Family New World Vultures (Cathartidae)
Near Threatened
Andean Condor (Vultur gryphus)
Taxonomy
French: Condor des Andes German: Andenkondor Spanish: Cóndor andino
Taxonomy:
Vultur gryphus
Linnaeus
, 1758,Chile
.Monotypic.
Distribution:
Santa Marta Mts and Sierra de Perijá (N Colombia and NW Venezuela); Andes from Venezuela (Mérida) to Tierra del Fuego, descending to sea-level in Peru and Chile.
Descriptive notes
100–130 cm; female 8000–11,000 g, male 11,000–15,000 g; wingspan 260–320 cm. The only American vulture to show sexual dimorphism: male has large (... read more
Voice
Clucking sounds made during courtship, and a variety of low hissing or staccato rattlings sounds... read more
Habitat
Mainly high mountains, including highest peaks, to at least 5000 m, but usually over open grassland... read more
Food and feeding
Mainly carrion from large- and medium-sized mammals, such as guanacos (Lama guanicoe), domestic and, increasingly, exotic... read more
Breeding
Poorly known. Lays Apr–Oct in Colombia, Feb–Jun in Peru, Sept–Oct in Chile. Nests in shallow caves on cliff ledges,... read more
Movements
Forages very widely, and must cover great distances, e.g. recorded twice in Bolivian Chaco, 100 km... read more
Status and conservation
Not globally threatened. Currently considered Near Threatened. CITES I. Poorly known, but uncommon and almost certainly declining over most of its range. Global population... read more
numbers in Salta province
We have seen up to 66 individuals fighting for their part of a dead cow on 3 September 2014.
We see them often as far down as 800m. Farmers start to hate them because in groups they kill just born calves. A part of the group try to mislead the mother while other birds kill the calve.
This behaviour may eventually lead to farmers poisoning the birds.