<< Back July 2005

Flora and Fauna
Biggest of them all - the Andean Condor
By Gunnar Engblom and Roger Ahlman - Kolibri Expeditions

Condor in flight Photo by Trev Feltham

Ask around in Lima where one can see Andean Condors (Vultur gryphus) in Peru and the answer will be Colca Canyon near Arequipa. Well, this is true but why travel all the way down there when you have Condors just a few hours inland from Lima?

A healthy population exists in the mountains in the upper Santa Eulalia and Rimac valleys and they can even be seen crossing the Central Highway between Chosica and the Ticlio pass.

The Andean Condor is one of the most spectacular and culturally most important bird species of South America. In spite of this, in almost all of Peru its population is decreasing, though there is no hard data or thorough studies to support this statement just a general observation by the scarcity of records in many suitable areas. Its scarcity and apparent decrease in recent years has made the Peruvian conservation agency INRENA list it as Endangered in Peru. So why is it declining? The sad truth is often persecution. The Condor lives almost entirely of carcasses. Poisoned carcasses are often left out just to kill the Condors. The Condors in the upper Santa Eulalia valley seems to be doing alright as several immature birds have been seen, a good evidence that they are breeding successfully.

More than 65,000 people travel to the Colca Canyon near Arequipa every year to see the Condors and the spectacular canyon. It hasn't always been like this, in the mid-90´s only a few thousand people ventured all the way to Colca but through marketing and almost guaranteed sightings, this has become a major tourist attraction and obviously generates money for a lot of people. These Condors are worth a lot of money but only alive!

What would happen if watching Condors just four hours from Lima became as popular as around Arequipa? Certainly improved roads up the valley, perhaps good lodging for people wanting to stay overnight, jobs will be created and a lot of money will be generated. More importantly, the Condors and their habitat will become a valuable asset. This will not only benefit the Condors but also the other 4-5 species of threatened birds living in the upper Santa Eulalia valley.

Starting this year, Asociación Incaspiza will conduct a survey to investigate the population of the Condors and the other threatened birds in the valley. A special effort will be made to find their night-roost and breeding areas, and whether there might be a good watchpoint within reasonable distance allowing good views without disturbing the birds. These surveys will be open to anyone interested to join the project, and we will announce the surveys as outings of the Lima Birdwatching Club.

Write to gunnar@kolibriexpeditions.com if you want to subscribe to the Incaspiza e-mail group (in Spanish) so you don't miss any outings of Lima Birdwatching Club to see Condors and other birds near Lima (and learn about birds and their conservation at the same time).