Majestic predator: the bird of condor

The condor bird is one of the largest flying birds on the planet. It is a predator belonging to the family of vultures. Among the condors distinguish 2 species, depending on the habitat - Andean (living on the ridges of the Andes) and Californian (common in a small area in California). Representatives of both species have a strong constitution, a powerful hook-shaped beak, wide sweeping wings and a bare neck. It is on this neck of red color and you can distinguish condor from other birds of prey.

Plumage in adult individuals of black color, but the Andoran condor bird is distinguished by the presence of white covering feathers. The size of adults is really impressive. If the body length reaches 1 meter, then the wingspan is up to 3 meters! The floating condor in the height of the bird horrifies not only the animals, but also the people. There have long been legends about what a female can drag into a nest of a child and even master an adult. But this is just a myth. Condor - the bird is not aggressive, but quite peaceful, it does not fight with relatives because of the prey. He feeds on carrion: small domestic animals, deer, mountain goats. But finding food is not so easy in the mountains.

Condor is a bird (photo on the left), which can hover for hours, looking out for its prey. And, if you're lucky, gorges on "in reserve," because it's not known when the next meal will be. This method allows you to stay without food for several days. But, having eaten up to a dump, the heavy condors sometimes can not fly.

Because of the structure of their body and the significant weight of the condors prefer to sit on the branches of trees or on the ledges of rocks. For the flight, they need streams of warm air, raising the bird from the ground. For the same reason, the condor bird does not use frequent flaps of wings during the flight. It is much easier to soar with air wings spread out on the air, planning on air currents.

Season of mating is in September - October. A monogamous pair is formed, which does not disintegrate until the end of life. Among the rivals for the right to possess a lady, a serious struggle is fomenting. The males face the neck, and the strongest have the right to count on the favor of the female. After mating, there is only one egg in the nest.

Careful parents do not depart from it, replacing each other, on average 55 days. After the birth of a chick for a long time remains helpless. Parents feed it, regurgitating semi-digested meat. The first timid independent flight occurs in 6 months, and a full-grown and becoming on the wing occurs in 1 year. Approximately to 5-6 years, condors reach puberty and create married couples.

Nature is defined so that in a natural environment, condors have virtually no enemies. Hence the amazing longitude 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 species is on the verge of extinction. Due to the shooting of birds that took place in colonial America, most of the California condor population was destroyed . People believed that predators exterminate livestock, but, as it turned out, this is just a prejudice. In the modern world, only the conservation of birds in the reserves helps prevent their complete disappearance from the face of the earth.