Andean Condor & Patagonian Conures

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• acrylic on illustration board 20” x 30” My object with this piece was simply to create an interesting juxtaposition of two very different sympatric bird species. The massive Andean Condor (Vultur gryphus), solitary, clad in dismal black and white, contrasts with the noisy, gregarious and colorful Patagonian Conures (Cyanoliseus patagonius). Although in close spatial proximity, the two are completely oblivious to and unaffected by one another. The Andean condor is one of the world’s biggest flying birds. A remnant of a group of giant raptors that was widespread and successful during the Pliocene, it is the only species of giant condor that still functions in the wild today. Its patchy distribution runs along the western edge of South America. The male bird, which is shown, can be distinguished by the rooster-like “caruncle” on his head. The Patagonian conure is a unique species of parakeet that nests communally in systems of burrows dug into the faces of soft cliffs and cutbanks. Other creatures in this painting are: Blue and White Swallows (Notiochelidon cyanoleuca), Mountain Viscachas (Lagidium viscacia) and a Mountain Iguana (Phymaturus palluma).