a : a very large American vulture (Vultur gryphus) of the high Andes having the head and neck bare and the plumage dull black with a downy white neck ruff and white patches on the wings —called also Andean condor
b : california condor
Origin of CONDOR
from Quechua kuntur
First Known Use: 1604
condor noun (Concise Encyclopedia)
Either of two species of large New World vultures. Two of the largest flying birds, each is about 4 ft (1.2 m) long. Both feed on dead animals. The Andean condor (Vultur gryphus), which ranges from the Pacific coast of South America to the high Andes Mountains, has slightly longer wings (10 ft [3 m]) and is black with a white ruff and bare pinkish head and neck. The California condor (Gymnogyps californianus) is nearly black, with white wing linings, a bare yellow head, and a red neck. It hovered on the brink of extinction in the 1980s, and every California condor was captured. Careful nurturing has since led to the release of more than 200 condors into the wild.
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