BASIC DESCRIPTION
The spectacular but endangered California Condor is the largest
bird in North America. These superb gliders travel widely to feed
on carcasses of deer, pigs, cattle, sea lions, whales, and other
animals. Pairs nest in caves high on cliff faces. The population
fell to just 22 birds in the 1980s, but there are now some 230 free-flying
birds in California, Arizona, and Baja California with another 160
in captivity. Lead poisoning remains a severe threat to their long-term
prospects.
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Has
a solid, heavy appearance in the air and rarely flaps its
wings as it soars on thermals. (photo by Kay Hawklee)
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Habitat
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Food
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Nesting
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Behavior
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Conservation
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Scrub
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Carrion
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Cliff
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Soaring
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Red
Watch List
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Cool Facts
- In the late Pleistocene, about 40,000 years ago, California
Condors were found throughout North America. At this time, giant
mammals roamed the continent, offering condors a reliable food
supply. When Lewis and Clark explored the Pacific Northwest in
1805 they found condors there. Until the 1930s, they occurred
in the mountains of Baja California.
- One reason California Condor recovery has been slow is their
extremely slow reproduction rate. Female condors lay only one
egg per nesting attempt, and they dont always nest every
year. The young depend on their parents for more than 12 months,
and take 6-8 years to reach maturity.
- Condors soar slowly and stably. They average about 30 mph in
flight and can get up to over 40 mph. They take about 16 seconds
to complete a circle in soaring flight. By comparison, Bald Eagles
and Golden Eagles normally circle in 1214 seconds, and Red-tailed
Hawks circle in about 810 seconds.
- At carcasses, California Condors dominate other scavengers.
The exception is when a Golden Eagle is present. Although the
condor weighs about twice as much as an eagle, the superior talons
of the eagle command respect.
- Condors can survive 12 weeks without eating. When they
find a carcass they eat their fill, storing up to 3 pounds of
meat in their crop (a part of the esophagus) before they leave.
- California Condors once foraged on offshore islands, visiting
mammal and seabird colonies to eat carrion, eggs and possibly
live prey such as nestlings.
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The
head is naked, yellowish orange or pinkish bordered by
what looks like a feather boa. (photo by Todd Plummer)
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- In cold weather, condors raise their neck feathers to keep warm.
In hot weather, condors (and other vultures) urinate onto a leg.
As the waste evaporates, it cools off blood circulating in the
leg, lowering the whole body temperature. Condors bathe frequently
and this helps avoid buildup of wastes on the legs.
- Adult condors sometimes temporarily restrain an overenthusiastic
nestling by placing a foot on its neck and clamping it to the
floor. This forceful approach is also a common way for an adult
to remove a nestlings bill from its throat at the end of
a feeding.
- Young may take months to perfect flight and landings. Crash
landings have been observed in young four months after their first
flight.
- California Condors can probably live to be 60 or more years
oldalthough none of the condors now alive are older than
40 yet.
- Whats in a name? The name condor comes from
cuntur, which originated from the Inca name for the Andean Condor.
Their scientific name, Gymnogyps californianus, comes from the
Greek words gymnos, meaning naked, and refers to the head, and
gyps meaning vulture; californianus is Latin and refers to the
birds range.
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