Andes Condor: habitat, photo

In South America, an amazing bird lives, which was nicknamed the "soul of the Andes" - the Andean condor. Its unusual silhouette and imposing dimensions led to the fact that some primordial inhabitants of the western part of the mainland deify this magnificent representative of the feathered world, while others fear it and consider meeting with him a bad sign. Under the raid will accept and superstitions a charming creature, which is on the verge of extinction, hides. Let's get acquainted with this rare sight.

Appearance

The Andean Condor is a representative of the family of vultures, which is huge in size. The wingspan of this bird is more than three meters, which is more than that of any other birds of prey. The color of feathers in the Andean condor is predominantly black with white tips. One of the most expressive features is a fluffy white collar around his neck. Males differ from females by the presence of peculiar leathery "earrings" on the upper part of the neck, and also by a large crest that rises majestically above their head. With his help, they can convey their mood by painting the surface of the comb in different colors. The lack of plumage on the head has a practical meaning as well - it allows the skin to be cleared more quickly under the action of sunlight.

The weight of an adult specimen of the Andean condor ranges from 7 to 15 kg, which makes it the largest predatory bird on the planet. Moreover, males are much larger than females. The length of their body varies from 110 to 140 cm. The structure of the claws of the Andean condor is such that it can not hunt live prey, and even more so to lift small animals into the air.

Habitat

The Andean condor, as its name implies, dwells in the Andean mountain range, which is in South America. Nests of this kind of condors are located on mountain peaks, where predators and other pests can not reach them. This is also a great help for take-off, because such a massive bird is not easy to get off the ground. In the southern regions, Andean condors are found even in a more or less flat terrain. Despite the fact that these huge birds prefer to equip their nests in the mountains, they need plains to search for food, as it is easier to spot dead animals on their surface.

Food

The diet of the Andean condor consists mainly of carrion, although they do not disdain the nestlings or eggs of some birds. In search of food, these tireless and sharp scavengers are able to cover about 200 km per day. The Andean Condor is a clever bird, he closely follows other lovers of falling, so that by their behavior they can understand where the prey is waiting for. But he does not take food from his smaller colleagues. In fact, crows and other, smaller American vultures, only benefit from the arrival of the Andean condor, because he is able to break the thick skin of an animal with his powerful beak. After that, weaker birds can easily get to the cherished treat.

It is interesting that sometimes the Andean condors are eaten so much that they can not even tear themselves away from the ground for some time. The result of this greed is the opportunity to dispense with food for the next few days. But this habit also has a significant drawback - local residents often watched the saturated condor and killed it, taking advantage of the fact that it can not fly. In general, the relationship of this amazing bird with people is quite difficult.

Human influence

Today it is almost impossible to see the Andean condor in a natural habitat. The only thing left to remember about them is a photo of birds and individuals kept in zoos. All this is due to the "care" of people who have diligently exterminated these representatives of the feathered world for the last century. Condor is a large bird, therefore it was easy to get into it from firearms, as a result of which this most useful species is on the verge of extinction.

But not only hunting reduced the number of Andean condors. Where the greater harm to them was caused by the destruction of the ecology, which the person carries with him. Due to negative changes in the habitat, the number of these majestic birds has decreased many times. But the Andean condor performed a very important function. If you do not eat the corpses of animals in time, they become the source of many diseases. Therefore, zoologists are trying their best to restore the population of the Andean condor, breeding it in captivity and resorting to many other tricks.

Reproduction

To reproduction, this version of the condor begins after reaching 5-6 years. Approximately at the beginning of spring, males begin to perform their mating dance before the females. If a lady impresses with a "show" of a male, they form a couple that will be together for the rest of their lives. The Andean Condor breeds rarely - once in 1-2 years. Therefore, it is so difficult to artificially increase their population. However, if the egg is lost, the female will try to tear down the new one. Then within 54-58 days, caring parents hang out the egg together, after which a small, helpless chick appears from it.

The baby is fed, belching slightly digested food into its hungry beak. Usually an easy life in young animals lasts up to 2 years, after which they have to leave their native nest. By this time, they are flying perfectly, as training for this difficult business begins at the age of six months. If condors form a large family, then a clear hierarchy is established in it.

Andean condors in captivity

One of the unexpected places where the Andean condor dwells is the Moscow zoo. As it turned out, these birds can safely live in captivity. Some individuals so well developed in the walls of the zoo that they lived there until the age of 70. The daily diet of the Andean condor in captivity is about 1.5 kg of meat, 200 g of fish and a couple of rats. Obviously, such a menu had to taste exotic guests. An example of this is the condor from a Moscow zoo named Kuzya. He was caught already an adult, but at the same time he lived in captivity for more than 60 years.

Since then, many condors that fell into the Moscow zoo received the nickname Kuzya. To date, in the walls of the zoo live two South American birds - male and female. Let's hope that they will leave offspring, increasing the population of Andean condors on Earth. Photos of birds, majestically located in their enclosures, are kept in memory in the archives of the zoo.

Will they survive?

Today, people have realized how important the Andean condor is for the ecosystem of our planet. Zoologists began to intensively restore the population of this useful bird, and hunting for it is being kept less and less. The legend of the Andean condors, which take away livestock and small children in their paws, is debunked, and their benefits became evident. Who knows what would have happened if people had realized a couple of years later. Perhaps, then, we would be able to see the Andean condor only in photographs. To date, this species is on the verge of extinction, but it has a future. Let's hope that our descendants will live in a world in which the Andean condor will take its well-deserved place.