Andean condors are among the largest in the world that are able to fly. Even their enormous 10-foot wingspan needs some help to keepthem aloft and that's why these birds prefer to live in windy areas where theycan glide on air currents with little effort.
?The Andean condor has been constantly under threat from poisoning and hunting and for years conservationists have been routing for their survival.
And now, there seems to be a glimmer of hope as researchers spotted a pair of prolific Andean condors glidingover a rocky outcrop in an Ecuadoran nature reserve.
According to AFP, massive Andean condor (Vultur gryphus), calls the South American mountain range home and it has a 3.5-metre (11.5-foot)wingspan, making it one of the largest flying birds.
"This couple of condors is the most impressive and mostprolific pair we know of for this species," says biologist Sebastian Kohn,director of the Andean Condors Foundation.
?Researchers have been observing the pair in the Chakanaprivate nature reserve, set on the slopes of the Antisana Volcano, for the pastseven years.
"Since 2013, when we first started studying them, theyhave already had seven chicks," said Kohn, whose team observes the birdswith binoculars from a watchtower in the reserve, 50 kilometres (30 miles)southeast of Quito.
Normally, these long-lived monogamous birds reproduce slowly, a mating pair usually only producing a chick every two or three years.
Researchers say the likely reason for this pair's high the reproduction rate is good access to food, especially carrion, and the feelingof security provided by being in the reserve.
Globally, there are some 6,700 condors but numbers are declining. The International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) classifies the condor as "near threatened" on its watch list.??
In September, one of the birds, which researchers had namedIguinaro was found dead. It had been released into the Chakana reserve only inMay after being treated for gunshot wounds.