View source for Andean condor

{{Short description|Species of bird}}
{{pp-move|small=yes}}
{{Speciesbox
| name = Andean condor
| fossil_range = {{Fossil range|2.6|0}}<small>Late [[Pliocene]]–[[Holocene]]</small>
| image = AndeanCondorMale.jpg
| image_caption = Male at the [[Cincinnati Zoo]]
| image2 = Vultur gryphus -Doué-la-Fontaine Zoo, France-8a.jpg
| image2_caption = Female at Doué-la-Fontaine Zoo, France
| status = VU
| status_system = IUCN3.1
| status_ref = <ref name="iucn status 19 November 2021">{{cite iucn |author=BirdLife International |date=2020 |title=''Vultur gryphus'' |volume=2020 |article-number=e.T22697641A181325230 |doi=10.2305/IUCN.UK.2020-3.RLTS.T22697641A181325230.en |access-date=19 November 2021}}</ref>
| status2 = CITES_A1
| status2_system = CITES
| status2_ref = <ref>{{Cite web|title=Appendices {{!}} CITES|url=https://cites.org/eng/app/appendices.php|access-date=2022-01-14|website=cites.org}}</ref>
| genus = Vultur
| species = gryphus
| authority = [[Carl Linnaeus|Linnaeus]], [[10th edition of Systema Naturae|1758]]
| synonyms = {{collapsible list|
*''Vultur magellanicus'' <small>Shaw, 1792</small>
*''Sarcoramphus cuntur'' <small>Duméril, 1806</small>
*''Vultur condor'' <small>Shaw, 1809</small>
*''Sarcorhamphus aequatorialis'' <small>Sharpe, 1874</small>
* ''Vultur fossilis'' <small>[[Francisco Moreno|Moreno]] & Mercerat, 1891</small>
* ''Vultur patruus'' <small>[[Einar Lönnberg|Lönnberg]], 1902</small>
* ''Vultur pratruus'' <small>Emslie, 1988 (''lapsus'')</small>
}}
| range_map = AndeanMap.png
| range_map_caption = Yellow – approximate range/distribution
}}

The '''Andean condor''' ('''''Vultur gryphus''''') is a South American [[New World vulture]] and is the only extant member of the [[genus]] '''''Vultur'''''. It is found in the [[Andes]] mountains and adjacent Pacific coasts of western South America. With a maximum wingspan of {{convert|3.3|m|ftin|abbr=on}} and weight of {{convert|15|kg|lbs|abbr=on}}, the Andean condor is one of the largest flying birds in the world, and is generally considered to be the largest [[bird of prey]] in the world.

It is a large black vulture with a ruff of white feathers surrounding the base of the neck and, especially in the male, large white patches on the wings. The head and neck are nearly featherless, and are a dull red color, which may flush and therefore change color in response to the bird's emotional state. In the male, there is a wattle on the neck and a large, dark red [[Comb (anatomy)|comb]] or caruncle on the crown of the head.  The female condor is smaller than the male, an exception to the usual [[sexual dimorphism]] seen in [[bird of prey|birds of prey]].

The condor is primarily a [[scavenger]], feeding on [[carrion]]. It prefers large carcasses, such as those of [[deer]] or [[cattle]]. It reaches sexual maturity at five or six years of age and [[Bird nest|nests]] at elevations of up to {{convert|5000|m|ft|abbr=on}}, generally on inaccessible rock ledges. One or two eggs are usually laid. It is one of the world's longest-living birds, with a lifespan of over 70 years in some cases.

The Andean condor is a national symbol of [[Bolivia]], [[Chile]], [[Colombia]], [[Ecuador]], and [[Peru]] and plays an important role in the [[folklore]] and [[mythology]] of the Andean regions. The Andean condor is considered [[Vulnerable species|vulnerable]] by the [[IUCN]]. It is threatened by habitat loss and by [[secondary poisoning]] from lead in carcasses killed by hunters. [[Captive breeding]] programs have been instituted in several countries.

==Taxonomy and systematics==
The Andean condor was described by [[Sweden|Swedish]] scientist [[Carl Linnaeus]] in 1758 in the [[10th edition of Systema Naturae|tenth edition]] of his ''[[Systema Naturae]]'' and retains its original [[binomial nomenclature|binomial]] name of ''Vultur gryphus''.<ref>{{cite book | last=Linnaeus | first=C | author-link=Carl Linnaeus | title=Systema naturae per regna tria naturae, secundum classes, ordines, genera, species, cum characteribus, differentiis, synonymis, locis. Tomus I. Editio decima, reformata. | volume=v.1 | quote = V. maximus, carúncula verticali longitudine capitis. | publisher=Laurentii Salvii | place=Holmiae (Stockholm) | url=https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/726991 | year=1758| page=86 | language=la }}</ref> The Andean condor is sometimes called the Argentinean condor, Bolivian condor, Chilean condor, Colombian condor, Ecuadorian condor, or Peruvian condor after one of the nations to which it is native. The generic term ''Vultur'' is directly taken from the [[Latin]] ''vultur'' or ''voltur'', which means "vulture".<ref>{{cite book | last = Simpson | first = D.P. | title = Cassell's Latin Dictionary | publisher = Cassell Ltd. | year = 1979 | edition = 5th | location = London | page = 883 | isbn = 0-304-52257-0}}</ref> Its specific epithet is derived from a variant of the [[Ancient Greek|Greek]] word γρυπός (''grupós'', "hook-nosed").<ref>{{cite book|last=Liddell|first=Henry George|author2=Robert Scott|year=1980|title=Greek-English Lexicon, Abridged Edition|publisher=Oxford University Press|location=Oxford|isbn=0-19-910207-4|url=https://archive.org/details/lexicon00lidd}}</ref> The word condor itself is derived from the [[Quechua language|Quechua]] ''kuntur''.<ref>{{Cite encyclopedia| title=Raven|encyclopedia=Oxford English Dictionary|editor1=J. Simpson |editor2=E. Weiner | year=1989 |edition= 2nd| location=Oxford |publisher=Clarendon Press|isbn= 0-19-861186-2}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.quechua.org.uk/Eng/Main/AnalysisMainFrame.htm |title=A Quechua metaphor for a plane: Kuntur-man = "looking like a Condor" |publisher=Quechua.org.uk |access-date=2010-03-20 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140606223245/http://www.quechua.org.uk/Eng/Main/AnalysisMainFrame.htm |archive-date=2014-06-06 }}</ref>

The exact [[Taxonomy (biology)|taxonomic]] placement of the Andean condor and the remaining six species of [[New World vulture]]s remains unclear.<ref name="SACC" /> Although both are similar in appearance and have similar [[ecological niche|ecological roles]], the New World and [[Old World vultures]] evolved from different ancestors in different parts of the world and are not closely related. Just how different the two families are is currently under debate, with some earlier authorities suggesting that the New World vultures are more closely related to [[storks]].<ref name="SibleyMonroe">{{Cite book|last1=Sibley|first1=Charles Gald|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ISBN0300049692|title=Distribution and Taxonomy of Birds of the World|last2=Monroe|first2=Burt Leavelle|date=1990|publisher=Yale University Press|isbn=978-0-300-04969-5|language=en}}{{Dead link|date=August 2023 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> More recent authorities maintain their overall position in the order [[Accipitriformes]] along with the Old World vultures<ref name="Sibley1991" /> or place them in their own order, Cathartiformes.<ref>{{cite journal|doi=10.1098/rsbl.2006.0523|title=Diversification of Neoaves: Integration of molecular sequence data and fossils|year=2006|last1=Ericson|first1=P. G.P|last2=Anderson|first2=C. L|last3=Britton|first3=T.|last4=Elzanowski|first4=A.|last5=Johansson|first5=U. S|last6=Kallersjo|first6=M.|last7=Ohlson|first7=J. I|last8=Parsons|first8=T. J|last9=Zuccon|first9=D.|display-authors=8|journal=Biology Letters|volume=2|issue=4|pages=543–7|pmid=17148284|pmc=1834003}}</ref> The [[South American Classification Committee]] has removed the New World vultures from [[Ciconiiformes]] and instead described them as ''[[incertae sedis]]'', but notes that a move to Falconiformes or Cathartiformes is possible.<ref name="SACC">Remsen, J. V. Jr.; Cadena, C. D.; Jaramillo, A.; Nores, M.; Pacheco, J. F.; Robbins, M. B.; Schulenberg, T. S.; Stiles, F. G.; Stotz, D. F. and Zimmer, K. J. (2007). [http://www.museum.lsu.edu/~Remsen/SACCBaseline.html ''A classification of the bird species of South America.''] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090302073659/http://www.museum.lsu.edu/~Remsen/SACCBaseline.html |date=2009-03-02 }} South American Classification Committee. Retrieved on 2007-10-15</ref>

