Andean Condor

The Andean Condor is the largest of the vultures of the new world and it is also the bird which, with the albatross, has the largest wingspan in the world: 3m20. It can weigh up to 15 kg. Its longevity – 50 years – is exceptional for birds. It lives not only high in the mountains, at an altitude of 3,000 to 5,000 metres, but also on cliffs, along the Pacific Coast.

Its plumage is black and white, with a ruff of white feathers at the base of its neck and, for the male, a large pink-black crest. The head and the neck are bare, as usually the case with vultures; this is an adaptation to their diet, carrion.

Nesting in inaccessible places, the Andean Condor incubates its egg for nearly two months; the chick grows slowly and will start flying only at the age of six months, with the parents still taking care of it for nearly a year. A sacred bird for Amerindian peoples, still nowadays, the Condor is a national symbol featured on the coats of arms of the Andean countries: Peru, Bolivia, Ecuador, and Chile.