Editing Condor (section)

==Description==
{{Further|Andean condor#Description|California condor#Description}}
Condors are very large, broad-winged soaring [[Bird|birds]], the Andean condor being {{Convert|3|in|cm|1|abbr=off}} to {{Convert|6|in|cm|1|abbr=off}} shorter (beak to tail) on average than the northern species, but heavier and larger in wingspan.<ref name=":0">{{Citation |last=Bildstein |first=Keith L. |chapter=2 Species Descriptions and Life Histories |title=Vultures of the World |date=2022-03-15 |url=https://www.degruyter.com/document/doi/10.1515/9781501765025-004/html |pages=20–97 |access-date=2023-05-22 |publisher=Cornell University Press |language=en |doi=10.1515/9781501765025-004 |isbn=978-1-5017-6502-5}}</ref> The Andean condor has a wingspan of {{convert|2.7|-|3.1|m|ftin|frac=2|abbr=off}}<ref name="Ferguson-Lees">{{cite book |last=Ferguson-Lees |first=James |title=Raptors of the World |author2=Christie, David A. |publisher=Houghton Mifflin |year=2001 |isbn=0-618-12762-3 |location=Boston}}</ref> and even up to about {{Convert|3.20|m|ftin}} and a weight of 8–15 kg,<ref name=":0" /> with males ranging from to {{convert|11|to|15|kg|lb|0|abbr=on}} and females {{convert|7.5|to|11|kg|lb|0|abbr=on}}.<ref name="Patagonia">{{cite book |last=Lutz |first=Dick |url=https://archive.org/details/patagonia00rich |title=Patagonia: At the Bottom of the World |author2=Lutz, Richard L. |publisher=DIMI Press |year=2002 |isbn=0-931625-38-6 |pages=[https://archive.org/details/patagonia00rich/page/71 71]–74 |url-access=registration}}</ref> Meanwhile the California condor has a weight of 8–14 kg and wingspan of about 109 inches, or 2.77 meters.<ref name=":0" /> California condors are North America's largest flying land birds.<ref name=":0" /> Among all living flying birds, the Andean condor is the third heaviest after the [[Kori bustard]] and [[great bustard]] (up to {{Convert|21|kg|lb|disp=or|abbr=on}}), and second only to the [[wandering albatross]] (up to {{Convert|3.5|m|ftin|abbr=on|disp=or}}) in wingspan.<ref name="Robertson">{{cite encyclopedia |last=Robertson |first=C. J. R.|editor1-first=Michael |editor1-last= Hutchins|encyclopedia=Grzimek's Animal Life Encyclopedia |title=Albatrosses (Diomedeidae) |edition=2 |year=2003 |publisher=Gale Group|volume=8 Birds I Tinamous and Ratites to Hoatzins |location=Farmington Hills, MI|isbn=0-7876-5784-0 |pages=113–116, 118–119}}</ref><ref name="Dunn">{{cite book |last1=Dunn |first1=Jon L. |last2=Alderfer |first2=Jonathon |editor1-first=Barbara |editor1-last=Levitt |title=National Geographic Field Guide to the Birds of North America|edition= fifth|year=2006 |publisher=National Geographic Society |location=Washington D.C. |isbn=978-0-7922-5314-3|page=467 |chapter=Accidentals, Extinct Species }}</ref> Measurements are usually taken from specimens reared in captivity.<ref name="Ferguson-Lees" />

[[File:Colca-condor-c09.jpg|thumb|Andean condor (''Vultur gryphus'')|214x214px]]

The adult [[plumage]] is uniformly black, except for a frill of white feathers nearly surrounding the base of the neck, which are meticulously kept clean by the bird. As an adaptation for hygiene, the condor's head and neck have few feathers, which exposes the skin to the sterilizing effects of dehydration and solar ultraviolet light at high altitudes. The head is much flattened above. In the male, it is crowned with a caruncle or comb, while the skin of the neck lies in folds, forming a wattle. The head and neck skin can flush noticeably in response to the emotional state and transmitted between individuals.<ref name="Ferguson-Lees"/> In Andean condors, specifically males, there is typically an extra group of skin,{{clarify|date=December 2024}} much like that of a turkey. Alternatively, Andean condors often have a white feather collar at the base of their head. Most California condors are without an extra plumage and display a longer neck than that of the Andean.

[[File:Condor flying over the Colca canyon in Peru.jpg|thumb|right|Andean condor soaring over southern [[Peru]]'s [[Colca Canyon]]|210x210px]]
[[File:California-condor.jpg|thumb|right|Immature California condor|210x210px]]

The middle toe is greatly elongated, the hind one is slightly developed, and the nails of all the toes are comparatively straight and blunt. The feet are thus more adapted to walking (as in their closely related storks) and of little use as weapons or organs of prehension (as in birds of prey and Old World vultures). Contrary to the usual rule among [[Bird of prey|birds of prey]], the female is smaller than the male.<ref name="Ferguson-Lees"/>

California condors' skin on the neck varies in color, depending on the age of the birds. During the breeding season, adult birds' skin color can be cream, pink, yellow, or orange.<ref name="Ferguson-Lees"/> Most commonly, Andean tend to utilize white or black skin tones, while the California condor leans towards pink.