Difference between condor and vulture

Difference between condor and vulture

Living species of vultures are classified into two groups: Old World vultures and New World vultures. The Old World vultures are close relatives of the hawks and eagles. They have strong talons and beaks and they have a poor sense of smell. 

The New World vultures are not close relatives of the hawks, but may well be distant relatives of the storks since they share the habit of urinating on their legs to stay cool. There are other relatives of the storks, such as the wading birds, that do not do the same. Since they are wading birds and are near the water, they probably do not need to urinate on their own legs and may have lost this behavior through evolution. New World vultures have weak talons but a strong sense of smell. They are able to locate carcasses with their sense of smell alone, but Old World vultures must rely on their excellent vision to detect carcasses. 

There are only 2 species of condors, the California Condor and the Andean Condor. Both species are relatives of New World vultures, but are not closely related to Old World Vultures. The 2 species of condors are larger than other New World vultures such as the Turkey Vulture and Black Vulture. None of the Old World vultures, regardless of size, is called a condor.