Tracking program records condor flights: 400 kilometers in two days

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During 2024, flight patterns of condors at high altitudes covering extensive distances were detected and recorded. These condors were released and monitored using a satellite detection system.

The data was collected last year by the Manku Project, in collaboration with the Cortés Solari Philanthropy, Rewilding Chile, and AvesChile.

Monitoring and release of condors

Eduardo Pavez, director of the initiative, mentioned that 20 condors have been released since 2019, and 14 of them have been equipped with satellite transmitters. Eight individuals have been released in Central Chile and six in Patagonia. Based on the received information, usage patterns of the space by these birds have been determined.

Pavez revealed that on February 27, 2024, an eight-year-old condor – identified by the tag “C 37” – which had been released in December 2021 in the Likandes Reserve, flew over the El Yeso glacier on the Mesón Alto hill, in the Maipo Canyon, a mountain of 5,260 meters. This is the record showing the highest altitude reached this year by all individuals with transmitters.

Simultaneously, another condor born at the Raptor Rehabilitation Center in Talagante, which had no flight experience when released into the wild in December 2021 in the same reserve, currently exhibits great mobility.

For instance, in early December of last year, C36 flew 400 km in two days, from the Metropolitan Region to the Biobío Region. The route even took it deep into Argentine territory in the Neuquén Province.

Movements and adaptation

Likewise, Liquiñe, a female condor released in the Patagonia National Park in 2022, in the Aysén Region, and now four years old, focused most of her movements in 2024 about 100 km east of the border, in Argentina, in the Río Pinturas canyon, home to the famous Cueva de las Manos.

“Condors are extremely efficient birds in traveling long distances. They achieve this thanks to their unparalleled gliding ability, with minimal energy consumption,” commented Eduardo Pavez. He detailed that they can travel hundreds of kilometers without even flapping their wings, taking advantage of the wind currents rising on the mountain slopes.

The expert pointed out that these released individuals had been recovered after suffering injuries or being born in captivity.

“The flight patterns of condors at high altitude covering large distances speak of their adequate adaptation to the environment and good health. This fills us with satisfaction because it indicates that, as the Manku Project, along with many people and institutions that have collaborated in the management of each condor, we have done a good job,” Pavez concluded.

The information was obtained from their transmitters, whose batteries are recharged thanks to having a small solar panel on top, giving them a long lifespan. The oldest transmitter has been operational for five years.

How long do condors live?

They can live over 50 years in the wild and up to 80 in captivity. They measure around 142 cm in height and reach a wingspan of 330 cm. Their distribution range narrows through the Andes from northern Colombia to the southern tip of Chilean and Argentine Patagonia, passing through Peru, Ecuador, and Bolivia.

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