<p>The pace at which young animals develop key behaviors can have a great impact on the evolution of life histories. Individual traits may shape this process, determining how species, especially long-lived ones, can adapt to a rapidly changing world. Here, we examine Andean condor (<i>Vultur gryphus</i>) flight trajectories to assess how these large soaring birds differ in their movement by age category and between individuals. Using 4,718 distinct daily flight trajectories from 34 birds, we quantified how fledgling (&lt; 1 year), immature (roughly 2–5 years), and adult Andean condors (around 6 years or older) differ in (i) their mean flight speed and intensity of space use (i.e., directional movements), (ii) how they adjust these movement metrics to the strength of thermal and orographic updrafts, and (iii) whether age classes vary in the level of inter- and intra-individual variation. We found that fledglings and immatures flew at lower mean speeds than adults and that individuals adjusted their speed differently in response to updrafts, particularly thermals. Immatures showed more directional movements, likely reflecting their need to explore new territories, whereas fledglings and adults did not differ in the tortuosity of their trajectories. We additionally found higher inter-individual variation in flight speed among adults than younger birds, and within-individual variation not related to the birds’ age. These results suggest that the transition to an adult-like soaring style is a process that can take several years in Andean condors, and both flight development and skills are not uniform across individuals. We highlight the relevance of individual-based analyses in investigating the ontogeny of behaviors.</p>