[4] The adult plumage is uniformly black, except for a frill of white feathers nearly surrounding the base of the neck, which are meticulously kept clean by the bird.

As an adaptation for hygiene, the condor's head and neck have few feathers, which exposes the skin to the sterilizing effects of dehydration and solar ultraviolet light at high altitudes.

In the male, it is crowned with a caruncle or comb, while the skin of the neck lies in folds, forming a wattle.

[4] In Andean condors, specifically males, there is typically an extra group of skin,[clarification needed] much like that of a turkey.

The feet are thus more adapted to walking (as in their closely related storks) and of little use as weapons or organs of prehension (as in birds of prey and Old World vultures).

[4] Most commonly, Andean tend to utilize white or black skin tones, while the California condor leans towards pink.

Fossils of both extinct and extant condor species from the Pleistocene era have been found in various parts of North America, including New York and Florida, leading scientists to hypothesize that California condors (as well as their ancestors and relatives) once lived on the west coast of North America as well as to the eastern coast, until their eventual extinction/extirpation.

Some scientists also have found that an ancient relative of the condor, Argentavis magnificens from South America, may have been the largest flying bird ever with a wingspan of up to twenty-four feet.

They may live for 50 years or more and the world's oldest condor died at 100 in the Jardin d'Essai du Hamma in Algiers.

[14] Wild condors inhabit large territories, often traveling 250 km (160 mi) a day in search of carrion.

In the wild, they are intermittent eaters, often going for a few days without eating, then gorging themselves on several kilograms (pounds) at once, sometimes to the point of being unable to lift off the ground.

[16] Condors instinctively choose locations that naturally protect their young from predators, like golden eagles, given the elevation and isolation.

Another threat to Andean condors is local belief in medicinal properties in the bones and organs of the birds, leading to hunting.

In South America similar programs have begun for the Andean condor but its success is not as vital to maintain population numbers.