The Andean Condor, Vultur gryphus, is a species of bird in one of the vulture families. It is in many regards the largest flying land bird in the Western Hemisphere and is the heaviest, but not the lengthiest, member of the order Ciconiiformes. The conservation status of a species is an indicator of the likelihood of that species continuing to survive. ... Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (1056x1496, 749 KB) Andenkondor (Vultur gryphus) im Tiergarten Nürnberg. ... Scientific classification or biological classification is how biologists group and categorize extinct and living species of organisms (as opposed to folk taxonomy). ... Phyla Subregnum Parazoa Porifera (sponges) Subregnum Agnotozoa Placozoa (trichoplax) Orthonectida (orthonectids) Rhombozoa (dicyemids) Subregnum Eumetazoa Radiata (unranked) (radial symmetry) Ctenophora (comb jellies) Cnidaria (coral, jellyfish, anemones) Bilateria (unranked) (bilateral symmetry) Acoelomorpha (basal) Myxozoa (slime animals) Superphylum Deuterostomia (blastopore becomes anus) Chordata (vertebrates, etc. ... Typical Classes Subphylum Urochordata - Tunicatas Ascidiacea Thaliacea Larvacea Subphylum Cephalochordata - Lancelets Subphylum Myxini - Hagfishes Subphylum Vertebrata - Vertebrates Petromyzontida - Lampreys Placodermi (extinct) Chondrichthyes - Cartilaginous fishes Acanthodii (extinct) Actinopterygii - Ray-finned fishes Actinistia - Coelacanths Dipnoi - Lungfishes Amphibia - Amphibians Reptilia - Reptiles Aves - Birds Mammalia - Mammals Chordates (phylum Chordata) include the vertebrates, together with... Orders Many - see section below. ... Families Ardeidae Cochlearidae Balaenicipitidae Scopidae Ciconiidae Threskiornithidae Traditionally, the order Ciconiiformes has included a variety of large, long-legged wading birds with large bills: storks, herons, egrets, ibises, spoonbills, and several others. ... Genera Cathartes Coragyps Gymnogyps Sarcorhamphus The New World vulture family Cathartidae contains seven species found in North and South America. ... René Primevère Lesson (March 20, 1794 - April 28, 1849) was a French surgeon and naturalist. ... In biology, binomial nomenclature is the formal method of naming species. ... Carolus Linnaeus Carl Linnaeus, also known after his ennoblement as , (May 23, 1707 – January 10, 1778), was a Swedish botanist, physician and zoologist[1] who laid the foundations for the modern scheme of nomenclature. ... In scientific classification, synonymy is the existence of multiple systematic names to label the same organism. ... Dr. Francisco Pascacio Moreno (May 31, 1852–November 22, 1919) was an Argentine explorer, born in Buenos Aires. ... 1891 (MDCCCXCI) was a common year starting on Thursday (see link for calendar). ... 1902 (MCMII) was a common year starting on Wednesday (see link for calendar). ... 1988 (MCMLXXXVIII) was a leap year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Orders Falconiformes (Fam. ... The geographical western hemisphere of Earth, highlighted in yellow. ... Families Ardeidae Cochlearidae Balaenicipitidae Scopidae Ciconiidae Threskiornithidae Traditionally, the order Ciconiiformes has included a variety of large, long-legged wading birds with large bills: storks, herons, egrets, ibises, spoonbills, and several others. ...

This condor inhabits the Andes mountains. Although it is primarily a scavenger, feeding on carrion, this species belongs to the New World vulture family Cathartidae, related to storks and not closely related to Old World vultures, which are in the family Accipitridae along with hawks, eagles and kites. Genera Vultur Gymnogyps Condor is the name for the largest species of New World vultures. ... The Andes form the longest mountain chain in the world. ... Harvestman eating the tail of a five-lined skink The word scavenger, in zoology, refers to animals that consume already dead organic life-forms. ... Titan arum For other uses, see Carrion (disambiguation). ... Genera Cathartes Coragyps Gymnogyps Sarcorhamphus The New World vulture family Cathartidae contains seven species found in North and South America. ... Genera Cathartes Coragyps Gymnogyps Sarcorhamphus The New World vulture family Cathartidae contains seven species found in North and South America. ... Genera See text. ... † see also: Accipitridae Old World vultures belong to the family Accipitridae, which also includes eagles, kites, buzzards and hawks. ... Subfamilies Elaninae Perninae Milvinae Accipitrinae Buteoninae Aegypiinae Circinae Circaetinae The Accipitridae is one of the two main families within the order Falconiformes (the diurnal birds of prey). ... The term hawk refers to birds of prey in any of three senses: Strictly, to mean any of the species in the genera Accipiter, Micronisus, Melierax, Urotriorchis, and Megatriorchis. ... // This article is about the bird. ... Genera Milvinae    Harpagus    Ictinia    Rostrhamus    Haliastur    Milvus    Lophoictinia    Hamirostra Elaninae    Elanus    Chelictinia    Machaerhamphus    Gampsonyx    Elanoides Kites are raptors with long wings and weak legs which spend a great deal of time soaring. ...

