This is the amusing moment three Andean condors were captured on camera as they perched on top of a high-tech surveillance mast in the hills in Chile.

CCTV footage shows the trio of raptors lounging on towering posts, with one particularly curious bird staring directly into the lens of a camera operated by the Eagle Eyes project in Limache, Marga Marga Province.

The Andean condor is a familiar sight in the Cordillera de la Costa, where they typically inhabit the rocky cliffs and high peaks of the Vizcachas Range and La Campana National Park.

However, their presence in the region is increasingly precarious.

Experts said that the species is in a state of unbalanced stability, with the national population estimated at approximately 2,500. While they remain a national symbol, populations in Valparaiso and Santiago are in steep decline due to human activity and rapid habitat loss.

The Eagle Eyes project, which inadvertently captured this rare close-up, is a community-led initiative designed to provide 24/7 early detection of forest fires.

Using a network of high-definition cameras integrated with Artificial Intelligence, the project was founded in 2022 by Eric Morales, a local volunteer with a background in firefighting.

Morales launched the initiative following a series of catastrophic fires that have devastated the Valparaiso region in recent years.