Andean Condor: a two-minute wildlife lesson

Hawks and Falcons · day 6 of 7

Five facts

1. Charles Darwin once watched Andean condors for half an hour and never saw them beat their wings once. He wrote about it in The Voyage of the Beagle.
2. Tiny recorders fitted to Andean condors showed they beat their wings for only about 1% of their flying time.
3. Wild condors need huge territories. They often fly over 200 km in one day looking for dead animals to eat.
4. Condors may go a few days without food, then feast so much that sometimes they cannot take off.
5. To impress a female, a male condor puffs up his bare neck, and its skin turns from dull red to bright yellow.

The quiz

1. How long did Darwin watch condors without seeing a wing flap?

• Five minutes
• Two hours
• A full day
• Half an hour (correct)

Darwin watched condors for half an hour without seeing a single wingbeat.

2. What share of flight time does a condor flap its wings?

• 1% (correct)
• 25%
• 50%
• 90%

Flight recorders showed condors beat their wings only about 1% of their flying time.

3. How far do wild condors often travel in a day?

• About 5 km
• Around 20 km
• More than 200 km (correct)
• Exactly 1,000 km

Wild condors often fly over 200 km a day looking for food.

4. What can happen after a condor gorges itself?

• It sleeps for a week
• It may be unable to lift off (correct)
• It flaps nonstop
• It flies straight to its nest

After days without food, a condor may eat so much that it cannot take off.

5. What colour does a courting male's neck skin turn?

• Bright yellow (correct)
• Bright blue
• Pure white
• Deep purple

During courtship the male's neck skin swells and turns from dull red to bright yellow.

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