The Andean condor is the only accepted living species of its genus, ''Vultur''.<ref>{{cite web
 | title = ''Vultur gryphus''
 | publisher = Integrated Taxonomic Information System
 | url = http://itis.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/SingleRpt?search_topic=TSN&search_value=175279
 | access-date = 2008-01-13
 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20081209091152/http://www.itis.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/SingleRpt?search_topic=TSN&search_value=175279
 | archive-date = 2008-12-09
 }}</ref> Unlike the [[California condor]] (''Gymnogyps californianus''), which is known from extensive [[fossil]] remains and some additional ones of [[:wiktionary:congener|congeners]], the fossil record of the Andean condor recovered to date is scant. 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 [[chronospecies|palaeo subspecies]], ''V. gryphus patruus''.<ref>{{cite journal|author=Fisher, Harvey L.|year=1944|title=The skulls of the Cathartid vultures|journal=[[Condor (journal)|Condor]]|volume=46|issue=6|pages=272–296|url=http://sora.unm.edu/sites/default/files/journals/condor/v046n06/p0272-p0296.pdf|doi=10.2307/1364013|jstor=1364013|access-date=2013-04-05|archive-date=2015-11-17|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151117090754/http://sora.unm.edu/sites/default/files/journals/condor/v046n06/p0272-p0296.pdf}}</ref>

