According to abbreviationfinder.org, the duck condor is the world’s largest bird of prey and therefore the largest of its kind. The duck condor is impressive in sight as it quietly glides around on its large, motionless wings. It also looks great when it steers down towards its rock shelf and strikes its feet out, spreading its neck to brake and then quietly landing elegantly.
Facts about the duck condor
| Location: | South America |
| Life expectancy: | 40 years |
| Weight: | 11 to 15 kilos |
| Size: | Wing catcher of 3.2 meters, 1 meter high |
| Food: | Birds of prey, eat carrion and meat |
| Quantity: | Unknown |
| Fun fact: | The duck condor has immobile wings. This prevents it from moving its wings up and down. Instead of flying, it hovers. |
Characteristics
The duck condor is in the family with the vulture, which can be seen on its very bare head and neck. With its large wingspan of 3.20 meters, the duck condor is the world’s largest bird of prey. The male can weigh as much as 15 kilos, while the female with her weight of 11 kilos weighs less. The duck condor has a plumage, which is black with large white fields on the upper wings, while its bare skin at the head and neck has reddish, grayish and yellowish colors, which become even stronger with its breeding season. Around the neck of the duck condor, there is a distinct white ring of feathers. There is a big difference between the male and the female. The male has a large comb on the head and large necks, both of which are things the female lacks.
Food
The duck condor feeds mainly on dead animals, ie carrion. It can also eat sick, dying animals, and small animals such as goats and lambs. The duck condor eats different kinds of meat depending on where it comes from, whether depending on whether it is inland or off the coast. If it is off the coast, the duck condor can also eat dead whales and seals. Like vultures, the duck condor is also called nature’s garbage man, because it ensures that animals that have died for some reason quickly disappear.
Pregnancy
The duck condor is sexually mature after 7 to 11 years, after which it begins to build a nest. The nest is placed on a rock shelf or other area that is flat. The nest consists of scraped stones. The duck condor lays only 1 egg. This egg takes about 2 months to incubate. Once the baby has hatched, it takes six months before it can fly. Meanwhile, both mother and father feed the baby, which is something they do until the duck condor cub is 1 year old. Sometimes it can even take longer for the duck condor cub to adapt. Therefore, duck condors do not breed every year either, but therefore skip a year if the young cannot fend for themselves. The duck condor can also skip a breeding year if there is a shortage of food.
Herds
Duck condors as such are not herd animals, but that does not mean that they do not like to be in the company of other duck condors. For example, when duck condors need to sleep, it typically happens with other duck condors. It can therefore easily have other species close to it. Duck condors are also together when there are carrion. Here the condor is part of a hard system where it is the strongest that has the first right to food. Thus, a pick order exists among the condors. Although the duck condor is the world’s largest flying predator, not much is known about its way of life, it is not known whether it is endangered or not, or how many breeding pairs there are.
Family
The duck condor belongs to a family of birds called Vestgribbe. The vultures that come from Europe, Africa and Asia are called eastern vultures and they are in many ways similar to the western vultures. But despite the points of comparison, vultures and eastern vultures are not related to each other. They live in the same way, and are therefore similar to each other.
Travelers’ questions about the duck condor
Do duck condors communicate with each other?
Yes, but not much.
Like other vulture species in both North and South America, the duck condor does not use its voice much. The voice is mostly silent to duck condors, however, it can occasionally emit some asthmatic, coughing and grunting sounds. The duck condor uses its voice towards other species mates. This happens especially when there is a fight over a scavenger or in connection with the mating.
Some birds sing, and when they sing, they use an organ called the syrinx. Syrinx is an organ that sits down the throat at the bronchi. None of the vultures have this organ, not even the duck condor. This is why they can only emit strange sounds that are most reminiscent of a kind of cough.
Can the duck condor fly?
There has been some conflict or more wonder as to whether duck condors can fly or not. But this conflict existed many years ago, and it is known today that duck condors can fly.
That being said, the large, broad wings of the duck condor are not very good at flying actively with. This means that the wings work better for gliding. When gliding, the wings are kept very outstretched as on a glider and do not swing up and down. The way the duck condor flies up is by using thermals. Thermal is hot air that rises into the air. Thermal is especially used by the duck condor, so it does not have to use force to rise into the air. With the help of the thermals, it can just be led upwards. .
Does the duck condor live in the Andes?
Yes
Andean condors are widespread in the Andes in South America and hence the name. Andean condors can also be found at adjacent coastal areas, but these coastal areas are still close to the Andes Mountains.
