condor

/ˌkɑnˈdɔər/

/ˈkɒndɔ/

Other forms: condors

A condor is a vulture with a huge wingspan. The California condor has been reintroduced after being declared extinct in the wild in 1987.

There are two species of condor, the Andean condor and the California condor. Both are enormous vultures that feed on carrion. Since a captive breeding program and conservation efforts allowed their return to the wild, there are about 500 California condors living today. It's the largest land bird in North America, with a wingspan of up to nearly ten feet. The word condor is derived from the Quechua word for the bird, kuntur.

Definitions of condor

1. noun

   the largest flying bird in the western hemisphere
   types:

   Andean condor, Vultur gryphus

   large vulture of the high Andes having black plumage and white neck ruff

   California condor, Gymnogyps californianus

   North American condor; chiefly dull black; almost extinct

   type of:

   New World vulture, cathartid

   large birds of prey superficially similar to Old World vultures