==Distribution and habitat==
The Andean condor is found in [[South America]] in the [[Andes]] and the [[Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta|Santa Marta Mountains]]. In the north, its present range begins in [[Venezuela]] and Colombia, where it is extremely rare,<ref name="BirdLife" /> then continues south along the Andes in Ecuador, Peru, and Chile, through Bolivia and western Argentina to the [[Tierra del Fuego]].<ref name="Blake" /> However, its historic range was greater; in the early 19th century, the Andean condor bred from western Venezuela to Tierra del Fuego, along the entire chain of the Andes. Its range was significantly reduced due to human activity.<ref name="Haemig" /><gallery mode="packed" heights="140">
File:Condor des Andes mâle adulte.jpg|At [[Torres del Paine National Park]], Chile
File:Andean condor (Vultur gryphus) male in flight Torres del Paine (cropped 2).jpg|Male at Torres del Paine
File:Andean condor (Vultur gryphus) at Colca Canyon.jpg|At [[Colca Canyon]], Peru
</gallery>Its habitat is mainly composed of open grasslands and alpine areas up to {{convert|5000|m|ft|abbr=on}} in elevation. It prefers relatively open, non-forested areas which allow it to spot carrion from the air, such as the [[páramo]] or rocky, mountainous areas in general.<ref>{{cite web
 |title=Habitat of the Andean Condor 
 |publisher=Cleveland Metroparks Zoo 
 |url=http://www.clemetzoo.com/rttw/condor/habitat.htm 
 |access-date=2007-01-10 
 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061220141630/http://www.clemetzoo.com/rttw/condor/habitat.htm 
 |archive-date=20 December 2006 
 }}</ref> It occasionally ranges to lowlands in eastern Bolivia, northern Peru, and southwestern Brazil,<ref name="SibleyMonroe" /> descends to lowland desert areas in Chile and Peru, and is found over [[Nothofagus|southern-beech]] forests in [[Patagonia]].<ref name="BirdLife" /> In southern Patagonia, meadows are important for Andean condors as this habitat is likely to have herbivores present. In this region, Andean condor distributions are therefore influenced by the locations of meadows as well as cliffs for nesting and roosting.<ref>{{cite journal |author1= Pérez-García, J.M. |author2= Sánchez-Zapata, J.A. | author3= Lambertucci, S.A. | author4= Hiraldo, F. | author5= Donázar, J.A | year=2018| title= Low-frequency, threatened habitats drive the large-scale distribution of Andean Condors in southern Patagonia| journal=Ibis| volume=160| pages= 647–658 | doi=10.1111/ibi.12563| issue=3| hdl= 11336/90584| hdl-access= free}}</ref>
==Description==
[[File:Andean condor (Vultur gryphus) adult male vs adult female.png|thumb|Adult male (a) and adult female (b). Showing the difference in skin and iris colour, as well as the male's comb.]]{{Multiple image
| image1            = Andean condor (Vultur gryphus) male head Farellones (cropped).jpg
| image2            = Andean condor (Vultur gryphus) colour (cropped).png
| total_width       = 250
| footer            = Necks of dominant males may flush a brilliant yellow, such as when feeding at carcasses to signify dominance.
}}
The overall length of the Andean condor can range from {{convert|100|–|130|cm|ftin|abbr=on}}.<ref name="Handbookof">{{cite book |title=Handbook of the Birds of the World |last1=del Hoyo |first1=J | last2=Elliot | first2 = A | last3=Sargatal | first3 = J | year=1996 |publisher=[[Lynx Edicions]] |location=[[Barcelona]] |isbn=84-87334-20-2|volume=3|title-link=Handbook of the Birds of the World }}</ref> Among standard measurements, the [[Wing chord (biology)|wing chord]] is {{convert|75.7|–|85.2|cm|in|abbr=on}}, the [[tail]] is {{convert|33|–|38|cm|in|abbr=on}} and the [[Tarsus (skeleton)|tarsus]] is {{convert|11.5|-|12.5|cm|in|abbr=on}}. Measurements are usually taken from specimens reared in captivity.<ref name="Ferguson-Lees">{{cite book
 | last = Ferguson-Lees
 | first = James
 | author2 = Christie, David A.
 | title = Raptors of the World
 | publisher = Houghton Mifflin
 | year = 2001
 | location = Boston
 | isbn = 0-618-12762-3 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=hlIztc05HTQC&q=Vultur&pg=PA88}}</ref> The mean weight is {{convert|11.3|kg|lb|abbr=on}}, with the males averaging about a kilogram more at {{convert|12.5|kg|lb|abbr=on}}, the females a kilogram less at {{convert|10.1|kg|lb|abbr=on}}. Condors possess the heaviest average weight for any living flying bird or animal, ahead of [[trumpeter swan]]s (''Cygnus buccinator'') and [[Dalmatian pelican]]s (''Pelecanus crispus'').<ref name = "CRC">{{cite book| title= CRC Handbook of Avian Body Masses| edition= 2nd| editor-first= John B. Jr.| editor-last= Dunning |publisher= CRC Press |year= 2008 |isbn= 978-1-4200-6444-5}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal| last1= Wallace| first1= M. P.| last2= Temple| first2= S. A. |year= 1987| title= Competitive interactions within and between species in a guild of avian scavengers| journal= The Auk| volume= 104| issue= 2| pages= 290–295| doi= 10.1093/auk/104.2.290}}</ref> However, other sources claim a mean species body mass of {{convert|10.3|kg|lb|abbr=on}} for the Andean condor.<ref>{{cite journal | last1 = Atanasov | first1 = A. T. | year = 2007 | title = The near to linear allometric relationship between total metabolic energy per life span and body mass of nonpasserine birds | journal = Bulgarian Journal of Veterinary Medicine | volume = 10 | issue = 4| pages = 235–245 }}</ref> The Andean condor is the largest living land bird capable of flight if measured in terms of average weight and wingspan, although male [[bustard]]s of the largest species (far more sexually dimorphic in size) can weigh more.<ref name="Handbookof" /><ref>{{cite web| url= http://www.birdlife.org/datazone/speciesfactsheet.php?id=3822 |title= Andean Condor ''Vultur gryphus''| publisher= Birdlife International| website= birdlife.org}}</ref><ref name="Wood">{{cite book| last= Wood| first= Gerald| title = The Guinness Book of Animal Facts and Feats| year = 1983| isbn = 978-0-85112-235-9| url = https://archive.org/details/guinnessbookofan00wood| place= Enfield, Middlesex, England| publisher= Guinness Superlatives}}</ref> The mean wingspan is around {{convert|283|cm|ftin|0|abbr=on}} and the wings have the largest surface area of any extant bird.<ref name= "Wood"/> It has a maximum wingspan of {{convert|3.3|m|ftin|abbr=on}}.<ref name="Reading">{{cite book |last1=Reading |first1=Richard P. |last2=Miller |first2=Brian |year=2000 |chapter=Andean Condor |title=Endangered Animals: A Reference Guide to Conflicting Issues |publisher=Greenwood Press |isbn=0-313-30816-0 |page=[https://books.google.com/books?id=f_AWCtX29-kC&pg=PA16 16] |chapter-url=https://archive.org/details/endangeredanimal0000unse_m4q9/page/16 |url=https://archive.org/details/endangeredanimal0000unse_m4q9}}</ref> Among living bird species, only the [[great albatross]]es and the two largest species of [[pelican]] exceed the Andean condor in average and maximal wingspan.<ref name="Wood"/><ref name="Harrison">{{cite book| last=Harrison |first=Peter| year=1991| title=Seabirds: An Identification Guide| publisher=Houghton Mifflin Harcourt |isbn=978-0-395-60291-1}}</ref>[[File:Andean Condor skeleton.jpg|thumb|Andean condor skeleton ([[Museum of Osteology]])]]The adult [[plumage]] is all black, except for a frill of white feathers at the base of the neck and, especially in the male, large white bands on the wings, which only appear after the bird's first [[moult]].<ref name="Hilty">{{cite book
 | last =Hilty
 | first =Stephen L.
 | title =A Guide to the Birds of Colombia
 | publisher =Princeton University Press
 | year =1977
 | page =88
 | url =https://books.google.com/books?id=1k5fV_hQqE8C&pg=PA88
 | isbn =0-691-08372-X }}</ref> The head and neck, kept meticulously clean, are red to blackish-red, and have few feathers.<ref name="CleMet3">{{cite web
 |title=Behavior of the Andean Condor 
 |publisher=Cleveland Metroparks Zoo 
 |website= clemetzoo.com
 |url=http://www.clemetzoo.com/rttw/condor/behavior.htm 
 |access-date=2007-01-10 
 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061219194934/http://www.clemetzoo.com/rttw/condor/behavior.htm 
 |archive-date=19 December 2006 
 }}</ref> Their baldness means the skin is more exposed to the [[Sterilization (microbiology)|sterilizing]] effects of [[dehydration]] and high-altitude [[UV light]].<ref name="Patagonia">{{cite book | last = Lutz | first = Dick|author2=Lutz, Richard L.| title = Patagonia: At the Bottom of the World | publisher = DIMI Press | year = 2002| pages = [https://archive.org/details/patagonia00rich/page/71 71]–74|url=https://archive.org/details/patagonia00rich | url-access = registration | isbn = 0-931625-38-6}}</ref> The crown of the head is flattened, and (in the male) is topped by a dark red comb (also called a caruncle); the skin hanging from its neck is called a wattle.<ref name="Hilty" /> Males also have yellower skin. When condors are agitated (for example, during courtship), their head and neck flush, a clear signal to animals nearby. This flush of colour is especially intense in dominant males when feeding at carcasses, and can happen in just a few seconds.<ref name=":0">{{Cite journal |last1=Blanco |first1=Guillermo |last2=Hornero-Méndez |first2=Dámaso |last3=Lambertucci |first3=Sergio A. |last4=Bautista |first4=Luis M. |last5=Wiemeyer |first5=Guillermo |last6=Sanchez-Zapata |first6=José A. |last7=Garrido-Fernández |first7=Juan |last8=Hiraldo |first8=Fernando |last9=Donázar |first9=José A. |date=2013-06-13 |title=Need and Seek for Dietary Micronutrients: Endogenous Regulation, External Signalling and Food Sources of Carotenoids in New World Vultures |journal=PLOS ONE |language=en |volume=8 |issue=6 |article-number=e65562 |doi=10.1371/journal.pone.0065562 |doi-access=free |issn=1932-6203 |pmc=3681859 |pmid=23785435|bibcode=2013PLoSO...865562B }}</ref> Juveniles are grayish-brown, but with a blackish head and neck, and a brown ruff.<ref name="Blake">{{cite book
 | last = Blake
 | first= Emmet Reid
 | title =Birds of Mexico: A Guide for Field Identification
 | publisher =University of Chicago Press
 | year =1953
 | pages =[https://archive.org/details/birdsofmexicogui00blak/page/262 262]–263
 | url =https://archive.org/details/birdsofmexicogui00blak
 | url-access = registration
 | isbn= 0-226-05641-4}}</ref>

The middle toe is greatly elongated, and the hind one is only slightly developed, while the talons of all the toes are comparatively straight and blunt. The feet are thus more adapted to walking, and are of little use as weapons or organs of [[prehension]] as in birds of prey and [[Old World vulture]]s.<ref name="Feduccia" /> The beak is hooked, and adapted to tear rotting meat.<ref name="SanDiego" /> The [[iris (anatomy)|irises]] of the male are brown, while those of the female are deep red.<ref name="Smithsonian" /> They have no eyelashes.<ref name="Pterylosis">{{Cite journal| last = Fisher| first = Harvey L.| title = The Pterylosis of the Andean Condor|url=http://sora.unm.edu/node/99237 | journal = [[Condor (journal)|Condor]]| volume = 44 | issue = 1| pages = 30–32| year = 1942| doi = 10.2307/1364195| jstor =1364195 | url-access = subscription}}</ref> Unlike the case with most other [[bird of prey|birds of prey]],<ref>{{cite book
  |last = Andersson
  |first = Malte B.
  |title = Sexual selection
  |publisher = Princeton University Press
  |year = 1994
  |page = 269
  |access-date = 19 July 2010
  |url = https://books.google.com/books?id=lNnHdvzBlTYC
  |isbn = 978-0-691-00057-2}}</ref> the female is smaller.<ref>{{cite book
  |last1 = Arnold
  |first1 = Caroline
  |last2 = Wallace
  |first2 = Michael Phillip
  |last3 = Wallace
  |first3 = Michael
  |title = On the brink of extinction: the California condor
  |publisher = Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
  |year = 1993
  |page = 11
  |access-date = 19 July 2010
  |url = https://books.google.com/books?id=dQYHp0csAvcC
  |isbn = 978-0-15-257990-6}}</ref>

