A Grove City third grader submitted the winning name for this Andean condor chick in a contest conducted by the National Aviary in Pittsburgh. The chick is now named Kachina, which is a Hopi Indian word for spirit.

PITTSBURGH — Karli Sutton, 8, a third grader at Hillview Elementary School in Grove City, submitted the winning entry in a contest to name the National Aviary's Andean condor chick.

The name she selected, Kachina, is a Hopi Indian word for spirit.

Karli was one of more than 750 children who submitted names during a two-month naming contest for the female chick, which was born June 28. Karli will receive a one-year family membership to the National Aviary and admission to other special aviary programs.

Kachina will eventually grow into a hefty, hissing raptor with a 9- to 10-foot wingspan and distinctive black and white coloring. She is slated for release in South America when she reaches adulthood as part of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums Andean Condor Species Survival Plan. Until then, Kachina will live with her parents, Lianni and Rhodan, and can be viewed in her outdoor exhibit at the aviary.

The Andean condor (Vulture gryphus) is one of the largest birds of prey in the world, weighing in at up to 20 pounds when mature. The species, whose global conservation status is listed as near threatened, is found in high mountainous ranges and open grasslands throughout the Andes Mountains, from Colombia to Tierra del Fuego, Argentina.

Andean condors usually lay only one egg every two years, and wild populations of these condors have been in decline due to hunting, lead poisoning from shot left in carcasses, and collision with high tension wires and aircraft. Birds also die after eating poisoned carcasses targeted for mammal predators.

Aviary admission is $9 for adults; $8 for senior citizens; $7.50 for children age 2 and older, and free for those younger than 2.

The aviary is open every day from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. For more information, call 412-323-7235 or visit the Web site, www.aviary.org.