A condor barely needs to flap its wings. It rides on rising warm air called 'thermals' that bubble up from the sun-baked mountainsides. By spreading its enormous wings flat, it can stay in the air for hours, circling higher and higher, hardly moving a feather.
Adult condors have shiny black feathers, a fluffy white collar around the neck (like a smart scarf), and a bald head. The bald head sounds funny, but it is useful - it stays cleaner because the condor eats meat it finds on the ground. Males have a small crest on top, like a soft floppy hat.
Condors are nature's clean-up team. They eat animals that have already died, which keeps the mountainsides clear and helps stop diseases from spreading. A single condor can spot a meal from many kilometres away with its sharp eyesight.
They live for an incredibly long time for a bird - up to 70 years in the wild. Condors stay with the same partner all their lives. The pair raises only one chick at a time, and they take care of it for nearly two years before it learns to fly off on its own.