Watch a Fearless Man Hold a Condor the Size of Sofa

This magnificent Andean condor is showing off its enormous wingspan. It’s on display at a show and at one point it beats its wings to balance as it feasts on a tasty snack. The guy holding him refers to it as an ‘organic ceiling fan’! Scroll down to see the full footage of this amazing bird who happens to be the national bird of Bolivia.

Where Do Andean Condors Normally Live?

Andean condors are a member of the Cathartidae family which are also called New World vultures and condors. Their natural range includes most of Western South America from Western Venezuela extending south to Tierra del Fuego. The countries where you can spot this bird species in the wild include Bolivia Chile, and Argentina.

These guys like to live in mountain and coastal mountain habitats and are found in the Andean mountains of South America from which they take their name. They like wide open spaces so that they can easily spot food and they roost on cliff faces. Typically, they use the rising thermals to help them soar off the cliff faces. They can stay airborne in this way for hours without having to put much effort in.

What Do Andean Condors Normally Eat?

These birds feed on carrion and use their remarkable eyesight to find suitable carcasses from their vantage point of thousands of feet in the air. This makes them one of the largest and most successful avian scavengers on the planet. They also learn to spot where vultures are gathering. Historically, they used to feed on the bodies of alpacas, llamas, and guanacos. These days, however, they are more likely to find the bodies of cows, sheep, goats, wild boars, and red deer that have been introduced for sport hunting. Near the coast, they feed on the carcasses of whales.

They have a specific way of eating an animal carcass. These condors begin near the anus and then move up the carcass towards the head. They nearly always start with the liver and then the muscles. They have not been observed trying to open the skull and have little interest in eating the brain.

Even though they mainly rely on carrion. They have been seen hunting marmots, rabbits, and some other bird species. However, they are not accomplished hunters. They make clumsy grabbing movements at the prey and often start to eat it before it is dead!

Watch the Incredible Clip Below

The photo featured at the top of this post is © Cezary Wojtkowski/Shutterstock.com