29 April: Condors

On this date in 1988, the first condor conceived in captivity was born at San Diego Wild Animal Park. 10 facts about condors:

1. Condors are part of the Vulture family, and there are two species: the Andean condor (Vultur gryphus) and the California condor (Gymnogyps californianus).

2. They are among the largest flying Birds. The Andean condor is the third heaviest after bustards and albatrosses. They have a wingspan of up 3.2 meters/10.5 feet.

3. Because they are so heavy, they prefer to live in windy areas so they can get a helping hand from air currents while aloft.

4. Unlike most birds of prey, females are smaller than males and their eyes are Red, while males have Brown eyes.

5. They mate for life and raise chicks together. They need to co-operate because they lay their eggs on the edge of a cliff rather than build a nest so have to divide the tasks of guarding the eggs and finding food. The incubation period is 54-58 days.

6. The chicks take 6-8 years to reach full maturity. Condors are long lived birds which can live up to 50 years in the wild. A condor in the Jardin d'Essai du Hamma in Algiers lived to be 100.

7. Their plumage is Black apart from a ring of White feathers on the neck. The birds keep these feathers clean. Their heads are virtually bald which is believed to be a hygiene adaptation. Since they can soar at up to 5,500 meters, the sun’s rays act as a sterilising agent.

8. The Andean condor is Chile’s national bird and is part of the country’s coat of arms. It features in mythology as representative of a sun deity and is a symbol of power and health.

9. There’s also a popular Chilean comic book character who is a condor. His name is Condorito and he’s been around since 1949.

10. The collective nouns for a bunch of condors is a condo or a scarcity.

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