Observation of wing color patterns, and the size and shape of the male's crest, are the best ways of identifying individual Andean condors. Sighting-resighting methods assess the size and structure of populations.<ref>{{cite journal |author1= Méndez, D. |author2= Marsden, S. | author3= Lloyd, H. | year=2019| title= Assessing population size and structure for Andean Condor Vultur gryphus in Bolivia using a photographic 'capture-recapture' method| journal=Ibis| volume=161| pages=  867–877| doi= 10.1111/ibi.12681| issue=4| doi-access=free}}</ref><gallery mode="packed" heights="160">
File:Peru - Colca Canyon - Andean condor (Vultur gryphus) 01.jpg|Male in flight, in Peru
File:Vultur gryphus head (Linnaeus, 1758).jpg|The adult male's head sports a dark red caruncle (or comb) on top. At [[Hanover Zoo]]
File:Vultur gryphus talon.jpg|Andean condor talons, at the [[Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Garden|Cincinnati Zoo]]
</gallery>

==Ecology and behavior==
The condor soars with its wings held horizontally and its [[primary feather]]s bent upwards at the tips.<ref name="Hilty" /> The lack of a large [[sternum]] to anchor its correspondingly large flight muscles physiologically identifies it as primarily being a soarer. It flaps its wings on rising from the ground, but after attaining a moderate elevation it flaps its wings very rarely, relying on thermals to stay aloft.<ref name="Wehner" /> In ''[[The Voyage of the Beagle]]'', [[Charles Darwin]] mentioned watching condors for half an hour without once observing a flap of their wings.<ref>{{cite book
 | last =Darwin
 | first= Charles
 | title =The Voyage of the Beagle
 | publisher =P.F. Collier
 | year =1909
 | page=[https://archive.org/details/voyagebeagle00darwgoog/page/n209 201]
 | url= https://archive.org/details/voyagebeagle00darwgoog}}</ref> It prefers to roost on high places from which it can launch without major wing-flapping effort. Andean condors are often seen soaring near rock cliffs, using the heat [[thermals]] to aid them in rising in the air.<ref name="Benson">{{cite book
 |author1=Benson, Sara  |author2=Paul Hellander
 | title =Peru
 | publisher =Lonely Planet Publications
 | year =2007
 | page=[https://archive.org/details/lonelyplanetperu00sara_0/page/53 53]
 | url= https://archive.org/details/lonelyplanetperu00sara_0
 |url-access=registration  | isbn = 978-1-74059-749-4}}</ref> Flight recorders have shown that "75% of the birds' flapping was associated with take-off", and that it "flaps its wings just 1% of the time during flight".<ref>{{cite news 
 |title=Andean condor birds 'flap wings just 1% of the time' 
 |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-53400876 
 |access-date=14 July 2020 
 |publisher=BBC 
 |date=14 July 2020}}</ref> The proportion of time for flapping is more for short flights. Flapping between two thermal glides is more than flapping between two slope glides.<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Williams|first1=H. J.|last2=Shepard|first2=E. L. C.|last3=Holton|first3=Mark D.|last4=Alarcón|first4=P. a. E.|last5=Wilson|first5=R. P.|last6=Lambertucci|first6=S. A.|date=2020-07-10|title=Physical limits of flight performance in the heaviest soaring bird|journal=Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences|volume=117|issue=30|pages=17884–17890|language=en|doi=10.1073/pnas.1907360117|issn=0027-8424|pmid=32661147|pmc=7395523|bibcode=2020PNAS..11717884W |doi-access=free}}</ref>
[[File:Andean Condor and Black-chested Buzzard-Eagle 1.jpg|thumb|In conflict with a [[black-chested buzzard-eagle]]]]
Like other [[New World vulture]]s, the Andean condor has the unusual habit of [[urohidrosis]]: it often empties its [[cloaca]] onto its legs and feet. A cooling effect through [[evaporative cooling|evaporation]] has been proposed as a reason for this behavior, but it does not make any sense in the cold Andean habitat of the bird.<ref name="Sibley1991">{{cite book
 |author1=Sibley, Charles G.  |author2=Jon E. Ahlquist
 | title =Phylogeny and Classification of Birds: A Study in Molecular Evolution
 | publisher =Yale University Press
 | year =1991
 | url= https://books.google.com/books?visbn=0300040857
 | isbn = 0-300-04085-7}}</ref> Because of this habit, their legs are often streaked with a white buildup of [[uric acid]].<ref name="Feduccia">{{cite book
 | last =Feduccia
 | first =J. Alan
 | title =The Origin and Evolution of Birds
 | publisher =Yale University Press
 | year =1999
 | page =300
 | url = https://books.google.com/books?id=8QRKV7eSqmIC&pg=PA300
 | isbn =0-226-05641-4 }}</ref>

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 [[Bird vocalization|vocalizations]].<ref>{{cite journal
 | last = Donazard
 | first = José A
 | author2 = Feijoo, Juan E.
 | title = Social structure of Andean Condor roosts: Influence of sex, age, and season
 | journal = [[Condor (journal)|Condor]]
 | volume = 104
 | issue = 1
 | pages = 832–837
 | publisher = Cooper Ornithological Society
 | url = http://cat.inist.fr/?aModele=afficheN&cpsidt=14022914
 | access-date = 2008-01-10
 | doi = 10.1650/0010-5422(2002)104[0832:SSOACR]2.0.CO;2
 | year = 2002
 | issn = 0010-5422
 | hdl = 10261/65935
 | s2cid = 35374983
 | hdl-access = free
 | archive-date = 2012-09-04
 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20120904025221/http://cat.inist.fr/?aModele=afficheN&cpsidt=14022914
 }}</ref> Generally, mature males tend to be at the top of the pecking order, with post-dispersal immature males tending to be near the bottom.<ref name="Ferguson-Lees" />

===Breeding===
Sexual maturity and breeding behavior do not appear in the Andean condor until the bird is five or six years of age.<ref>{{cite web
 |title=Andean Condor (''Vultur Gryphus'') 
 |publisher=[[The Peregrine Fund]] 
 |url=http://www.peregrinefund.org/explore_raptors/vultures/andcondr.html 
 |access-date=2007-01-10 
 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070205055624/http://www.peregrinefund.org/Explore_Raptors/vultures/andcondr.html 
 |archive-date=5 February 2007 
 }}</ref> It may live to 50 years or more, and it mates for life.<ref name="Tait" /> During courtship displays, the skin of the male's neck flushes, changing from dull red to bright yellow, and inflates.<ref>{{cite journal
 | last = Whitson
 | first = Martha A
 | author2 = Whitson, Paul D.
 | title = Breeding Behavior of the Andean Condor (''Vultur Gryphus'')
 | journal =[[Condor (journal)|Condor]]
 | volume = 71
 | pages = 73–75
 | publisher =Cooper Ornithological Society
 | year =1968
 | url =http://sora.unm.edu/sites/default/files/journals/condor/v071n01/p0073-p0075.pdf
 | access-date = 2007-01-10
 | doi = 10.2307/1366056 | jstor = 1366056
 | issue = 1}}</ref> He approaches the female with neck outstretched, revealing the inflated neck and the chest patch, while hissing,<ref>{{cite journal
 | last = Gailey
 | first = Janet
 | author2 = Bolwig, Neils
 | title =Observations on the Behavior of the Andean Condor (''Vultur Gryphus'')
 | journal =[[Condor (journal)|Condor]]
 | publisher =Cooper Ornithological Society
 | volume = 75
 | pages = 60–68
 | year =1973
 | url =http://sora.unm.edu/sites/default/files/journals/condor/v075n01/p0060-p0068.pdf
 | access-date = 2007-01-10
 | doi =10.2307/1366535 | jstor = 1366535
 | issue = 1}}</ref> then extends his wings and stands erect while clicking his tongue.<ref name="Smithsonian" /> Other courtship rituals include hissing and clucking while hopping with wings partially spread, and dancing.<ref name="Patagonia" />

