the.com/condor
the gliding undertaker that rides air for hours without flapping a wing
means A very large New World vulture of the Andes or California, known for its enormous wingspan and effortless soaring on high mountain air currents.
from From Spanish 'cóndor', which the conquistadors borrowed straight from Quechua 'kuntur', the Inca name for the great Andean bird — a word that flew, like the bird itself, out of the high Andes and into the languages of the world.
- wingspan
- Up to ten feet, widest in North America
- near death
- Down to 27 birds in 1987, all captured
- bald head
- Featherless skull stays clean in rotting carcasses
- long life
- Can live over 60 years in wild
- thermal surfer
- Soars to 15,000 feet hunting for the dead
andean condor — world's largest flying bird with 10-foot wingspan, native to south american andes mountains
california condor — critically endangered north american vulture with only 500 individuals, mostly in california and arizona
operation condor — 1970s-80s coordinated campaign of political repression by south american military dictatorships