The Andean Condor is considered to be the largest bird of prey in the world! Put that in your pipe and smoke it! They have a wingspan of up to 10 feet! They face many of the same challenges as the California Condor but are definitely a bit better off with a world population of about 10k individuals. Andean Condors breed in the mountains sometimes as far up as 16,000 feet and then will forage sometimes at sea level near the coast which is where I saw them in the Beagle Channel between Argentina and Chile. We had them at quite a distance but considering the backdrop it was almost the best way to see them. The adult males have a dull red neck and face skin that can flush to a bright yellow when they are competing with other birds at a carcass or when they are displaying for mating.
An Andean Condor soaring in the thermals in its natural habitat.
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