There’s one time I saw a condor flying over our head while I was exploring Peru. At that time I was not able to believe how big it was.
I was almost awe-struck by its wingspan size. Our tour guide told us about it he explained that this is one of the condor species named Andean Condor.
After that visit, I was curious to know about this bird and how big it is compared to others.
So here I brought you this article about the Andean condor wingspan and how it’s compared to other birds.
So without further ado, let’s get into it.
Andean Condor Wingspan: How Big Is I
So Andean condor is basically a type of vulture under the category of New world vulture.
This category has one other vulture/condor called California Condor and it is almost as big as the Andean condor.
So now talking about the wingspan of the Andean condor. This bird has one of the largest wingspans in the bird kingdom.
Andean condor wingspan can easily overshadow any eagle, hawk, or falcons wingspan anyday.
On average Andean condor has a wingspan range of 8.5 – 10.5ft (2.5-3.2 meters) with a maximum going as high as 10.10ft. If we talk about the mean/average wingspan then it is around 283 cm (9.3 ft).
Andean condors do show sexual dimorphism causing males to be slightly bigger than females.
| Bird | Wingspan |
| Male Andean condor | 9-10.5ft (2.7-3.2 m) |
| Female Andean condor | 8.5-10ft (2.5-3 m) |
Juvenile Andean Condor Wingspan
Juvenile and immature Andean condors are fairly smaller than adult condor. Their plumage color is also quite different.
Juvenile Andean condors take around 5-6 years to attain sexual maturity.
Now talking about the wingspan of the Juvenile Andean condor, on average they have a wingspan range between 7-9ft (2.1-2.7 meters).
After passing the juvenile phase they achieve the massive 8-10ft wingspan with other huge body measurements.
How Is Birds’ Wingspan Measured?
So the wingspan measurement is either done on a dead bird or specimen kept in captivity.
By laying it flat on a surface and measuring the distance between its wings.
The wingspan is the distance from one tip of the wing to the other wing tip of the bird.
Performing wingspan measurements on a live bird can be problematic as the birds are very relentless. So mostly either it is done on a dead bird or a bird under anesthetics.
Andean Condor Wingspan Compare To Human
So now this is one of the most asked queries “How big is it compared it us?”
On an average human, height ranges from 5.5-5.9 ft with a similar arm span. When we compare our average height to the Andean condor’s wingspan, we seem tiny.
Andean condor’s wingspan on average measures about 9.3 ft which is way above any human height in history.
The tallest human in history records a height of 8.11ft which doesn’t even come close to the condor’s wingspan.
| Bird | Measurement |
| Andean Condor Wingspan | 8.5 – 10.5ft |
| Human Height | 5.5-5.9 ft |
Andean Condor Wingspan Vs California Condor Wingspan
Now comparing both the new world vultures’ wingspan. The California condor is another big bird with a huge wingspan.
On average California condor wingspan ranges from 2.49 to 3 m (8.2 to 9.8 ft) with the maximum being 10ft (3 meters).
Now if we compare both birds’ wingspan, the Andean condor is surely taking the cake here.
| Bird | Wingspan |
| Andean Condor | 8.5 – 10.5ft (2.5-3.2 meters) |
| California Condor | 8.2 to 9.8 ft (2.49 to 3 m) |
Andean Condor Wingspan Vs Eagle Wingspan
Eagles are known to have huge wingspan. But will they be able to beat the mighty Condor?
So On average eagles have a wingspan range of 4-9 feet (1.2-2.7 m) while on the other hand condors have a wingspan of up to 10ft that can easily overshadow any eagle.
There are various types of eagles but we have taken a normal average across the species.
| Bird | Wingspan |
| Andean Condor | 8.5 – 10.5ft (2.5-3.2 meters) |
| Eagle | 4-9 feet (1.2-2.7 m) |
Andean Condor vs Albatross Wingspan Comparison
Albatrosses are the largest flying bird in the world with wingspan going up to 11-12 feet.
Condors are just behind them maybe in the second place.
So on average albatross’s wingspan ranges from 8-12 feet, while the condor’s largest wingspan is around 10.10feet.
So in this battle of wingspan albatrosses are surely taking the cake.
| Bird | Wingspan |
| Andean Condor | 8.5 – 10.5ft (2.5-3.2 meters) |
| Albatross | 8-12 ft (2.4-3.6 m) |
Conclusion
So that was everything you need to know about the Andean Condor’s wingspan. I hope the article was informative enough and you got something useful from it.
Thank you for reading!
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