Portrait of a Male Andean Condor, Peru
by Venetia Featherstone-Witty
Title
Portrait of a Male Andean Condor, Peru
Artist
Venetia Featherstone-Witty
Medium
Photograph - Photographs
Description
The Andean condor (Vultur gryphus) is a South American bird in the New World vulture family Cathartidae and is the only member of the genus Vultur. Found in the Andes mountains and adjacent Pacific coasts of western South America, the Andean condor is the largest flying bird in the world by combined measurement of weight and wingspan. It has a maximum wingspan of 3.3 m (10 ft 10 in)[2] exceeded only by the wingspans of four seabirds and water birds—the roughly 3.5 m (11 ft 6 in) maximum of the wandering albatross, southern royal albatross, great white pelican and Dalmatian pelican.
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 or caruncle on the crown of the head. Unlike most birds of prey, the male is larger than the female.
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 nests at elevations of up to 5,000 m (16,000 ft), 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 Argentina, 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 near threatened by the IUCN. It is threatened by habitat loss and by secondary poisoning from carcasses killed by hunters. Captive breeding programs have been instituted in several countries.
FEATURED 6/20/18 in "Images That Excite You"
FEATURED 6/20/18 in "FAA Portraits - Birds"
FEATURED 6/19/18 in "Animals"
FEATURED 6/20/18 in "Macro Marvels"
FEATURED 6/20/18 in "Animal Photographs"
FEATURED 6/20/18 in "Wild Birds of the World"
FEATURED 6/24/18 in "FAA Portrait Gallery"
FEATURED 6/26/18 in "Pin Me Daily"
FEATURED 6/26/18 in "Wildlife One A Day"
FEATURED 7/4/18 in "Out Of The Ordinary"
FEATURED 7/23/18 in "New FAA Uploads"
FEATURED 9/22/21 in "Poetic Poultry"
Uploaded
June 19th, 2018
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Comments (5)
William Tasker
Your beautiful and identified bird image has been featured by Wild Birds Of The World, a nature photography group. L/F
Venetia Featherstone-Witty replied:
Thank you William for the feature in "Wild Birds of the World" and for the L/F :)