While investigating the feeding interactions of the Andean condor (Vultur gryphus) in Peru, researcher Victor Gamarra-Toledo found something that concerned him — plastics featuring in the scavenger bird’s diet. And this was not an isolated finding. In almost all samples analyzed, pieces of plastic made up part of the food the condors had eaten.. “We […]
Tag: Andean condor
23 Condors Killed by Poison in Argentina
23 Andean Condors have been killed in Patagonia, Argentina, by a strong pesticide whose sale is prohibited in the country. These attacks follow ones in Jujuy and Mendoza provinces, and have conservation organizations extremely worried, as they represent a severe threat to the species. At least 23 Andean Condors (Vulture gryphus) have been poisoned in […]
Meet the man who is biking across the Andes to save birds
You’ve probably heard of a ‘Big Year’. That’s when birdwatchers go out and try to see as many birds as they can in one year. What you probably haven’t heard of is a Big Green Big Year, or BIGBY. That’s when a birder tries to see as many birds as they can by Green Birding […]
How wildlife may fare under Trump
What a president will do for wildlife has never been much of a campaign issue. Debates focus on national security, trade, economics, and to a lesser degree in this election cycle, on the environment. Wildlife, however, plays a part in all those concerns. Take, for example, the illegal wildlife trade. It’s a multibillion-dollar business that […]
Key highland habitat for rare condor protected in Ecuador
Conservationists have acquired a 2,800-ha (7,000-acre) property that completes the acquisition of some 108,000 ha of key Andean Condor habitat in Ecuador. The lands will serve as a buffer zone for the Antisana Ecological Reserve, an area that protects 140,000 ha of high-altitude forests, canyons, and páramo grasslands around the 5,758 m (18,714-foot) Antisana Volcano. […]
Condors found “poisoned” in Chile
Chilean authorities are investigating the apparent poisoning of 20 condors in the Andes. Two of the afflicted birds have died, authorities revealed on Monday. The enormous birds have wingspans of up to 10ft (3m) and can glide on air currents for hours. On Sunday, witnesses reported condors crashing into the rocks high in the mountains […]