Condora male is one of the largest flying birds on the planet. Condoras are the largest vultures weighing from 8 to 15 kg. In length, the body of the bird is from 100 to 130 cm, the wingspan is huge from 2.5 to 3.2 m. Condor’s scientific name Vultur Gryphus. Vultur means “torn” and is associated with meat consumption, and “Gryphus” refers to the mythological griffin.
Appearance description
Condoras are covered with black feathers the main color, additionally the body is decorated with white feathers. Their naked, fleshy heads are an ideal adaptation for feasts with carrion: the absence of feathers allows the condora to poke their heads into the corpses of animals without excessively polluting the head. Free folds of reddish-black skin hang on the head and neck. Condoras are sexually dimorphous: males have a scarlet comb called carunculus, above the beak.
Where the condors live
The condore distribution range was once wide, extended from Venezuela to Fiery Earth at the tip of South America. Close relatives of the Andian condorov live in California. Despite the fact that they are still found in most regions of America, their number in each region has sharply decreased, the most famous population is located in northwest patagonia.
California Condor
Condoras live in open pastures and in mountainous alpine regions, descend to feed the Patagonias and flat deserts of Peru and Chiles in the southern beech forests.
Diet of birds
Condors use acute vision and intelligence to search for production. They comb the slopes of the mountains, looking for preferred food carrion above open areas. Like other predators, the procedure for feeding the Andian condors is determined by the social hierarchy, and the oldest male feeds the first, and the youngest female last. These vultures overcome huge distances up to 320 km every day, and the large heights that they fly to are extremely difficult to visually monitor the number or migration routes.
These birds are able to make out a carcass for many kilometers. Condors collect the remains of most mammals, including:
Sometimes condors steal eggs from nests of small birds and take newborn other animals. Quite often, condors track small birds, who are the first to find a carcass. These relations are beneficial to both sides, as the condors are torn with claws and the beak of a hard skin fell, they provide easier access to the extraction of small bins.
Peaceful resolution of disputes
During battles with representatives of their species and other birds for carrion, Condor relies on ritual actions that convey dominance. Conflicts are resolved quickly as soon as a highranking bird is determined. Physical skirmishes are rare, delicate feathers do not protect the body of the condor.
Features of physiology and behavior of condorov
Birds rise to a height of 5.5 km. They use thermal air flows to fly an extensive range. Conders lower the body temperature during the night to maintain energy, and repeatedly raise their wings during the day to warm up. When straightening the wings, they raise feathers that bend during the flight. Condoras, as a rule, are quiet creatures, they do not have voice outstanding data, but birds make grunting and wheezing sounds.
How condors take care of offspring
Condoras find a couple and mate for life, live up to 50 years in nature. Condor has a long life expectancy. The bird reaches the reproduction period not as fast as other species, matures for communication when it reaches the age of 6 to 8 years.
These birds most often live in the crevices of boulders and on the protrusions of rocks in mountainous areas. The nests consist of only a few sketched branches, since there are few trees and plant material on such large elevations. Since the nests are not available for most predators and are harshly guarded by both parents, the predation of eggs and cubs is rare, although the foxes and predatory birds are sometimes selected close enough, they kill the offspring of condors.
The female lays one bluish-white egg, which is incubated by both parents for about 59 days. Since young animals require a lot of time and effort to educate, condors lay the next egg only after a year. Young birds do not fly until they are 6 months old, and they depend on their parents for another two years.
The safety of the species
Over the past few years, the Kondorov population has been seriously risk, although the birds are still not officially included in the list of disappearing species. Today, kondorov is hunting for sports, and farmers who are trying to protect their animals often kill them. Condoras die from pesticides that accumulate in their prey, affect the predators in the upper part of the food chain.
