National
An adult male Andean Condor shows its whiite collar and a fleshy protrusion over forehead and beak -- the distinguishing sign of the male. It lives in a large cage at the Metropolitan Zoo in Santiago, Chile, July 11, 2008, with a mate and a number of eagles. Many of this condor's offspring have been released into the wilderness after undergoing a process of socialization and aclimatation.
Helen Hughes / MCT
Bird experts in the Metropolitan Zoo examine a young female condor on July 14 Santiago, Chile. Holding the flesh-tearing beak firmly in gloved hands and hugging its wings to his chest, zoo attendant and vet technician Javier Colin weighs the condor while vet doctor Marcela Tirado records it.
Helen Hughes / MCT
Bird experts in the Metropolitan Zoo examine a young, female Andean condor in Santiago, Chile. According to veterinarian Dr. Marcela Tirado, this specimen is "practically a baby" judging by the downy feathers at the top of its wings.
Helen Hughes / MCT
An adult male Andean Condor resides at the Center for Rehabilitation of Birds of Prey in Talagante, Chile, July 8, 2008. Expanding human development in the Andes has upset the delicate balance of food the condor depends on to survive, and the consequences have been drastic.
Helen Hughes / MCT
This young Andean Condor at the Center for Rehabilitation of Birds of Prey in Talagante, Chile, has a wounded leg. He is probably about one and a half years old, but will not change to adult colors until about age 7. He also sports a cover of small feathers on his head, like a baby bonnet for the freezing altitudes. Condors released with transmitters have been known to cross the Andes in a day, covering hundreds of kilometers.
Helen Hughes / MCT
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