12/15/2023 0 Comments Civilization v backgroundsHacienda Zuleta is a huge, gorgeous, working/guest ranch, the former home of a former President of Ecuador and extremely expensive (prices quoted are per person, but hey, all meals and activities are included). They may also suffer from lead poisoning, as California condors do, after eating carrion that has lead shot in it (or being shot). Consequently farmers sometimes shoot or poison them. They primarily eat carrion, but farmers claim they take newborn lambs or calves sometimes and I (Pat) tend to believe that this may be true since I once saw a California condor ( Gymnogyps californianus) attacking a live California sea lion ( Zalophus californianus) pup. They are the only visibly sexually dimorphic vulture. Like many carrion feeding birds, their heads are mostly bare skin (some small bristles only), presumably for cleanliness. Males have a comb and brown eyes, while females lack the comb, and have red eyes. They have a 10+ foot (3 meter) wingspan and weigh 17-33 pounds (7-15 kg.). One telemetered condor flew more than 100 miles in 5 hours without flapping. Condors spend only about 1% of their flight time flapping, most often during takeoff. The Incas believed the condor was a messenger to the gods. They do not breed until about 7-8 years old and only have a single chick every other year. They are considered endangered in northern South America and threatened in the rest of their range. There are only ~100 Andean Condors in Ecuador and about 6,700 in all of South America, but it is the national bird of four South American countries including Ecuador, and is prominent on the Ecuadorian flag. It has taken decades ,but they have recently had some small breeding successes. One of the places we visited was Hacienda Zuleta, northeast of Quito, where they have an Andean Condor ( Vultur gryphus) facility for rehabilitating and attempting to breed non-releasable condors in captivity (about 7 permanent residents). In November 2004, after visiting the Galapagos, we stayed in Ecuador for another few days. The photos were sent in by Patricia and Guy Morris, whose words are indented. Wikipedia adds that it can weigh up to 15 kg, or 33 pounds. Today’s photos are of Andean condors ( Vultur gryphus), which, with a wingspan of 3.3 meters (10.8 feet) is the largest bird of prey in the world and probably the largest bird in the world. Today’s probably a day off for Americans, so think about sending me some wildlife photos.
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