All Andean condors also have bald heads. Males, however, have dark eyes, while females have bright red eyes.
Josh and I have both seen Andean condors flying high above the volunteer house at Up Close Bolivia. Watching them soar above us like this, we were both in awe of the sheer size of and grace of these birds. I have to admit, however, that when we saw the Andean condors up close at the animal sanctuary in Mallasa, I was a bit scared of them—especially the females with their piercing red eyes. At the animal sanctuary, we were also able to watch some of them eat. Seeing them use their talons to tear into huge chunks of raw meat was a little bit too graphic for me!
As the name suggests, Andean condors inhabit the Andean mountains of South America. They can also be found inhabiting the highland plains, deserts and coastal regions of Colombia, Bolivia, Ecuador, Chile, Argentina, Peru and occasionally Venezuela. What’s more, Andean condors have been founding living at elevations up to 18,000 feet above sea level!
Andean condors are carnivorous animals, so they prefer to inhabit areas with plenty of wide-open spaces, where scavenging for food is easier. Although Andean condors are primarily scavengers, they do occasionally hunt for smaller types of prey, such as rabbits, marmots and birds. Andean condors have also been known to feast on dead llamas, alpacas, armadillos, sheep, wild boars, foxes and deer. Along the coasts, Andean condors eat dead marine animals as well, like seals and fish.
Andean condors often make their nests on cliff faces, rock ledges or inside of caves.
