Strong Neighbours - Hummingbirds and Condors (255/268)

Strong Neighbours - Hummingbirds and Condors (255/268)

This documentary looks at the lives of two very different neighbours in the Andes, the tiny hummingbird and the huge Andean condor.

The Andes are home to a huge variety of tiny, fragile hummingbirds that weigh only a few grams. They share their habitat with the largest bird of prey in the word, the Andean condor. The contrast between the birds is startling. The hummingbirds appear so vulnerable, often weighing no more than a stamp, that it is hard to see how they survive even in icy and snowy conditions. But they do and very well.
These days the giant condor, on the other hand, seems to be finding it more difficult. They are dependent on the updrafts around the rocky cliffs. Only when the thermals are working in their favor can the condors set out in search of food. They must fill their bellies and those of their young too, if the species is to survive long term. A female condor lays only one egg every two years. The young fledgling needs almost a full year before it is independent and 8 years until it can start its own new family. Condors are scavengers who live from carrion, and in recent years it has become increasingly difficult for them to find food, which will surely have consequences for their future.

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