The condors (Ciconiiformes : Vulturidae) of the Pampean region of Argentina during the late Cenozoic: Distribution, interactions and extinctions

The fossil record of condors from the Upper Cenozoic of the Pampean region is rich and diverse. The declination, retraction in range and extinction of many taxa of "pampean" condors during Pliocene-Pleistocene times were prob ably related to both climatic-environmental changes and reduction or loss o f food supplies. The influence of the availability of food supplies was rem arkable in the late Pleistocene because of the massive extinction of megahe rbivorous mammals, the carcasses of which were the condor's main food sourc e. Competition between condors and phorusrhacoid birds is proposed in light of their scavenging habits.