.--The occurrence of the Andean Condor (Vultur gryphus) in Venezuela was first documented by two specimens now in the British Museum which were collected near the city of M6rida (Fig. 1); the most recent was a juvenile taken ca 1912 by Bricefio Gabald6n (Swarm 1921; Phelps and Phelps, Jr. 1958). Since then, this rare species was thought to be extinct in Venezuela (Phelps, Jr. and Meyer de Schauensee 1979), and Alden (1975) recommended excluding it as occurring in the country. However, on 7 July 1976, Zonfrillo (1977) observed three condors along the road from M6rida to Jaji: one near the waterfall at La Chorrera, 30 km from M6rida, and two adults (one male) three km nearer Jaji. The area appeared to be good nesting habitat, but no signs of nesting were seen. The birds were considered visitors from the Santa Marta or Andes mountains of Colombia, the nearest known condor breeding localities (Hilty and Brown 1986). Since 1976, there have been no more sightings near Mrida, and the status of the condor still remains uncertain in Venezuela and in other countries of the Andes Mountains where it is considered in danger of extinction (USFWS 1986). Indeed, in Venezuela and Colombia, few regions seem to remain appropriate for this species due to human intervention, except the high Perij Mountains that form the frontier between the two countries. It was here, on 27 August 1985 that Leonel Lanier, a mountain climber, ascended to the Pfiramo of Tetari and observed a condor flying above Torote-jopa Peak (in Venezuela) at an elevation of 3225 m, between 11:00 and 15:00 h. Again in 1986, Lanier conducted an expedition to the Pramo SHORT COMMUNICATIONS 721 ! South America O ø scale in kms.  ß ] ß 0 200 FiG. 1. Map of western Venezuela and adjacent Colombia showing the position of the (1) Sierra Nevada of Santa Marta, (2) Perijfi Mountains, (3) Eastern Andes Mountains of Colombia and Venezuela, (4) Mrida, (5) Jaji, (6) Pfiramo of Tetari and Cerro Pintado, and (7) Valledupar. Only mountains above 1000 m are shown. of Tetari to 3600 m, where he saw a condor resting on a cliff ledge of Torote-jopa Peak on 23 July. Another condor (same bird?) flew over the Pfiramo on 24 July. To verify Lanier's sightings, one of the authors (Viloria) ascended to this little known Pfiramo on 30 Oct. 1989 and at ca 15:30 h observed two adult condors gliding in a circle over the campsite at the base of Rafael Urdaneta Peak (in Venezuela) at 3440 m. Afterwards, the birds flew northward until out of sight. Again, at 18:00 h, a condor passed over the campsite flying southward. On 31 October the weather was foggy, but one condor was observed flying over Tetari Peak, ca 10:00 h. The high Perijfi Mountains, especially the Pfiramo of Tetari, are appropriate habitat for the condor. There are steep rocky cliffs, deep canyons, and even rocky shelters and caves preferred by this species for nesting and roosting. Human intervention is minimal. Deer 722 THE WILSON BULLETIN ß Vol. 103, No. 4, December 1991 (Mazama sp.), rabbits (Sylvilagus sp.), and pacas (Agouti taczanowskii) are present and could serve as food. There are no domestic animals present such as cattle or goats. A visit was made to the Pfiramo of Cerro Pintado (ca 3200 m) for three days in March 1989, but no condors were seen. The habitat appeared appropriate, but there was much agricultural activity such as cattle grazing and vegetation burning. However the authors believe Cerro Pintado is within the condor's territory because it is only 22 km north of Tetari Peak, an insignificant distance for a large soaring bird. Also, since condors have been reported from the nearby locality of Valledupar, Colombia (Hilty and Brown 1986), birds in Perij{ may tty to and from the Sierra Nevada of Santa Marta only 60 km away (Hilty and Brown 1986, Norton 1975). Perhaps these birds are recent arrivals from Santa Marta, where human disturbance has been increasing, or have always been present in this unexplored area. Successive sightings of Andean Condors in 1985, 1986, and 1989 in the Pfiramo of Tetari indicate they may be resident. It is noteworthy that no more than three condors have been seen in any one place. Fortunately, the Pfiramo of Tetari (mostly within Venezuela) is part of the Perij{ National Park decreed by the Venezuelan government in 1978. Acknowledgments. --We thank L. Lanier of Machiques, Venezuela, for access to his field data about condors, and L. P6rez of the Phelps Ornithological Collection, Caracas, who helped to obtain several references. We specially thank C. Casler of the Univ. of Zulia, Maracaibo, for revising and translating the manuscript into English. We also thank J. Moody, Maracaibo; S. Hilty, and an anonymous referee for reviewing the manuscript. This note is the first report of the Pramo of Tetari Expedition, undertaken in 1989 by the Biology Museum of the Univ. of Zulia. LITERATURE CITED ADEN, P. 1975. A checklist of the birds of Venezuela--with amendments. Printed pri- vately. HLa-, S. L. ^m> W. L. BROWN. 1986. A guide to the birds of Colombia. Princeton Univ. Press, Princeton, New Jersey. NORTON, W. J.E. 1975. Notes on the birds of the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta, Colombia. Bull. British Ornith. Club 95:109-115. PHELPS, W. H., JR. AND R. MEYER DE SCHAUENSEE. 1979. Una guia de las aves de Venezuela. Grfificas Armitano, C. A., Caracas, Venezuela. PHELPS, W. H. AND W. H. PHELPS, JR. 1958. Lista de las aves de Venezuela con su distribuci6n. Tomo 2. Parte 1. No Passeriformes. Bol. Soc. Venezolana Ciencias Nat. 19:54. SW^NN, H. K. 1921. Notes on a collection of Accipitres from the Mrida District, W. Venezuela. Auk 38:357-364. UNTD ST^TIn FS} arD WLDLm SERVmE. 1986. Endangered and threatened wildlife and plants. Dept. Interior, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Washington, D.C. ZONLLO, B. 1977. Re-discovery of the Andean Condor Vultur gryphus in Venezuela. Bull. British Ornith. Club 97:17-18. ROSANNA CALCHI AND ANGEL L. VILORIA, Museo de Biologfa, Facultad Experimental de Ciencias, Univ. del Zulia, Apartado 526, Maracaibo 4011, Zulia, Venezuela. Received 5 March 1991, accepted 15 June 1991.