Andean condors live high in the Andes mountains. Among birds of prey, this condor has the longest wingspan. Its wings stretch up to about 3.2 meters (10.5 feet) from tip to tip. Its body is about 1.3 meters (4 feet) long at most. A male weighs up to about 15 kilograms. A female weighs less.

A condor soars on rising air. It can glide a long way without using much energy. Scientists put recorders on wild condors. They found that the birds flap their wings only about 1 percent of the time they are in the air.

A condor uses its sharp eyesight to find food from high in the sky. It mostly eats the dead bodies of large animals, such as deer, cows and sheep. Condors help keep nature clean this way. It cuts down the spread of disease.

A condor does not have feathers on its head. This helps keep it clean while it eats. Male and female condors are not the same size. Males are larger than females. A male has a comb on top of his head.

Condors do not build nests, and the female lays one egg. The parents keep the egg warm for about two months before the chick hatches. A pair usually raises just one chick every other year. A wild condor can live about 50 years.

Words to know

• wingspan: wing size
• soars: glides high
• recorders: tracking tools
• disease: sickness