A study of California Condors found that they “were more likely to fly, soared at higher altitudes and flew over smoother terrain when weather conditions promoted either thermal or orographic updrafts, for example when turbulence and solar radiation were higher and when winds from the east and north were stronger” (Poessel et al. Snyder & Snyder (2000) list three habitat requirements for condors: (1) reasonably reliable winds or thermals upon which to soar, (2) foraging habitat that is sufficiently open to discover and access carrion food, and (3) adequate supplies of carrion.Ī study of Andean Condors in southern Chile found that condors soared most frequently when winds were moderate (25-48 km/hr), and soared least when winds were strong, i.e. For example, on the arid coast of Peru, where the ocean washes ashore a “remarkably constant food supply” of dead marine mammals and seabirds, some Andean Condors limit their foraging to “stretches of beach several kilometers long (MP Wallace in Snyder & Snyder 2000).” However, where food is concentrated in a little area, condor foraging ranges are smaller. Because it takes condor parents more than one year to raise a young condor, the rate of reproduction is extremely low: usually only one young, on average, every two years.īreeding Andean Condors forage for food as far as 200 kilometers from their nests, while breeding California Condors forage as far as 180 kilometers from their nests (Wallace & Temple 1987b Meretsky & Snyder 1992). The clutch size is one egg, however if it is lost a replacement egg will be laid.

They usually nest on cliffs, but some exceptions occur (see below). In this report, we review the many ways that condors interact with other organisms and the environment, and explain why condors are endangered.īoth condors feed primarily on mammalian carrion. However, unlike the similar-looking Old World Vultures, which are related to hawks and eagles, the New World Vultures are related to storks (Sibley & Alquist 1990). All are raptorial in appearance and specialized for finding and eating the meat of dead animals. The Cathartidae also include the familiar Turkey Vulture ( Cathartes aura) and Black Vulture ( Coragyps atratus), as well as three other species. This family is widely known as the “New World Vultures” because all of its living members are found only in the western hemisphere.

Photo by Jean Vella ( Unsplash).Ĭondors belong to the bird family Cathartidae (also called Vulturidae).

Condor wingspan