Appearance

Although about 5 cm shorter (beak to tail) on average than the California Condor, the Andean Condor is undoubtedly larger in wingspan: Ferguson-Lees gives 274–310 cm (108–122 in). It is also heavier: up to 11–15 kg (24–33 lb) for males and 7.5–11 kg (16–24 lb) for females. Measurements are usually taken from specimens reared in captivity.

The adult plumage is of a uniform black, with the exception of a frill of white feathers nearly surrounding the base of the neck and, especially in the male, large patches or bands of white on the wings which do not appear until the completion of the first moulting. As an adaptation for hygiene, the head and neck have few feathers, exposing the skin to the sterilizing effects of dehydration and ultraviolet light at high altitudes, and are meticulously kept clean by the bird. The head is much flattened above. In the male it is crowned with a caruncle or comb, while the skin of the neck in the male lies in folds, forming a wattle. The skin of the head and neck is capable of flushing noticeably in response to emotional state, which serves to communicate between individuals. Closeup on a single white feather A feather is one of the epidermal growths that forms the distinctive outer covering, or plumage, on a bird. ...

The middle toe is greatly elongated, and the hinder one but slightly developed, while the talons of all the toes are comparatively straight and blunt. The feet are thus more adapted to walking as in their relatives the storks, and of little use as weapons or organs of prehension as in birds of prey and Old World vultures. The female, contrary to the usual rule among birds of prey, is smaller than the male. Orders Accipitriformes     Cathartidae     Pandionidae     Accipitridae     Sagittariidae Falconiformes     Falconidae A bird of prey or raptor is a bird that hunts its food, especially one that preys on mammals or other birds. ...

An Andean condor soars over southern Peru's Colca Canyon

Image File history File linksMetadata Condor_flying_over_the_Colca_canyon_in_Peru. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Condor_flying_over_the_Colca_canyon_in_Peru. ... Colca Canyon from Mirador Cruz del Condor, provides an excellent view to watch the condors flight. ...

Behavior

Sexual maturity and breeding behavior do not appear in the condor until 5 or 6 years of age. They may live for 50 years or more, and mate for life. The Andean condor prefers roosting and breeding at elevations of 3,000 to 5,000 m (10,000–16,000 ft). There on inaccessible ledges of rock, its nest consisting merely of a few sticks placed around the eggs, it deposits one or two bluish-white eggs, weighing about 10 ounces (280 g) and from 3 to 4 inches (75 to 100 mm) in length, during the months of February and March every second year. The egg hatches after 54–58 days of incubation by both parents. If the chick or egg is lost or removed, another egg is laid to take its place. Researchers and breeders take advantage of this behavior to double the reproductive rate by taking the first egg away for hand-rearing, causing the parents to lay a second egg which they are generally allowed to raise.

The young are covered with a grayish down until almost as large as their parents. They are able to fly after six months, but continue to roost and hunt with their parents until age two, when they are displaced by a new clutch. There is a well developed social structure within large groups of condors, with competition to determine a 'pecking order' by body language, competitive play behavior, and a wide variety of vocalizations, even though the condor has no voice box.

On wing the movements of the condor, as it wheels in majestic circles, are remarkably graceful. The lack of a large sternum to anchor correspondingly large flight muscles identifies them physiologically as primarily soarers. The birds flap their wings on rising from the ground, but after attaining a moderate elevation they seem to sail on the air. Charles Darwin commented on having watched them for half an hour without once observing a flap of their wings. They prefer to roost on high places from where they can launch without major wing-flapping effort. Oftentimes, these birds are seen soaring near rock cliffs, using the heat thermals to aid them with rising in the air. Charles Robert Darwin (12 February 1809 – 19 April 1882) was an English naturalist who achieved lasting fame by producing considerable evidence that species originated through evolutionary change, at the same time proposing the scientific theory that natural selection is the mechanism by which such change occurs. ...

Wild condors inhabit large territories, often traveling 250 km (150 miles) a day in search of carrion. They prefer large carcasses such as deer or cattle which they spot by looking for other scavengers, who cannot rip through the tougher hides of these larger animals with the efficiency of the larger condor. In the wild they are intermittent eaters, often going for a few days without eating, then gorging themselves on several pounds at once, sometimes to the point of being unable to lift off the ground.

