The condor, the most fearsome bird of prey, is able to reproduce without mating
Interesting facts and information about the soaring eagle, or the condor eagle, which is considered one of the most terrifying and powerful birds of prey.
The condor or eagle is a huge bird and is considered one of the largest birds capable of flying high. This bird, with both types, lives in the mountains in the Americas.
The name condor is given to two types of New World vultures, but they belong to two different genera. They are the largest flying land birds in the Western Hemisphere. These two types are:
• The Andean Condor lives in the Andeso Mountains, and the weight of the birds ranges from 11 to 15 kilograms.
The condor, the eagle, the fahah
The Andean Condor eagle occupies first place as the largest bird that can fly in the world. It is included in the list of birds of prey, but its characteristics qualify it to have a list of its own. It is one of the largest birds in the world in size and age. It prefers to fly in stormy places, as comfort in flight does not suit it, and its claws are considered the strongest. It can carry its prey and fly with it at great heights and long distances. It belongs to the vulture family, but its distinction makes it an “Andean condor.”
• The California condor is currently found only in the western coastal mountains of the United States of America and Mexico. The weight of adult birds ranges from 7 to 14.1 kilograms.
Condors belong to the New World vulture family, while 16 species of Old World vultures belong to the eagle family, which includes eagles, goshawks, and kites. New World and Old World vultures evolved from different ancestors, but they all equally eat carrion and corpses and are distinguished by their heads. Bare of feathers.
Fossils from the Ice Age have been found across North America including New York and Florida, leading scientists to believe that the ancestral California condor lived on the west coast of North America as well as all the way to the east coast.
Some scientists believe that there are ancient ancestors of the condor. The Argentine eagle from South America may be the largest flying bird of all time, as the length of its wings reached about 7 meters.
The Andean condor is one of the largest species of birds in the world. It inhabits South America and is therefore called the “American Condor.” But it prefers to settle in the Andes Mountains, so the place is associated with its name. Its size also places it on the list of giant birds, as its length ranges from 100 to 130 centimeters and its wingspan reaches To more than 3 meters, it is therefore preferable to fly in windy places.
This is not all that characterizes this rare and endangered eagle. Although it joins the long-lived birds, with an average lifespan between 50 and 70 years, the female only lays one egg every two years and continues to incubate it for a long period of approximately 58 days. Among the rarest birds.
In continuation of its exceptionalism and its combination of many contradictions, despite its relatively large weight, which ranges from 7 to 15 kilograms, it can fly long distances and at high altitudes of up to 5 thousand meters, and this is helped by the enormous size of its wings.
This bird has black feathers that cover its entire body, and white feathers adorn the neck area. As for its head, it is bald and not covered by any feathers. Its claws are the strongest, which enables it to carry its prey and fly with it at great heights and for a long distance without it falling. It also has a large, strong beak that is bent downward to help it. It can easily cut its prey from dead animals, as it travels hundreds of kilometers in search of its favorite food.
In a first-ever incident in history, scientists discovered that condors can reproduce without mating. Through periodic analysis of biological samples from this type of eagles that is vulnerable to extinction, experts at the Wildlife Alliance at the San Diego Zoo found that two eagles belonging to the condors had emerged to life. From unfertilized eggs, they are the first examples of asexual reproduction in the subspecies of this type of eagles.
Condor vultures, which inhabit the US state of California and are critically endangered, can reproduce without mating, according to a study conducted by scientists specializing in wildlife conservation.
Co-Director of the Wildlife Conservation Research Department at the coalition, Cynthia Stiner, said that the matter was a big surprise to the secretariat and we were not expecting something like this. Stiner said: “This is a very rare discovery because it is something that is not known in birds in general. This is something that is known to happen in creatures.” Others, such as reptiles and fish, but it is very rare in birds, especially in wild species.”
She added, "The matter is strange because the two females who laid the eggs were in a place housing males capable of mating, and they had previously laid eggs by mating, and it had never been confirmed before that asexual reproduction occurred in any of the bird species in which males meet with females."
Steiner said, "The weight of the two chicks was less than normal, and one of them was released into the wild and died in 2003 when it was two years old, while the other chicks died." The other lived in captivity for eight years and died in 2017.” Steiner said, “There are now about 500 condors, about 200 of which live in captivity and 300 in the wild.”
The zoo stated, "The two chicks are the first examples of asexual reproduction in the subspecies of this type of California eagle. California condors are among the rarest birds in the world, but their numbers are increasing."
Source: websites