Andean condors are the world's largest flying birds and require exceptional space and management in zoological collections, where they play an important conservation role.
Andean condors in captivity present extraordinary challenges given their size, social complexity and natural ranging behaviour. Conservation breeding programmes must balance the welfare of individual birds with the collective conservation benefit of producing individuals for reintroduction. Birds held primarily for breeding may spend significant periods in facilities that cannot meet their full behavioural needs. Welfare monitoring, appropriate social housing and enrichment that approximates natural scavenging behaviour are essential for maintaining adequate condor welfare.