Human influence

Andean Condors, depicted in the 1851 Illustrated London Reading Book

The Andean Condor is the national symbol of Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Argentina, and Chile. It plays an important role in the folklore and mythology of the South American Andean regions, similar to the role the Bald Eagle plays in North America. As such, condors are depicted in the national coats of arms of Colombia, Ecuador, Bolivia, and Chile, and can also be seen in the state flag of Ecuador. Condors - Project Gutenberg eBook 11921 This image has been released into the public domain by the copyright holder, its copyright has expired, or it is ineligible for copyright. ... Condors - Project Gutenberg eBook 11921 This image has been released into the public domain by the copyright holder, its copyright has expired, or it is ineligible for copyright. ... Folklore is the body of verbal expressive culture, including tales, legends, oral history, proverbs, jokes, popular beliefs current among a particular population, comprising the oral tradition of that culture, subculture, or group. ... // The word mythology (Greek: μυθολογία, from μυθος mythos, a story or legend, and λογος logos, an account or speech) literally means the (oral) retelling of myths – stories that a particular culture believes to be true and that use supernatural events or characters to explain the nature of the universe and humanity. ... South America South America is a continent crossed by the equator, with most of its area in the Southern Hemisphere. ... Binomial name Haliaeetus leucocephalus (Linnaeus, 1766) The Bald Eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus), also known as the American Eagle, is a bird of prey found in North America, most recognizable as the national bird of the United States. ... World map showing North America A satellite composite image of North America. ... A modern coat of arms is derived from the medi val practice of painting designs onto the shield and outer clothing of knights to enable them to be identified in battle, and later in tournaments. ... State flag and ensign, ratio: 1:2 Civil flag and ensign, ratio: 1:2 The flag of Ecuador was adopted on September 26, 1860. ...

One of best known Peruvian songs is El Cóndor Pasa (The condor passes), composed by Peruvian musician Daniel Alomía Robles. The melody attained world fame years later, in Paul Simon's "If I Could". Tourists can see the condors flying freely at the Colca Canyon in Peru, which is a natural habitat of the great Andean Condor. El Cóndor Pasa is a Peruvian zarzuela, or musical play, and its more famous title song. ... Paul Frederic Simon (born October 13, 1941) is an American singer-songwriter and guitarist, half of the folk-singing duo Simon and Garfunkel who continues a successful solo career. ... Colca Canyon from Mirador Cruz del Condor, provides an excellent view to watch the condors flight. ...

The Andean Condor is becoming more common in bird shows, and these large birds can prove very powerful and aggressive, so a well-trained Andean Condor appearing free in a public show is an impressive feat.

Systematics and evolution

See Sibley-Ahlquist taxonomy for a radically different approach to ciconiiform classification, quite popular in the late 20th century but is increasingly falling out of favor, being superseded by more current research. The Sibley-Ahlquist taxonomy is a radical bird taxonomy based on DNA-DNA hybridization studies conducted in the late 1970s and throughout the 1980s. ...

The Andean Condor is the only accepted species of its genus, living or extinct. Unlike the California Condor, which is known from extensive fossil remains and some additional ones of congeners, the fossil record of the Andean Condor recovered to date is scant. Some prehistoric genera of New World vultures seem to be closely related to Vultur; the Argentine Early to Middle Pliocene Dryornis pampeanus may actually belong into this genus^{[citation needed]}. Presumed Plio-/Pleistocene species of South American condors were later recognized to be not different from the present species, although one known only from a few rather small bones found in a Pliocene deposit of Tarija Department, Bolivia, may have been a smaller palaeosubspecies, V. gryphus patruus (Fisher, 1944). In biology, a genus (plural genera) is a taxonomic grouping. ... // Binomial name Gymnogyps californianus Shaw, 1797 Synonyms Genus-level: Antillovultur Arredondo, 1976 Pseudogryphus Species-level: Vultur californianus Shaw, 1797 Gymnogyps amplus L. H. Miller, 1911 The California Condor, Gymnogyps californianus is a species of bird in one of the vulture families. ... An ammonite fossil Fossils (from Latin fossus, literally having been dug up) are the mineralized or otherwise preserved remains or traces (such as footprints) of animals, plants, and other organisms. ... A congener (from Latin roots meaning born together or within the same race or kind) is applied in biology to mean organisms within the same genus; in chemistry to mean a chemical that is in some way related to another e. ... The Pliocene epoch (spelled Pleiocene in some older texts) is the period in the geologic timescale that extends from 5. ... The Pliocene epoch (spelled Pleiocene in some older texts) is the period in the geologic timescale that extends from 5. ... The Pleistocene epoch (pronounced like ply-stow-seen) is part of the geologic timescale. ... Tarija is a city in southern Bolivia, located 22. ... A chronospecies is a species which which changes physically, morphologically, genetically, and/or behaviorally over time on an evolutionary scale such that the originating species and the species it becomes could not be classified as the same species had they existed at the same point in time. ...

References

• Fisher, Harvey L. (1944): The skulls of the Cathartid vultures. Condor 46: 272-296. PDF fulltext

The Condor is the quarterly journal of the Cooper Ornithological Society. ...

External links

• ARKive - images and movies of the Andean Condor (Vultur gryphus)
• BirdLife Species Factsheet
• IUCN Red List
• Proyecto Conservación Cóndor Andino de Argentina, Organizado por la Fundación Bioandina Argentina.

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