What is the difference between a Raptor and a Condor?
John Gianni
I was told to ask rec.birds (instead of rec.pets.birds):
1. Being curious, I ran a USENET search for Raptor and Condor,
only to find them confusingly intermingled in most web pages.
2. I was told the rec.birds newsgroup would have the best answer.
3. What's the main difference between a RAPTOR & a CONDOR?
Thx,
dms...@yahoo.com
Dave Fouchey
Vultures. As a Large Vulture Condors would be a Raptor. While all
Condors are Raptors, all Raptors are NOT Condors, see? Oh and to
throw a wrinkle into it...
There is some evidence that Condors and other Vultures are actually
more closely related to Storks than the Raptors...
"Classification
The California condor is a member of the family Cathartidae whose
other North American members are the numerous, smaller turkey vulture,
Cathartes aura and the black vulture, Coragyps atratus. Both are found
widely in Central and South America. The yellow-headed vulture,
Cathartes melambrotus, is found in Central America. Colorful king
vultures, Sarcorhamphus papa, are found in tropical Central and South
America, while the Andean condor, Vultur gryphus ranges the length of
the Andes mountains. Only the male Andean condor is larger than the
California condor, weighing up to 33 pounds and having a wingspan of
up to 10 feet.
Originally classified in the order Falconiformes along with hawks,
eagles, falcons, and Old World vultures, condors and the other New
World vultures in the family Cathartidae have recently been shown by
scientific evidence to belong in the order Ciconiformes, as they are
more closely related to storks than to any other group."
http://www.lazoo.org/cfacts.htm
I however will wait to see what others have to say about THAT...;-)
Dave
Randy Pals
> Q: What is the basic difference between a RAPTOR & a CONDOR?
"Raptor" is a generic term that refers to any bird of prey (the Latin root
means "one who seizes"). Thus, hawks, falcons, eagles, owls, and vultures
are all considered "raptors".
"Condor" refers to either of two large New World Vultures (family
Cathartidae), either the Andean Condor from South America or
the California Condor from North America.
Randy
EM
Indeed, for a long time vultures/condors were classified as belonging to
the order of diurnal raptors, the Falconiformes, even though their
feeding methods (not to mention the morphology of their feet) doesn't
quite fit.
All I know is taxonomists change their "opinions" fairly often. I
remember a time when [they] thought hoary and common redpolls were
subspieces (some still do, I believe). I also remember when hummingbirds
were classified as Apodiformes (same order as swifts). Later on
taxonomists found (or "decided") that hummers and swifts were
genetically too different to be lumped up in the same order, and that
any similarities were due to convergent evolution (much like the
similarities between hawks & owls). Now hummers have their own order,
the Trochiliformes.
By no means are current taxonomic classifications set in stone. Some
species are pretty easy to pinpoint. Others are quite a pain. Also, the
consensus among taxonomists regarding a species' "official"
classification is not always unanimous, further muddying the taxonomic
waters.
Curtis Croulet
DNA research has recently been applied to birds, sometimes resulting in
revisions of taxonomy that was previously based primarily upon comparative
morphology. Even when older methods are applied, the classification of birds,
at least in the U.S., is not as arbitrary and subject to whim as the above
quoted post implies. Proposed name changes and reclassifications are subject
to peer review by the American Ornithologists' Union, the generally accepted
authority in such matters. The obsolescence of field guides and established
usage is not regarded lightly nor are changes adopted for frivolous reasons.
But with continuing research and accumulation of additional data, occasional
changes and even reversals are inevitable.
--
Curtis Croulet
Temecula, California
33° 27' 59"N, 117° 05' 53"W
Steve McDonald
The reference to DNA evidence in bird reclassification and the
careful review of proposed changes, is precisely correct.
The term, "raptor", technically describes any species that catches
and eats live prey. Vultures and condors are therefore not raptors.
Velociraptors were. Not all hawks are active raptors, as a few of them
are strictly scavengers and don't catch anything that moves. Even the
snails that are the only prey of the Everglades Kite, move slowly. Some
birds regarded as scavengers, such as ravens, crows and magpies, do
occasionally catch smaller birds and other living prey.
You could take the definition of "raptor" to an extreme and apply
it to flycatchers and robins pulling worms out of the ground
(vermiraptors). It's just that the colloquial use generally limits the
term to hawks, eagles, falcons, kites and owls.
The king of all raptor-birds, was the Argentarius magnificens, that
lived several million years ago. It hiked up steep Andean slopes and
took flight by launching into the updrafts. Then it descended on
animals such as camelids and deer. It's fossil skeletons show evidence
that it had a feathered neck and head, so it apparently wasn't a carrion
eater. Its foot-long beak was shaped like that of an eagle and it had
talons to match. It had a wingspan up to 28 feet and weighed as much as
175 lbs. Not likely was it able to take off from level terrain. If
they still lived, would anyone want to try putting an I.D. collar on
one?
Steve McDonald
Dave Fouchey
(Steve McDonald) wrote:
snip
> The king of all raptor-birds, was the Argentarius magnificens, that
>lived several million years ago. It hiked up steep Andean slopes and
>took flight by launching into the updrafts. Then it descended on
>animals such as camelids and deer. It's fossil skeletons show evidence
>that it had a feathered neck and head, so it apparently wasn't a carrion
>eater. Its foot-long beak was shaped like that of an eagle and it had
>talons to match. It had a wingspan up to 28 feet and weighed as much as
>175 lbs. Not likely was it able to take off from level terrain. If
>they still lived, would anyone want to try putting an I.D. collar on
>one?
>
>Steve McDonald
Only if wearing a full Kevlar Suit with ceramic reinforcement
plates....
thanks for the information, that would be an awesome bird. where were
the fossils for it found, only in the andes or have the been found
elsewhere? Talk about a real "Thunderbird"!
Dave Fouchey
Alan Justice
scavenagers.
--
- Alan Justice
alanjustice earthlink net
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