Also, males have a large caruncle (comb) and wattle which females lack. Unlike many other birds of prey, male Andean condors are considerably larger than the females. Their wingspan of 3.2 m is the longest wingspan of any land bird.Īndean condors are the only species in the family Cathartidae that exhibit drastic sexual dimorphism. Andean condors weigh between 7.7 and 15 kg and range from 97.5 to 128 cm in length. The bases of their upper and lower mandibles are dark with the rest of the beak being ivory colored. The beak is hooked at the end and functions in tearing rotting meat off a corpse.
Condor wingspan skin#
This baldness is presumably a hygienic adaptation, as the bare skin is easier to keep clean and dry after feeding on carrion.
The head and neck of adult condors are bare of feathers and are generally black to dark reddish brown, while juveniles have much darker skin and young hatchlings have fluffy grey down on their bodies. When extended, the wing tips have gaps between the primaries which is an adaptation for soaring. They also have white flight feathers on their wings as adults, with those of the male being more pronounced.
The wild population was thought to be extirpated from Venezuela but is very rarely still seen there. Andean condors can be found in Colombia, Bolivia, Ecuador, Peru, Chile, and Argentina. Andean condors ( Vultur gryphus) inhabit most of western South America in the mountains and deserts ranging from western Venezuela south to Tierra del Fuego.
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