{{Multiple image
| image1            = Vultur gryphus MWNH 0718 (rotated).JPG
| image2            = Andean Condor, Pichincha, EC imported from iNaturalist photo 362610650.jpg
| total_width       = 700
| caption1          = Egg, Collection [[Museum Wiesbaden]]
| caption2          = Juvenile male, in Ecuador
| image3            = Andean condor (Vultur gryphus) male Farellones (cropped).jpg
| caption3          = Adult male in [[Farellones]], Chile
| align             = center
}}

The Andean condor prefers to roost and breed at elevations of {{convert|3000|to|5000|m|ft|abbr=on}}.<ref name="Fjeldså">{{cite book
 | last = Fjeldså
 | first =Jon
 | author2= Krabbe, Niels
 | title =Birds of the High Andes
 | publisher =Apollo Books
 | year =1990
 | page =90
 | url = https://books.google.com/books?id=NmXSeVrmlgIC
 | isbn =87-88757-16-1 }}</ref> Its nest, which consists of a few sticks placed around the eggs, is created on inaccessible ledges of rock. However, in coastal areas of Peru, where there are few cliffs, some nests are simply partially shaded crannies scraped out against boulders on slopes.<ref name="Haemig" /> It deposits one bluish-white [[egg (biology)|egg]], weighing about {{convert|280|g|oz|abbr=on}} and ranging from {{convert|75|to|100|mm|in|abbr=on}} in length. Breeding occurs about every second year, in the southern Andes around October, in the central and northern Andes it can be throughout the year.<ref>Avian Report. "Andean Condor Nesting Habits". https://avianreport.com/andean-condor-nesting/</ref> The egg hatches after 54 to 58&nbsp;days of [[Avian incubation|incubation]] by both parents.<ref name="Smithsonian">{{cite web
 |author=Friends of the Zoo 
 |title=Andean Condor 
 |publisher=Smithsonian National Zoological Park 
 |url=http://nationalzoo.si.edu/Animals/Birds/Facts/FactSheets/fact-andeancondor.cfm 
 |access-date=2008-01-08 
 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071009075845/http://nationalzoo.si.edu/Animals/Birds/Facts/FactSheets/fact-andeancondor.cfm 
 |archive-date=2007-10-09 
 }}</ref> 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.<ref>
{{cite book
| author=National Research Council
 | title = Scientific Bases for the Preservation of the Hawaiian Crow
 | publisher =National Academies Press
 | year = 1992
 | page =74
 | url = https://books.google.com/books?id=8cDX2mb07mcC&pg=PA74
 | isbn =0-309-04775-7 }}</ref> The young are covered with a grayish down until they are almost as large as their parents. They are able to fly after six months,<ref name="Hilty" /> but continue to roost and hunt with their parents until age two, when they are displaced by a new clutch.<ref>Cisneros-Heredia, Diego F. (2006). [http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/download?doi=10.1.1.177.5617&rep=rep1&type=pdf "Notes on breeding, behaviour and distribution of some birds in Ecuador"]. ''Bulletin of the British Ornithologists' Club'' '''126''' (2): 153–164 contains a record of a juvenile accompanying an adult male in July, too early to have been of that year's cohort.</ref>

===Feeding===
The Andean condor is a [[scavenger]], feeding mainly on [[carrion]].<ref name="Wehner">{{cite book
 |last      = Wehner
 |first     = Ross
 |author2   = del Gaudio, Renee
 |author3   = Jankowski, Kazia
 |title     = Moon Peru
 |publisher = Avalon Travel
 |year      = 2007
 |page      = 180
 |isbn      = 978-1-56691-983-8
}}</ref> Wild condors inhabit large territories, often traveling more than {{convert|200|km|mi|abbr=on}} a day in search of carrion.<ref name="Patagonia" /> In inland areas, they prefer large carcasses. Naturally, they feed on the largest carcasses available, which can include [[llama]]s (''Lama glama''), [[alpaca]]s (''Lama pacos''), [[rhea (bird)|rhea]]s (''Rhea ssp.''), [[guanaco]]s (''Lama guanicoe''), [[deer]] and [[armadillo]]s. Wild individuals could acquire extra carotenoids from vegetal matter contained in carcass viscera and fresh vegetation.<ref name="Blanco2013" /><ref name="Blanco2014" /> However, most inland condors now live largely off of domestic animals, which are now more widespread in South America, such as [[cattle]] (''Bos taurus''), [[horse]]s (''Equus caballus''), [[donkey]]s (''Equus asinus''), [[mule]]s, [[sheep]] (''Ovis aries''), [[domestic pig]]s (''Sus domesticus''), [[domestic goat]]s (''Capra hircus'') and [[dog]]s (''Canis familiaris''). They also feed on the carcasses of introduced game species such as [[wild boar]] (''Sus scrofa''), [[rabbit]]s (''Oryctolagus cuniculus''), [[fox]]es (''Vulpes vulpes'') and [[red deer]] (''Cervus elaphus''). For condors who live around the coast, the diet consists mainly of beached carcasses of marine mammals, largely [[cetacean]]s.<ref name="Smithsonian" /><ref name="ADW" /> They will also raid the nests of smaller birds to feed on the eggs.<ref>{{cite web
 | title =Andean Condor (''Vultur Gryphus'')
 | publisher = [[National Geographic Society|National Geographic]]
 | url = http://animals.nationalgeographic.com/animals/birds/andean-condor.html
 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20070612145057/http://animals.nationalgeographic.com/animals/birds/andean-condor.html
 | archive-date = June 12, 2007
 | access-date = 2007-01-10}}</ref> Andean condors have been observed to do some hunting of small, live animals, such as [[rodent]]s, [[bird]]s and [[rabbit]]s, which (given their lack of powerful, grasping feet or developed hunting technique) they usually kill by jabbing repeatedly with their bill.<ref name="ADW">{{Cite web|last=Kidd|first=Travis|title=Vultur gryphus (Andean condor)|url=https://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Vultur_gryphus/|access-date=2023-02-11|website=Animal Diversity Web|language=en}}</ref>
[[File:Vultur gryphus 477120082.jpg|thumb|Adult male with a full [[Crop (anatomy)|crop]]]]
[[File:Andean Condor imported from iNaturalist photo 28100377 on 3 December 2024.jpg|thumb|Adult male, with [[black vulture]]s]]
[[File:Andean condors (Vultur gryphus) on carcass Torres del Paine.jpg|thumb|Males feeding on a sheep carcass, in Chile. Two [[Crested caracara|crested caracaras]] in the background by an immature male. ]]
Coastal areas provide a constant food supply, and in particularly plentiful areas, some Andean condors limit their foraging area to several kilometers of beach-front land.<ref name="Haemig">{{cite web
 |last         = Haemig
 |first        = PD
 |title        = Ecology of Condors
 |publisher    = Ecology Online Sweden
 |year         = 2007
 |url          = http://www.ecology.info/condors.htm
 |archive-url  = https://web.archive.org/web/20071204213025/http://www.ecology.info/condors.htm
 |archive-date = 4 December 2007
 |access-date  = March 30, 2009
}}</ref> They locate carrion by spotting it or by following other scavengers, such as [[corvid]]s or other vultures.<ref name="snyder">{{cite book
 |author1=Snyder, Noel F. R.  |author2=Helen Snyder
 | title =Raptors of North America: Natural History and Conservation
 | publisher =Voyageur Press
 | page=[https://archive.org/details/isbn_9780760325827/page/45 45]
 | year =2006
 | url= https://archive.org/details/isbn_9780760325827
 |url-access=registration  | isbn = 0-7603-2582-0}}</ref> It may follow New World vultures of the genus ''[[Cathartes]]''—the [[turkey vulture]] (''C. aura''), the [[lesser yellow-headed vulture]] (''C. burrovianus''), and the [[greater yellow-headed vulture]] (''C. melambrotus'')—to carcasses. The ''Cathartes'' vultures forage by smell, detecting the scent of [[Ethanethiol|ethyl mercaptan]], a gas produced by the beginnings of decay in dead animals. These smaller vultures cannot rip through the tougher hides of these larger animals with the efficiency of the larger condor, and their interactions are often an example of [[mutual dependence]] between species.<ref name="Dietland">{{cite book
 | last =Muller-Schwarze
 | first =Dietland
 | title =Chemical Ecology of Vertebrates
 | publisher =Cambridge University Press
 | page=350
 | year =2006
 | url= https://books.google.com/books?id=HaaFlUw4goIC&pg=PA1
 | isbn = 0-521-36377-2}}</ref> However, studies have indicated that Andean condors are fairly proficient at searching out carrion without needing to rely on other scavengers to guide them to it.<ref>Lambertucci, S. A., Speziale, K. L., Rogers, T. E., & Morales, J. M. (2009). ''How do roads affect the habitat use of an assemblage of scavenging raptors?'' Biodiversity and Conservation, 18(8), 2063-2074. {{doi|10.1007/s10531-008-9573-3}}</ref> [[Black vulture]]s (''Coragyps atratus'') and several mammalian carnivorous scavengers such as [[South American fox|fox]]es may sometimes track ''Cathartes'' vultures for carcasses or compete with condors over available carrion but the condor is invariably dominant among the scavengers in its range.<ref name="Haemig" /> A study in [[Patagonia]] found surprisingly that condors were driving the ecology of [[Cougar|puma]] (''Puma concolor'') in the area, apparently by routinely commandeering the powerful cat's kills (often the day following the puma's nighttime kills). It is projected that the condors were able to engage in harassment of the pumas despite the large cat's size and power, and has apparently driven the pumas to increase their kill rate in order to accommodate for their frequent losses to the scavengers.<ref>Elbroch, L. M., & Wittmer, H. U. (2013). ''Nuisance ecology: do scavenging condors exact foraging costs on pumas in Patagonia?'' PLOS ONE, 8(1), e53595. {{doi|10.1371/journal.pone.0053595|doi-access=free}}</ref><ref>Perrig, P. L., Donadio, E., Middleton, A. D., & Pauli, J. N. (2017). ''Puma predation subsidizes an obligate scavenger in the high Andes''. Journal of applied ecology, 54(3), 846–853. {{doi|10.1111/1365-2664.12802}}</ref> Andean condors are intermittent eaters in the wild, 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. Because its feet and talons are not adapted to grasping, it must feed while on the ground.<ref name="Patagonia" /> Like other carrion-feeders, it plays an important role in its [[ecosystem]] by disposing of carrion which would otherwise be a breeding ground for disease.<ref name="cotton">{{cite journal
 |last1=Gomez 
 |title=The role of greater yellow-headed vultures Cathartes melambrotus as scavengers in neotropical forest 
 |journal=Ibis 
 |volume=136 
 |issue=2 
 |pages=193–196 
 |year=1994 
 |url=http://md1.csa.com/partners/viewrecord.php?requester=gs&collection=ENV&recid=3646491&q=Cathartes+melambrotus&uid=791396595&setcookie=yes 
 |access-date=2008-01-06 
 |doi=10.1111/j.1474-919X.1994.tb01084.x 
 |first1=Luis G. 
 |last2=Houston 
 |first2=David C. 
 |last3=Cotton 
 |first3=Peter 
 |last4=Tye 
 |first4=Alan 
 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080129233040/http://md1.csa.com/partners/viewrecord.php?requester=gs&collection=ENV&recid=3646491&q=Cathartes+melambrotus&uid=791396595&setcookie=yes 
 |archive-date=29 January 2008 
 |url-access=subscription 
 }}</ref>

