A Condor above the Patagonian ice-fields
A sighting of a Condor, on any trip with any group, stops everyone dead. The Incas used the Condor as the symbol of the upper world or the spiritual plane and it is easy to see why, there is something inherently mystical about the way they seem to effortlessly glide through sky. Whenever one is sighted there is silence while people take in the beauty and elegance of the bird; there is then always moment, as the magnificent bird goes out of sight, when people pause and really reflect on the scenery they are riding or hiking through.
The Condor is huge, with a 10 ft / 3m wingspan, though it is less awe-inspiring closer up. It is a carrion bird of the vulture family and, like many of its smaller cousins, it has a bald head so it can get stuck into those rotting carcasses without worrying about getting its feathers sticky with blood and gore. Due to their size they tend to live in the mountains where they can ride the air currents – in the ‘Voyage of the Beagle’ Darwin commented on having watched one for half an hour without once observing a flap of their wings – however they are also seen along the coasts where they are kept aloft by the ocean breezes and feed on the unfortunate whales who beach themselves.
Today the Andean Condor is on the endangered list though, thanks in a large part to conservation efforts, they are on the rise and it is still possibly to see them soaring round the mountains.
Less pretty closer up
