Last week, I traveled to the city of Arequipa in southern Perú to visit my grandmother in her hometown. During my visit to the area, I also had the opportunity to visit one of Peru’s most famous natural landmarks: the Colca Canyon.
The Colca is one of the deepest canyons in the world, and its scenery alone makes it worth a visit. However, what attracts many visitors to the area is not the canyon itself, but a very special bird that makes its home there: the Andean condor. Due to their large size and impressive appearance, Andean condors have been admired in Perú since ancient times––in fact, archeologists have found drawings and sculptures of condors created by native Peruvian cultures that date back thousands of years.
Andean condors are giant vulture-like birds with a black body, white feathered collar and bald head. Male condors have a small crest on their head like a chicken, while females do not. Young condors are a brown color, becoming black when they reach adulthood.
When an Andean condor is fully grown, it can be huge, with a wingspan of up to 10 feet! In addition to having one of the largest wingspans of any bird, condors are the heaviest flying birds in the world, weighing up to 30 pounds.