Andean condors can efficiently absorb a wide variety of [[carotenoid]] pigments from the vegetal matter within the [[viscera]] that they consume from carcasses. These include carotenoids such as [[Β-Carotene|β-carotene]] and [[Echinenone|echineone]]. The pigments result in the yellow skin colouration of adult males and their ability to flush their skin a brilliant yellow during contests for dominance, as well as the colour of the iris and bright orange tongues of both sexes. Captive Andean condors have a lower concentration of carotenoid pigments in their bodies than wild condors, likely because the diet of captive condors is usually restricted to just flesh. An analysis of the droppings of wild condors found that 90% contained vegetal remains, and of those that contained vegetal remains, 35% of them were composed of primarily vegetal matter (around 80% by volume). The potential sources for the vegetal matter is posited to include the viscera of herbivore carcasses as well as fresh vegetation.<ref name=":0" />

===Longevity===
Being a slowly-maturing bird with no known natural predators in adulthood, an Andean condor is a long-lived bird. Longevity and mortality rates are not known to have been extensively studied in the wild. Some estimations of lifespans of wild birds has exceeded 50 years. In 1983, the [[Guinness Book of World Records]] considered the longest-lived bird of any species with a confirmed lifespan was an Andean condor that died after surviving 72 years in captivity, having been captured from the wild as a juvenile of undetermined age.<ref name="Wood"/> Several species of [[parrot]] have been reported to live for perhaps over 100 years in captivity, but these (at least in 1983) were not considered authenticated.<ref name="Wood"/> Another early captive-held specimen of condor reportedly lived for 71 years.<ref name="Wood"/> However, these lifespans have been exceeded by a male, nicknamed "Thaao", that was kept at [[Beardsley Zoo]] in [[Connecticut]]. Thaao was born in captivity in 1930 and died on January 26, 2010, making him 79 years of age.<ref>[http://beardsleyzoo.org/node/150 Zoo Family Mourns Death of Oldest Living Andean Condor in Captivity | Connecticut's Beardsley Zoo] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120520105325/http://www.beardsleyzoo.org/node/150 |date=2012-05-20 }}. Beardsleyzoo.org (2010-01-26). Retrieved on 2012-12-19.</ref> This is the greatest verified age ever known for a bird.<ref name="Wood"/>

