Condor

Japanese: コンドル

(1) Vultur gryphus; Andean condor. Family Vulture family. Males are the largest flying birds, with a total length of 1.3 m and a wingspan of over 3 m. Females are slightly smaller than males. Adults have bare, purple-black skin on their heads. They have a cockscomb-like wattle on their heads and throats. The feathers covering the upper neck are white. Their plumage is mostly black except for large white spots on their wings. They are scavengers that mainly hunt for dead animals, and can travel more than 200 km a day in search of prey. They are found in a wide range of habitats, from the Andes Mountains in western South America to the coastal areas, and as far south as the tip of Argentina. Their population has declined dramatically in recent years, and they have become extinct in some areas.
(2) Cathartidae; new world vultures A general term for birds of the family Vultureidae. They are about 60-130 cm long and consist of seven species. Their heads are featherless and bare. Their wings are long and wide, allowing them to soar through the sky by catching updrafts. All extant species are found in the New World, from southern Canada to South America. They are considered to be birds of prey corresponding to the vultures found in the Old World because of their large size and scavenging, but the relationship between the two is distant. Most birds have a poorly developed sense of smell, but the turkey vulture , Cathartes aura , has a highly developed sense of smell and can use it to find carrion in forests. Other species use their eyes to find prey. The California condor, Gymnogyps californianus , is endangered, and the last wild specimen was captured in 1987 for captive breeding. Some birds have been kept in captivity for some time, and captive breeding has been successful. Today, they have been released back into the wild, and as of 2011, there are approximately 200 of them living in the wild. Their decline in the wild is due in part to their having been shot, and in part to their eating animals that had been poisoned or shot with lead, which reduced their reproductive ability. Today, they often feed on the carrion of livestock and animals that have washed up on shore.

Condor
Conder, Josiah

Born: September 28, 1852, London
[Died] June 21, 1920, Tokyo British architect. Studied under R. Smith and W. Burges at South Kensington School of Art, and came to Japan in 1877 at the invitation of the Japanese government. He became a technical officer at the Ministry of Public Works and a lecturer at the Department of Architecture at the Imperial College of Engineering (now the Faculty of Engineering at the University of Tokyo). He trained Japanese architects and designed and supervised many important buildings in the early Meiji period, making a great contribution to the development of modern Japanese architecture. His works include the Former Imperial Household Museum (1877-80), Rokumeikan (80-83), Nikolai Cathedral (84-91), Prince Arisugawa's Residence (80-83), Prince Kitashirakawa's Residence (88), the Imperial Household Ministry (90), the Navy Ministry (89-93), and the Mitsubishi Ichigokan Building (96).

Source: Encyclopaedia Britannica Concise Encyclopedia About Encyclopaedia Britannica Concise Encyclopedia Information

Japanese:

(1) Vultur gryphus; Andean condor　タカ目コンドル科。雄は全長 1.3m，翼開張 3mをこえ，飛ぶ鳥では最大級種。雌は雄よりやや小型。成鳥の頭部の皮膚は裸出し紫黒色。頭上と喉に鶏冠のような肉垂がある。上頸部のまわりを覆う羽毛は白い。羽色は翼に大きな白斑模様があるほかはほとんど黒い。おもに死んだ動物をあさる腐食者で，獲物を求めて 1日に 200km以上も移動することがある。南アメリカ西部のアンデス山脈から沿岸域にかけて，南はアルゼンチンの先端まで広く分布する。近年激減し，絶滅した地方もある。
(2) Cathartidae; new world vultures　タカ目コンドル科の鳥の総称。全長約 60～130cmで，7種からなる。頭部は羽毛がなく，皮膚が裸出している。翼は長くて幅が広く，上昇気流をとらえて大空を帆翔する。現生種はいずれもカナダ南部から南アメリカの新世界に分布し，大型であること，腐食性であることから旧世界に分布するハゲワシに対応する猛禽類とされるが，両者の類縁関係は離れている。鳥類の多くは嗅覚が発達していないが，ヒメコンドル Cathartes aura は嗅覚がかなり発達し，森林内などにある腐肉を嗅覚で探すことができる。ほかの種は視覚で獲物を探している。カリフォルニアコンドル Gymnogyps californianus は絶滅に瀕し，最後の野生の個体が 1987年に飼育繁殖のために捕獲された。以前から飼育されていた鳥もおり，飼育下での繁殖は成功している。今日では野生にも戻され，2011年現在およそ 200羽が野生で暮らしている。野生での減少は銃で撃たれたことのほか，毒殺あるいは鉛を含む銃弾で射殺された動物を食べ，繁殖力が衰えたことが一因である。今日では家畜や海岸に打ち上げられた動物の死肉を食べることが多い。

コンドル
Conder， Josiah

[生]1852.9.28. ロンドン
[没]1920.6.21. 東京
イギリスの建築家。サウスケンジントン美術学校で R.スミスおよび W.バージェズに学び，1877年日本政府の招聘で来日，工部省技術官ならびに工部大学校 (現東京大学工学部) 造家学科講師となり，日本人建築家を養成するとともに，明治初期の多くの重要な建築を設計，監督し，日本の近代建築の発展に多大の貢献をした。作品は旧帝室博物館 (1877～80) ，鹿鳴館 (80～83) ，ニコライ堂 (84～91) ，有栖川宮邸 (80～83) ，北白川宮邸 (88) ，宮内省 (90) ，海軍省 (89～93) ，三菱一号館 (96) など。

出典　ブリタニカ国際大百科事典小項目事典ブリタニカ国際大百科事典小項目事典について　情報

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