Rotköpfiger Neuweltgeier der Hochgebirge S-Amerikas; 1,60 m lang, mit über 3 m Flügelspannweite. Vom gleich großen Kaliforn. K. leben noch einige Exemplare in einem Schutzgebiet bei Los Angeles.
Large bird, a New World vulture Vultur gryphus, with wingspan up to 3 m/10 ft, weight up to 13 kg/28 lb, and length up to 1.2 m/3.8 ft. It is black, with some white on the wings and a white frill at the base of the neck. It lives in the Andes and along the South American coast, and feeds on carrion. The Californian condor Gymnogyps californianus is a similar bird, on the verge of extinction.
The Californian condor lays only one egg at a time and may not breed every year. Only 89 Californian condors remained 1994, of which only four of were in the wild. It is the subject of a special conservation effort.