This is another species I have wanted to see since watching the BBC series “Flight of the Condor” way back in 1982. Their size is absolutely amazing with a 3m wingspan (10 feet 10 inches is the biggest recorded), yet they don’t look that big in flight against the backdrop of the Andes. In springtime they move out of the mountains to feed on dead lambs and October is spring in the southern hemisphere. This is a female, identifiable by the lack of horny plate (known as a caruncle) on the bill. They feed mainly by scavenging as their talons are quite weak compared with eagles, so they are not equipped to catch live prey. They are also one of the longest lived birds, sometimes exceeding 70 years. I photographed this one in Torres del Paine in Chile.
Taken with Nikon D500 Nikkor 300mm f4 lens with 1.4 converter f5.6 1/1250 ISO 320
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