Condor Watch Talk

Sun bathing

  • RenoHatesMe by RenoHatesMe

    I just saw a condor with its wings spread wide, a posture I've seen frequently in cormorants. Do Condors sun-bathe like cormorants in order to warm up? I wouldn't expect that in such a large sized bird (plus they don't go in the water like cormorants).

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  • myraf by myraf scientist

    So, I asked my graduate student, Zeka Kuspa about her thoughts on this as she has spent a lot of time watching condors and she had this great answer I will pass along:

    They do! We don't know for sure why condors and other vultures sunbath (referred to as "sunning" in these species), but several hypotheses exist:

    1. Drying off: Condors often sun after bathing or a good rain shower.
    2. Reducing parasite load: Some scientists have suggested that exposure to sunlight might kill feather parasites.
    3. Achieving optimum feather shape and condition: There is some evidence that warming feathers might help ruffled feathers return more quickly to their optimum shape for flight. This would be important for a large bodied bird that needs to soar long distances as efficiently as possible.
    4. Warming up: I strike this same pose when the sun first hits me at my campsite after a cold night!
      My guess: A combination of a few of these reasons.

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