![]() ![]() Nearby Pamapas Galeras National Reserve offers additional opportunities to see condors. The Sondondo valley in Ayacucho is another roost site which offers good condor viewing and is a bit more off the traditional tourist route. From the car there is a hike of about 3 km to the best viewing areas. The Apurimac canyon near Chonta village provides a similar experience to Colca but much closer to Cusco (about 3 hours) and here the condor watching is best in the afternoons. There are many hotels, restaurants and local guides. A morning at the spectacular Cruz del Cóndor viewpoint gives fantastic eye-level views of condors against the backdrop on one of the world’s deepest and most spectacular canyons. The best places to watch condors in Peru include:Ĭolca Canyon is perhaps the most famous site for watching condors in the world. The Andean Condor is one of the slowest reproducing birds in the world and any increase in mortality will likely further diminish its population.Ĭonservation initiatives and particularly ecotourism are an important way to encourage local people to value and protect the remaining condors and visitors can contribute to the conservation of this spectacular bird. It is undoubtedly having an impact on an already depleted population that is also facing new threats such as high tension powerlines, further reductions in prey, competition for food with feral dogs, and poisoning. Despite its unclear and debated origins, the Yawar Fiesta is considered an important cultural tradition by some. The condor is also famed for its role in the controversial Yawar Fiesta (Blood Festival) where a condor is attached to the back of a bull which is then fought before the bull is recaptured and the condor released. Contemporary music and literature speak of it and it is even the lead character in a long-running syndicated cartoon. In modern times the Condor is the national bird of 5 Andean Countries and many places are named after it. It was revered as a sacred bird that represented the Hanan Pacha (the heavenly world) in the Andean mythology and is well represented in iconography in cultural sites from many different cultures including the Inca, Chachapoyas, Mochica and Nazca. The Condor is a very important bird in South American culture. ![]() In the last century the species was actively persecuted for its habit of eating eggs of the Guano birds on coastal islands and its range and population were both considerably reduced. Likewise, it is certain that it prospered following the arrival of the conquistadores with their cattle and horses, which acted as a replacement megafauna in the Andean highlands. As a species that specialises in consuming the remains of large mammals in open habitats, it undoubtedly declined after the arrival of humans in South America led to the extinction of the continent’s megafauna. Sadly, this once common bird is now quite local and a visit to a known roosting area is often the best way to ensure one sees it.įew birds have as complex a relationship with man as the Andean Condor. As one of the largest flying landbirds the Andean Condor is a magnificent sight and a must-see species for all birders visiting the Andes. ![]()
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