain, but human activity has significantly reduced it. Its habitat consists mainly of open grasslands and alpine areas up to 5,000 meters (16,000 feet) in elevation. It prefers open, non-forested areas like páramo or rocky, mountainous terrain, which allow it to spot carrion from the air. It occasionally ranges into lowlands in eastern Bolivia, northern Peru, and southwestern Brazil, descends to lowland deserts in Chile and Peru, and is found over southern-beech forests in Patagonia. In southern Patagonia, meadows are important because they attract herbivores, so condor distributions there are influenced by meadow locations as well as cliffs for nesting and roosting.

The Andean condor's overall length ranges from 100 to 130 centimeters (3 feet 3 inches to 4 feet 3 inches). Standard measurements include a wing chord of 75.7–85.2 centimeters (29.8–33.5 inches), a tail of 33–38 centimeters (13–15 inches), and a tarsus of 11.5–12.5 centimeters (4.5–4.9 inches), typically taken from captive specimens. The mean weight is 11.3 kilograms (25 pounds), with males averaging about 12.5 kilograms (28 pounds) and females about 10.1 kilograms (22 pounds). Condors have the heaviest average weight of any living flying bird or animal, surpassing trumpeter swans and Dalmatian pelicans, though some sources report a mean body mass of 10.3 kilograms (23 pounds).