==Relationship with humans==

===Conservation status===
[[File:Andean Condor Zoo (cropped).JPG|thumb|Female dorsal view, at the [[Berlin Zoo]]]]
[[File:Андский кондор.jpg|thumb|Adult male, [[Moscow Zoo]], Russia]]
The Andean condor is considered [[Vulnerable species|vulnerable]] by the [[IUCN]] and the Peruvian [[Conservation organizations|Conservation Organization]].<ref name="iucn status 19 November 2021" /> As a result of research on its plight, its status was changed to Vulnerable from Near Threatened in 2020, and only about 10,000 individuals remain.  It was first placed on the United States [[Endangered Species]] list in 1970,<ref>{{cite web|title=Species Profile: Andean Condor |publisher=United States Department of Fish and Wildlife |url=http://ecos.fws.gov/speciesProfile/SpeciesReport.do?spcode=B03Y |access-date=2007-10-16 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090303165337/http://ecos.fws.gov/speciesProfile/SpeciesReport.do?spcode=B03Y |archive-date=March 3, 2009 }}</ref> a status which is assigned to an animal that is in danger of extinction throughout all or a significant portion of its range.<ref>{{cite web
 |title=Endangered Species Program 
 |publisher=United States Department of Fish and Wildlife 
 |url=http://www.fws.gov/Endangered/wildlife.html 
 |access-date=2007-10-16 
 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070921072436/http://www.fws.gov/Endangered/wildlife.html 
 |archive-date=2007-09-21 
 |url-status=live 
}}</ref> Threats to its population include loss of habitat needed for foraging, secondary poisoning from animals killed by hunters and persecution.<ref name="Reading"/> It is threatened mainly in the northern area of its range, and is extremely rare in Venezuela and Colombia, where it has undergone considerable declines in recent years.<ref>{{cite book
 | last =Beletsky
 | first =Les
 | title =Birds of the World
 | publisher =JHU Press
 | year =2006
 | page =70
 | url =https://books.google.com/books?id=50_95BRVIjkC
 | isbn =0-8018-8429-2 }}</ref> Because it is adapted to very low mortality and has correspondingly low reproductive rates, it is extremely vulnerable to human persecution,<ref name="BirdLife">{{cite web|title=Species factsheet: Vultur Gryphus |year=2004 |publisher=BirdLife International |url=http://www.redlist.org/search/details.php?species=40258 |access-date=2008-01-04 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060305172904/http://www.redlist.org/search/details.php?species=40258 |archive-date=2006-03-05 }}</ref> most of which stems from the fact that it is perceived as a threat by farmers due to alleged attacks on livestock.<ref name="Tait">{{cite book
 | last =Tait
 | first =Malcolm
 | title =Going, Going, Gone: Animals and Plants on the Brink of Extinction
 | publisher =Sterling Publishing
 | year =2006
 | page =[https://archive.org/details/goinggoinggone00thin/page/22 22]
 | url =https://archive.org/details/goinggoinggone00thin
 | url-access =registration
 | isbn = 1-84525-027-3}}</ref> Education programs have been implemented by conservationists to dispel this misconception.<ref name="Roach"/> Reintroduction programs using captive-bred Andean condors, which release birds hatched in North American zoos into the wild to bolster populations,<ref name="Roach">{{cite web
 | last =Roach
 | first =John
 | title =Peru's Andean Condors Are Rising Tourist Attraction
 | work = National Geographic News
 | publisher = [[National Geographic Society|National Geographic]]
 | date = 2004-07-22
 | url = http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2004/07/0722_040722_andeancondor.html
 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20040726192641/http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2004/07/0722_040722_andeancondor.html
 | archive-date = July 26, 2004
 | access-date = 2007-01-10}}</ref> have been introduced in Argentina, Venezuela, and Colombia. The first captive-bred Andean condors were released into the wild in 1989.<ref>{{cite web 
 |author=Conservation and Research for Endangered Species 
 |title=Andean Condor Reintroduction Program 
 |publisher=Zoological Society of San Diego 
 |url=http://cres.sandiegozoo.org/projects/rb_condor_andean.html 
 |access-date=2007-01-10 
 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061010112901/http://cres.sandiegozoo.org/projects/rb_condor_andean.html 
 |archive-date=2006-10-10 
 }}</ref> When raising condors, human contact is minimal; chicks are fed with glove puppets which resemble adult Andean condors in order to prevent the chicks from [[imprinting (psychology)|imprinting]] on humans, which would endanger them upon release as they would not be wary of humans.<ref name="Pullin"/> The condors are kept in aviaries for three months prior to release, where they acclimatize to an environment similar to that which they will be released in.<ref name="Pullin">{{cite book
 | last = Pullin
 | first = Andrew S.
 | title = Conservation Biology
 | publisher = Cambridge University Press
 | year = 2002
 | page = 234
 | url = https://books.google.com/books?id=ED-8V8cE67UC&pg=PA234
 | isbn = 0-521-64482-8}}</ref> Released condors are tracked by satellite in order to observe their movements and to monitor whether they are still alive.<ref name="SanDiego"/>

In response to the capture of all the wild individuals of the California condor, in 1988 the [[US Fish and Wildlife Service]] began a reintroduction experiment involving the release of captive Andean condors into the wild in [[California]]. Only females were released to prevent it becoming an [[invasive species]]. The experiment was a success, and all the Andean condors were recaptured and re-released in South America before the reintroduction of the California condors took place.<ref name="USFW">{{cite web| title = California condor, (Gymnogyps californianus)| publisher = U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service| url = http://www.fws.gov/species/species_accounts/bio_cond.html| access-date = 2007-08-14| archive-date = 2013-04-01| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20130401101024/http://www.fws.gov/species/species_accounts/bio_cond.html}}</ref>

In June 2014, local authorities of the [[Ancasmarca]] region rescued two Andean condors that were caged and displayed in a local market as an attraction for tourists.<ref>{{in lang|es}} [http://www.andina.com.pe/agencia/noticia-rescatan-dos-condores-andinos-eran-exhibidos-a-turistas-calca-cusco-509987.aspx Rescatan dos cóndores andinos que eran exhibidos a turistas en Calca Cusco] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170913231803/http://www.andina.com.pe/agencia/noticia-rescatan-dos-condores-andinos-eran-exhibidos-a-turistas-calca-cusco-509987.aspx |date=2017-09-13 }}, ''Andina.com.pe'', 12 June 2014</ref>

===Role in culture===
[[File:Chancay Sleeved Tunic with Flying Condors.png|thumb|[[Chancay culture|Chancay]] textile with flying condors, 1200-1400 AD]]
The Andean condor is a national symbol of Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru and [[Andean Region, Venezuela|Venezuelan Andes]] states. It is the [[List of national birds|national bird]] of Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, and Ecuador.<ref>{{cite web
 | last =MacDonald
 | first =Tina
 | author2 = MacDonald, Duncan
 | title =National Birds
 | url =http://www.camacdonald.com/birding/CountryIndex.htm
 | access-date = 2007-10-06 | archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20071006063912/http://www.camacdonald.com/birding/CountryIndex.htm#A| archive-date= 6 October 2007 | url-status= live}}</ref> It plays an important role in the [[folklore]] and [[mythology]] of the [[South American]] Andean regions,<ref name="Tait"/> and has been represented in Andean art from {{circa|2500 BCE}} onward,<ref name="Werness">{{cite book
 | last =Werness
 | first =Hope B.
 | title =The Continuum Encyclopedia of Animal Symbolism in Art
 | publisher =Continuum International Publishing Group
 | year =2004
 | page =103
 | url =https://books.google.com/books?id=fr2rANLrPmoC
 | isbn =0-8264-1525-3 }}</ref> and they are a part of indigenous Andean religions.<ref name="Howard-Malverde">{{cite book
 | last =Howard-Malverde
 | first =Rosaleen
 | title =Creating Context in Andean Cultures
 | publisher =Oxford University Press
 | year =1997
 | page =16
 | url =https://books.google.com/books?id=t7ybxALxNfwC&pg=PA16
 | isbn =0-19-510914-7 }}</ref> In Andean mythology, the Andean condor was associated with the sun deity,<ref>{{cite book
 | last = Mundkur
 | first =Balaji
 | title =The Cult of the Serpent
 | publisher =SUNY Press
 | year =1983
 | page =129
 | url =https://books.google.com/books?id=PDkuiPhZJr0C
 | isbn =0-87395-631-1 }}</ref> and was believed to be the ruler of the upper world.<ref>{{cite book
 |author1=Mills, Alice |author2=Parker, Janet |author3=Stanton, Julie | title =Mythology: Myths, Legends and Fantasies
 | publisher =New Holland Publishers
 | year =2006
 | page =493
 | isbn =1-77007-453-8}}</ref> The Andean condor is considered a symbol of power and health by many Andean cultures, and it was believed that the bones and organs of the Andean condor possessed medicinal powers, sometimes leading to the hunting and killing of condors to obtain its bones and organs.<ref name="SanDiego">{{cite web
 | title = Andean Condor
 | publisher = Zoological Society of San Diego
 | url = http://www.sandiegozoo.org/animalbytes/t-andean_condor.html
 | access-date = 2007-01-10}}</ref><ref name="CleMet2">{{cite web
 |title=History of the Andean Condor 
 |publisher=Cleveland Metroparks Zoo 
 |url=http://www.clemetzoo.com/rttw/condor/history.htm 
 |access-date=2007-01-10 
 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061219195345/http://www.clemetzoo.com/rttw/condor/history.htm 
 |archive-date=19 December 2006 
 }}</ref> In some versions of Peruvian bullfighting ("Yawar Fiesta" or "Blood Festival"), a condor is tied to the back of a bull, where it pecks at the animal as bullfighters fight it. The condor generally survives and is set free.<ref>{{cite book| last =Kokotovic| first =Misha| title = The Colonial Divide in Peruvian Narrative:Social Conflict and Transculturation | publisher = Sussex Academic Press| year = 2007| page =49| isbn =978-1-84519-184-9 }}</ref>

