Foraging Condors are obligate scavengers, meaning they feed only on carcasses of animals. A condor's sharp beak and strong neck muscles allow them to tear into animal hide and feed. They forage widely as far as 150 miles a day looking for deer, elk, livestock and marine mammals. Having located a potential food item, condors frequently remain in the air circling high above the carcass before landing. Circling behavior is thought to serve as a signal to other condors in the area, guiding them to potential food sources.
Condors apparently depend on visual rather than olfactory cues to locate food.
Having to face changes in food availability, condors have been documented not feeding for a periods up to 14 days. They have a remarkable ability to soar on thermals, or currents of warm air that provide lift. This allows them to fly for a considerable distance without even flapping. Condors roost in tall snags or on cliff faces to elude terrestrial predators. Roosts may also serve a social function, as it is common for 2 or more condors to roost together and leave a roost together.