On wing, the movements of the condor are remarkably graceful as it wheels in majestic circles. It soars with its wings held horizontally and its primary feathers bent upwards at the tips. The lack of a large sternum to anchor its correspondingly large flight muscles physiologically identifies it as primarily being a soarer. It flaps its wings on rising from the ground, but after attaining a moderate elevation it flaps its wings very rarely, relying on thermals to stay aloft. Charles Darwin commented on having watched them for half an hour without once observing a flap of their wings. It prefers to roost on high places from which it can launch without major wing-flapping effort. Andean Condors are often seen soaring near rock cliffs, using the heat thermals to aid them in rising in the air.
Like other New World Vultures, the Andean Condor has the unusual habit of urohydrosis: its cloaca empties onto its legs to cool them by evaporation. Because of this habit, their legs are often streaked with a white buildup of uric acid.[wikip.]
15 Comments
ThrobbinI love big birds. Nature rocks.
ForgedRealitysays...Why the fuck are we still eating TURKEYS for Thanksgiving??? I bet these things would be fucking DELICIOUS!
schmawyMmmm. That carrion flesh flavor. 25 pounds of it .
>> ^ForgedReality:
Why the fuck are we still eating TURKEYS for Thanksgiving??? I bet these things would be fucking DELICIOUS!
cybrbeastLargest bird is debatable:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andean_Condor
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wandering_Albatross
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kori_Bustard
schmawy^Good one, Cyberbeast. The albatross probably has the condor on wingspan, but not weight or
length,(lengths appears to be about the same), the African Cori Bustard certainly has it on weight, but avoids flying whenever possible apparently, it's more akin to a flying ostrich I think. Excellent fact checking, my amigo .
cybrbeastOn a related note, the biggest bird that ever flew was Argentavis magnificens, an ancestor of the Giant Condor. Impressive picture of replica here.
>> Discovered decades ago and formally described in 1980, Argentavis magnificens is the largest bird known. It lived six million years ago during the Miocene period throughout Argentina. It is nearly the size of a Cessna 152 light aircraft, with a 23-foot (7-meter) wing span and weighing approximately 150-pounds (70-kilograms).
It would have been impossible to take off from a standing start. The bird probably used some of the same techniques used by modern-day hang-glider pilots such as running on sloping ground to get thrust or energy, or running with a headwind.
But once it was on a thermal, it could easily rise up a mile or two without any flapping of its wings -- a free ride, just circling. Then at the top, the bird could simply glide to the next thermal and in this way it could certainly travel 200 miles a day -ScienceBlogs excerpts
edit: And the biggest creature that ever flew was a Quetzalcoatlus.
>>A pterodactyloid pterosaur. More recent estimates based on greater knowledge of azhdarchid proportions place its wingspan at 10-11 meters (33-36 ft). However, similar claims to an upper size limit for flight accompanied the discovery of large (up to 9 m (30 ft)) Pteranodon, and azhdarchids larger than Quetzalcoatlus with wingspans 12 meters or more (such as Hatzegopteryx) have been discovered.
A 2002 study suggested a body mass of 90–120 kilograms (200–260 lb) for Quetzalcoatlus, considerably lower than most other recent estimates.[7] Higher estimates tend toward 200–250 kilograms (440–550 lb). -wiki excerpts
schmawyIn reply to this comment by cybrbeast:
On a related note, the biggest bird that ever flew was Argentavis magnificens, an ancestor of the Giant Condor. Impressive picture of replica here.
^Holy Crap!
...It would have been impossible to take off from a standing start. The bird probably used some of the same techniques used by modern-day hang-glider pilots such as running on sloping ground to get thrust or energy, or running with a headwind.
Is it possible that the atmosphere was more dense six million years ago?
Here's an illustration of Argentavis magnificens .
http://img.sci-lib.com/2009/06/19/b_278_1.jpg
cybrbeast^ I guess it is possible. It is confirmed that oxygen concentrations have varied, and were higher in the past, this might have given the animal better performance.
However I think the theory of the bird lifting off like a hang glider quite plausible and elegant. If you see the ease at which hang gliders can take off on the right slope and thermal, it's not that hard to imagine an evolved animal being far superior in take off from slopes.
kronosposeidon*promote
('El Cóndor Pasa', via the Cap'n)
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garmachiI had the good fortune of seeing one of these a couple of years ago in the Andes. Glorious! It was so far away, and yet so huge... I'll never forget it!
TymbrwulfThe Andean Condor: You cannot ignore it's impressive bulk.
schmawyOh, and Llama, if you're out there, you might want to avert your eyes.
cricket*dead
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