A condor is a large South American bird that eats the meat of dead animals. a very large South American vulture (=a bird that eats dead animals) (cóndor, from kuntur). Either of two species of large New World vulture. Two of the largest flying birds, each is about 50 in. (130 cm) long and weighs 22 lbs (10 kg). Both feed on dead animals. The Andean condor (Vultur gryphus), which ranges from the Pacific coast of South America to the high Andes, has slightly longer wings (10 ft, or 3 m) and is black with a white ruff and bare pinkish head, neck, and crop. The California condor (Gymnogyps californianus) is nearly black, with white wing linings, bare yellow head, and red neck and crop. It hovered on the brink of extinction in the 1980s, and every California condor was captured; careful nurturing has recently led to the release of dozens of condors into the wild