---
title: "What the sources say about the Andean Condor | AnimalTracks.wiki"
description: "47 claims from the Andean Condor profile, each beside the words of the source that backs it."
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# What the sources say about the Andean Condor (*Vultur gryphus*)

> 47 claims from the Andean Condor profile, each beside the words of the source that backs it. A "..." marks a cut in a quote and [brackets] an insertion.

Profile: [Andean Condor](https://animaltracks.wiki/animals/andean-condor/)

## Blanco et al. (2013). Need and Seek for Dietary Micronutrients: Endogenous Regulation, External Signalling and Food Sources of Carotenoids in New World Vultures. PLoS ONE.

https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0065562

| The page says | The source says |
| :--- | :--- |
| weightKg: 15 | adult males (∼15 kg) weigh about 30% more than females (∼11 kg) (note: task #1114: typical adult male from Blanco 2013; the San Diego Zoo's 15 kg is a maximum. Medium, where the name guess gave Light. Not in a curated matchup) |

## Vultur gryphus. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2020: e.T22697641A181325230.

https://doi.org/10.2305/iucn.uk.2020-3.rlts.t22697641a181325230.en

| The page says | The source says |
| :--- | :--- |
| The IUCN Red List rates the species Vulnerable. | IUCN Red List category: Vulnerable (VU). |

## Williams et al. (2020). Physical limits of flight performance in the heaviest soaring bird. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1907360117

| The page says | The source says |
| :--- | :--- |
| The world's heaviest soaring bird: tracked condors flapped for just 1% of their flight time. | We attached custom-made “flight recorders” to Andean condors, the world’s heaviest soaring birds ... condors flapped for only 1% of their flight time |
| Flapped for only 1% of flight time in a tracking study | condors flapped for only 1% of their flight time |
| The Andean condor (*Vultur gryphus*) is the world's heaviest soaring bird. | We deployed bio-logging devices on the world's heaviest soaring bird, the Andean condor ( Vultur gryphus ) |
| Researchers fitted eight young condors in Argentina with flight recorders that logged every wingbeat. | Eight immature condors (9.5 to 13.9 kg) were each equipped with an archival “Daily Diary” (DD) unit ... in Bariloche, Argentina |
| flight recorders that logged every wingbeat | We attached custom-made “flight recorders” to Andean condors, the world’s heaviest soaring birds, documenting every single wingbeat |
| Across more than 216 hours in the air, the condors flapped for only 1% of their flight time. | Our records of individual wingbeats in >216 h of flight show that condors can sustain soaring across a wide range of wind and thermal conditions, flapping for only 1% of their flight time. |
| One bird flew for more than 5 hours without flapping, covering about 172 km. | One bird even flew for >5 h without flapping, covering ∼172 km. |
| More than 75% of the flapping was linked to takeoffs. | Overall, > 75% of flapping flight was associated with takeoffs. |
| White storks flapped for 17% and ospreys for 25% of their over-land migratory flights, | white storks ( Ciconia ciconia , ∼3 kg) and ospreys ( Pandion haliaetus , ∼1.6 kg) flapping for 17% and 25% of their over-land migratory flights, respectively |
| against 1% for the condors in the study. | condors flapped for only 1% of their flight time |
| Lighter species appear to flap much more. | Lighter species appear to use flapping flight to a much greater extent than condors |
| The young condors in the tracking study weighed 9.5 to 13.9 kg. | Eight immature condors (9.5 to 13.9 kg) |
| About 172 km in one go. In a tracking study in Argentina, one young condor soared for more than 5 hours without flapping and covered that distance. | One bird even flew for >5 h without flapping, covering ∼172 km. |
| Tracked condors flapped for 1% of their flight time, and one soared for more than 5 hours without a single wingbeat. | We attached custom-made “flight recorders” to Andean condors, the world’s heaviest soaring birds ... condors flapped for only 1% of their flight time (note: vibe.reason; same source as the body claim) |
| Tracked condors flapped for 1% of their flight time, and one soared for more than 5 hours without a single wingbeat. | One bird even flew for >5 h without flapping, covering ∼172 km. (note: vibe.reason, second part) |

