Condor bird is one of the largest flying birds on the planet. It is a predator belonging to the vulture family. Among condors, 2 species are distinguished, depending on the habitat - Andean (living on the Andes ridges) and California (common on a small site in California). Representatives of both species have a strong physique, a powerful hook-shaped beak, wide spreading wings and a bare neck. It is on this neck of red that you can distinguish the condor from other birds of prey.
The plumage in adults is black, but the Andean condor is distinguished by the presence of white covering feathers. The sizes of adults are really impressive. If the body length reaches 1 meter, then the wingspan is up to 3 meters! A Condor bird soaring in height terrifies not only animals, but also people. There have long been legends that a female can drag a child into a nest and even overpower an adult. But this is just a myth. Condor is not an aggressive bird, but quite peaceful, it does not fight with relatives because of prey. It feeds on carrion: small livestock, deer, mountain goats. But finding food is not so easy in the mountains.
Condor is a bird (photo on the left), which can soar for hours looking for its prey. And, if you are lucky, you are full “in reserve”, because it is not known when the next meal will be. This method allows you to survive without food for several days. But, having fed up to the dump, heavy condors sometimes can not fly up.
Because of their body structure and substantial weight, condors prefer to sit on tree branches or on ledges of rocks. To fly, they need jets of warm air to lift the bird from the ground. For the same reason, the condor bird does not use frequent flapping of wings during flight. It is much easier to soar with wings spread in the air, planning on air currents.
The mating season falls on September - October. A monogamous pair is formed, which does not break up until the end of life. Among rivals for the right to possess a lady, a serious struggle flares up. Males collide with their necks, and the strongest one has the right to count on the favor of the female. After mating, only one egg is found in the nest.
Caring parents do not leave him, replacing each other, on average 55 days. After the birth of the chick for a long time remains helpless. Parents feed him, burping semi-digested meat. The first timid independent flight takes place at 6 months, and full maturity and wing formation takes place at 1 year. By about 5-6 years old, condors reach puberty and create couples.
It is determined by nature that in the natural environment condors have practically no enemies. Hence the long life that is amazing for birds - up to 80 years in captivity and 50-60 in nature. But, despite this fact, the number of condors on the planet is scanty. This view is on the verge of extinction. Due to the shooting of birds in Colonial America, most of the California Condor population was destroyed . People believed that predators exterminated livestock, but as it turned out, this was only a prejudice. In the modern world, only the conservation of birds in nature reserves helps to prevent their complete disappearance from the face of the Earth.