The Andean condor is a popular figure on [[postage stamp|stamps]] in many countries, appearing on one for Ecuador in 1958, Argentina in 1960, Peru in 1973, Bolivia in 1985, Colombia in 1992, Chile in 1935 and 2001, and [[Venezuela]] in 2004.<ref name="Stamp ">{{cite web | title =Andean Condor | publisher =Bird Stamps | url = http://www.bird-stamps.org/cspecies/2800600.htm | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20001023171802/http://www.bird-stamps.org/cspecies/2800600.htm | url-status = usurped | archive-date = October 23, 2000 | access-date = 2008-01-15}}</ref> It has also appeared on the coins and banknotes of Colombia and Chile.<ref>{{cite web | title =A Field Guide to the Birds on Banknotes | publisher =Krause Publications | url = http://members.tripod.com/~fieldguide/bobn.html | access-date = 2008-01-16}}</ref>

{{gallery
|title=National coat of arms
|width= |height=120
|align=center
|File:Escudo de Bolivia.svg|[[Coat of arms of Bolivia]].
|File:Coat of arms of Chile (c).svg|[[Coat of arms of Chile]].
|File:Coat of arms of Colombia.svg|[[Coat of arms of Colombia]].
|File:Coat of arms of Ecuador.svg|[[Coat of arms of Ecuador]].
|File:Coat of arms of Peru (1821-1825).svg|First [[Coat of arms of Peru]].
|File:Coat of arms of Venezuela (1812).svg|[[Coat of arms of Venezuela|Former coat of arms]] of [[Venezuela]].
|mode=packed}}
{{gallery
|title=Others coat of arms
|width= |height=120
|align=center
||Coat of arms of [[Pichincha Province]], [[Ecuador]].
||Coat of arms of [[Chimborazo Province]], [[Ecuador]].
|File:Coat of arms of Mérida State.svg|Coat of arms of [[Mérida (state)|State of Mérida]], [[Venezuela]].
|File:Imperial standard of the ethnocacerist movement.jpg|Imperial standard of the [[Movimiento Etnocacerista|Ethnocacerist Movement]], [[Peru]].
|File:Escudo-UNAM-escalable.svg|[[National Autonomous University of Mexico]], depicting a condor and [[golden eagle]].
||[[National University of Cuyo]], [[Argentina]].
|mode=packed}}
{{gallery
|title=Condor in popular culture
|width= |height=220
|align=center
|File:Vultur gryphus Chili XIX.jpg|Hunting for condor. Chile, 1854.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Image 61 of Atlas of the Physical and Political History of Chile &#91;Plates, Volume 1&#93;.|url=https://www.loc.gov/resource/gdcwdl.wdl_03979/?sp=61&r=0.004,-0.763,1,1.526,0|access-date=2023-02-11|website=Library of Congress
|last=Gay|first=Claudio|place=Paris |publisher= E. Thunot|date=1854
}}</ref>
|File:CondorLassoLyd.jpg|Argentine [[gaucho]]s lassoing a condor, 1895.
|File:60 cent Chile Condor.jpg|Chilean 60-centavo stamp, 1935.
||[[Aero Cóndor]], an airline that flies over the Nazca lines in Peru.
|File:Condorito.jpg|[[Condorito]], a Chilean comic book character.|mode=packed}}

==References==
{{Reflist|2|refs=

<ref name=Blanco2013>{{cite journal  | last1=Blanco |first1=G. |last2=Hornero-Méndez |first2=D. |last3=Lambertucci |first3=S.A. |last4=Donázar |first4=J.A. |last5=Bautista |first5=L.M. |last6= Wiemeyer |first6=G. |last7=Sanchez-Zapata |first7=J.A. |last8=Garrido-Fernández |first8=J. |last9=Hiraldo |first9=F.  |year=2013 |title=Need and seek for dietary micronutrients: endogenous regulation, external signaling and food sources of carotenoids in New World vultures |journal=PLOS ONE |volume=8 |issue=6 |article-number=e65562 |doi=10.1371/journal.pone.0065562 |pmid=23785435 |pmc=3681859 |bibcode=2013PLoSO...865562B |url=https://digital.csic.es/bitstream/10261/78234/1/Blanco%20PLoSONE8%20e65562%202013.pdf |doi-access=free }}</ref>

<ref name=Blanco2014>{{cite journal  |last1=Blanco |first1=G. |last2=Bautista |first2=L.M. |last3=Hornero-Méndez |first3=D. |last4=Lambertucci |first4=S.A. |last5= Wiemeyer |first5=G. |last6=Sanchez-Zapata |first6=J.A. |last7=Hiraldo |first7=F. |last8=Donázar |first8=J.A. |year=2014 |title=Allometric deviations of plasma carotenoids in raptors |journal=Ibis |volume=156 |issue=3 |pages=668–675 |doi=10.1111/ibi.12155 |url=https://digital.csic.es/bitstream/10261/98308/1/Blanco%20Ibis156%20p668%202014.pdf|hdl=10261/98308 |hdl-access=free }}</ref>

}}

==External links==
{{Commons and category|Vultur gryphus|Vultur_gryphus}}
{{Wikispecies|Vultur gryphus}}
* [http://www.vulture-territory.com/andean.html Vulture Territory Facts and Characteristics: Andean condor]
* ARKive – [https://web.archive.org/web/20060720164351/http://www.arkive.org/species/GES/birds/Vultur_gryphus/ images and movies of the Andean condor ''(Vultur gryphus)'']
* [http://www.imagesandmusic.nl/dhtml/Condors.htm Video of Peruvian condors]
* [http://www.birdlife.org/datazone/species/index.html?action=SpcHTMDetails.asp&sid=3822&m=0 BirdLife Species Factsheet]
* [http://www.ecologia.info/condor-dos-andes.htm Andean condor]
* [http://ibc.lynxeds.com/species/andean-condor-vultur-gryphus Andean condor videos] on the Internet Bird Collection
* [http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-colombia-condors30-2009aug30-pictures,0,377184.photogallery Scientists Work to Repopulate Colombia's Skies with Condors] – slideshow by the ''[[Los Angeles Times]]''
* [http://www.bioandina.org.ar Proyecto Conservación Cóndor Andino de Argentina], Organizado por la Fundación Bioandina Argentina.
*[http://www.ecology.info/condors.htm Ecology of condors]

{{Vulture}}
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{{Symbols of Colombia}}
{{Bolivia symbols}}
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[[Category:Cathartidae]]
[[Category:Birds of the Andes]]
[[Category:New World vultures]]
[[Category:Páramo fauna]]
[[Category:National symbols of Argentina]]
[[Category:National symbols of Bolivia]]
[[Category:National symbols of Colombia]]
[[Category:National symbols of Chile]]
[[Category:National symbols of Ecuador]]
[[Category:National symbols of Peru]]
[[Category:Vulnerable animals]]
[[Category:Vulnerable biota of South America]]
[[Category:Extant Piacenzian first appearances]]
[[Category:Pliocene birds of South America]]
[[Category:Birds described in 1758]]
[[Category:Animal taxa named by Carl Linnaeus]]