## Andean Condor. San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance.

https://animals.sandiegozoo.org/animals/andean-condor

| The page says | The source says |
| :--- | :--- |
| The high Andes of South America, most often seen in Peru, Chile and Argentina | These impressive birds live in the highest peaks of the Andes ... Today, Andean condors are most often seen in Peru, Chile, and Argentina |
| Carrion | Like all vultures, Andean condors are scavengers and eat carrion. |
| A condor uses warm air currents, called thermals, to gain altitude and soar. | They use warm air currents (called thermals) to help them gain altitude and soar through the sky. |
| By gliding from thermal to thermal, a condor may need to flap its wings only once every hour. | By gliding from thermal to thermal, a condor may need to flap its wings only once every hour. |
| A male weighs up to 33 pounds (15 kg) and a female up to 24 pounds (11 kg). | Weight: Females: up to 24 pounds (11 kilograms); Males: up to 33 pounds (15 kilograms) |
| A condor is up to 4.25 feet (1.3 m) long, and its wingspan reaches up to 10.5 feet (3.2 m) across. | Up to 4.25 feet (1.3 meters) long ... Wingspan: Up to 10.5 feet (3.2 meters) across |
| Condors mature at 6 to 8 years old, though limited food may delay it. | Maturity: 6 to 8 years old, though limited food may delay it |
| The San Diego Zoo gives their life span as the late 50s to late 60s. | LIFE SPAN
Late 50s to late 60s (note: Attributed to the zoo: the LIFE SPAN line gives no unit and no wild or zoo scope) |
| Youngsters are brown. | Juveniles have brown plumage and skin |
| Around six years old a condor molts (sheds) its brown feathers and grows black plumage with white secondary feathers and white neck ruffles. | Around six years old it molts the brown feathers of its youth and grows the black-and-white plumage of an adult. |
| white secondary feathers and white neck ruffles | As adults, both sexes have black plumage with white secondary feathers and white neck ruffles. |
| Males have a comb on top of the head and brown eyes, while females lack the comb and have red eyes. | Males are usually larger than females and have a distinctive comb on top of their head, as well as a large neck wattle and brown eyes. Females lack the comb and have red eyes. |
| Males keep the comb all their life. That makes the sex of a chick easy to tell as soon as it hatches. | Males keep the comb all their life, which makes it easy to tell the sex of an Andean condor chick as soon as it hatches. |
| Andean condors live in the highest peaks of the Andes. | These impressive birds live in the highest peaks of the Andes. |
| They nest in rocky crags and soar over open grasslands and lowland desert regions. | They nest in rocky crags and soar over open grasslands and lowland desert regions. |
| They once lived from the highlands of northern South America to the tip of Tierra del Fuego. | Andean condors historically lived in large numbers from the highlands of northern South America to the tip of Tierra del Fuego in the south. |
| Today they are most often seen in Peru, Chile and Argentina, | Today, Andean condors are most often seen in Peru, Chile, and Argentina |
| and they soar to heights of 18,000 feet (5,500 m). | Andean condors soar to heights of 18,000 feet (5,500 meters) |
| Like all vultures, condors are scavengers that eat carrion, meaning dead animals. | Like all vultures, Andean condors are scavengers and eat carrion. |
| A featherless head keeps them from getting too messy while buried in a carcass, and the curved beak helps them tear and rip their food. | Like most other vultures, condors have a featherless head. This keeps their head from getting too messy while buried in a carcass. They also have a curved beak—an adaptation that helps them tear and rip their food. |
| One condor can eat more than 15 pounds (6.8 kg) of meat at one time and may not be able to fly after such a large meal. | An Andean condor can consume more than 15 pounds (6.8 kilograms) of meat at one time and may not be able to fly after such a large meal. |
| Condors have no syrinx (similar to our larynx), so they cannot vocalize. They hiss, click and grunt instead. | Andean condors do not have a syrinx (similar to our larynx), so they cannot vocalize. Instead, they hiss, click, and grunt to communicate. |
| A female lays a single egg, which the parents take turns incubating for 50 to 60 days. | The female lays a single egg, which the parents take turns incubating. ... Incubation period: 50-60 days |
| Both parents care for the chick over about a year and a half, though it fledges (is ready to fly) at six months. | both parents care for it over the course of a year-and-a-half, well after the chick has fledged at six months |
| A pair lays one egg every other year, though a second may follow 4 to 6 weeks later if the first is lost. | Number of eggs: 1 every other year (but a second one may be laid 4 to 6 weeks later if the first one is lost) |
| The San Diego Zoo says condors are threatened over most of their range, mostly by people. | Andean condors are threatened over most of their range, mostly by people. |
| Poisoned livestock carcasses, set out to ward off mountain lions and foxes, harm condors too, and lead bullets, habitat loss and reduced food sources put them at risk. | lead ranchers to poison livestock carcasses to ward off mountain lions and foxes. However, the poisoned carcasses harm condors, too. The use of lead bullets for hunting ammunition, habitat loss, and reduced food sources also put condors at risk. |
| The San Diego Zoo gives up to 15 kg (33 pounds) for a male and up to 11 kg (24 pounds) for a female. | Weight: Females: up to 24 pounds (11 kilograms); Males: up to 33 pounds (15 kilograms) |
| The San Diego Zoo puts their life span at the late 50s to late 60s. Reaching adulthood takes 6 to 8 years, and may take longer when food is scarce. | LIFE SPAN
Late 50s to late 60s
Maturity: 6 to 8 years old, though limited food may delay it (note: The zoo's LIFE SPAN line gives no unit; the Maturity line beneath it is in years, and the page does not say whether the figure is for wild or zoo birds, so the sentence attributes it to the zoo) |
| Not really. A condor has no syrinx, so it cannot vocalize and communicates with hisses, clicks and grunts. | Andean condors do not have a syrinx (similar to our larynx), so they cannot vocalize. Instead, they hiss, click, and grunt to communicate. |