Andean condor

Description

The condor of the Andes ( Vultur gryphus Linnaeus,1758 ) is a bird of the order Accipitriformes belonging to the family of the Catartides.This bird is up to 130 cm long and with its wingspan of 300-315 cm it is second only to albatross,but compared to this it is much heavier,being able to reach 9-12 kg.He was always hunted almost to extinction because he believed to be predator of more or less domestic herds and animals.In reality,since necrophagus,it feeds mainly on carcasses,but if necessary it can prey on eggs and birds of other birds.The color of the plumage is rather dark,tending to black with the remigating white coverts.The head is bare,and in males there is a large fleshy crest of about 10 cm in length and 4.5 cm in thickness.Males and females also differ in the color of the iris which in the former is pale brown and reddish in the second.The beakit is robust,able to tear large pieces of meat.The neck is long and bare,and at the base there is a white plumed collar.The legs are gray.The nails are not very strong because they do not serve to kill prey.The tail is rather short,almost rectangular in shape.The little ones are nidicolous,have uniform color and the woolly collar is initially brown,then it becomes red and only from the fourth year of life it becomes white.The ridge develops from the third year.Overall,the little condor reaches the adult state around the eighth year of age.