Andean Condor

*Top 50 Target Species

The Andean Condor is Ecuador’s national bird and one of the world’s largest flying land birds, yet it is critically endangered within the country, with fewer than 150 individuals estimated to remain in the wild. It inhabits high-altitude paramo and montane cliffs, soaring across the Andes from Cotopaxi to Carchi, often covering vast distances without flapping its wings. With slow reproduction—one chick every 15 months—and threats like poisoning and habitat loss, its population faces steep decline despite conservation efforts such as captive breeding and habitat protection. Revered in Andean mythology and ecology, the condor remains a powerful symbol of wilderness and fragility in Ecuador’s highlands.