condor

condor, common name for certain American vultures, found in the high peaks of the Andes of South America and the Coast Range of S California. Condors are the largest of the living birds, nearly 50 in. (125 cm) long with a wingspread of from 9 to 10 ft (274–300 cm). Voracious eaters, they prefer carrion but will attack living animals as large as deer. Two eggs are laid in a sketchy cliff nest of twigs; the young are unable to fly until they are about a year old. The Andean condor, Vultur gryphus, has black plumage with white wing patches and a white neck ruff. The lead-colored head and neck are bare; the male has a comb and wattles. The rare California condor, or California vulture, Gymnogyps californianus, is all black with white wing bands. Condors, particularly the California species (which has only recently been reintroduced into the wild), are extremely rare and on the verge of extinction. Forming long-term pair bonds, the California condor only lays one egg and does not breed until at least six years old. Condors are classified in the phylum Chordata, subphylum Vertebrata, class Aves, order Falconiformes, family Cathartidae.

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condor

Either of two species of large New World vultures. Two of the largest flying birds, each is about 4 ft (1.2 m) long. Both feed on dead animals. The Andean condor (Vultur gryphus), which ranges from the Pacific coast of South America to the high Andes Mountains, has slightly longer wings (10 ft [3 m]) and is black with a white ruff and bare pinkish head and neck. The California condor (Gymnogyps californianus) is nearly black, with white wing linings, a bare yellow head, and a red neck. It hovered on the brink of extinction in the 1980s, and every California condor was captured. Careful nurturing has since led to the release of more than 200 condors into the wild.