California Condor

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California Condor

	Scientific name: Gymnogyps californianus
	Family name: Cathartidae
	Are they endangered? Yes, they are endangered worldwide. (IUCN Redlist: Critically endangered) They are red listed as globally threatened on the 2007 Audubon Watchlist. They are also listed as threatened on the United States Fish & Wildlife Threatened and Endangered Species system.
	What are their past/present problems? Hunters shoot them. Also people put out poison to kill squirrels or other small animals. When the California Condor eats the dead animals, the poison kills them, too. California Condors also die because they fly into the outside walls of buildings. Lead, from bullets that kill their prey, will also kill them if they get enough of it in their bodies.

What do they look like? They have a wrinkly, brown head that has no feathers. Their beak and feet are grey. Their feathers are mostly black but they have some white on the tips of their wings.

How big are they? California Condors are large birds with bodies over 4’ long. When they fly, their wings spread out to about 10 foot wide.

How many eggs do they lay? The California Condor lays 1 greenish white egg every 2 years. If that egg is taken from the nest, the bird will lay another to take its place. So, to increase the number of condors, researchers will take the first egg from a bird in captivity and let them raise the one that they lay next. Then the breeders incubate the egg and raise the baby bird. The egg hatches in two months.

How long do the fledglings stay in the nest? They like to make their nests high up in giant sequoia trees or on cliffs or in caves. They like their nests to be where no one can reach them. The young birds (fledglings) stay in the nest for six months.

When do they hunt? These birds hunt during the day. (diurnal) They find their prey by sight.

What do they eat? Condors will eat dead animals like cattle, sheep, deer, or horses.

Where do they live? They live in Arizona and California.

What kind of place do they like to live in? These birds like to live on the mountains and cliffs because the wind currents, or updrafts, help them fly without using too much energy.

Interesting facts:

	To help the California Condors not become extinct (gone from the world), all of them were captured and put in zoos and other places where they would be safe. They were bred there and then released. In 1987, the last condor was captured. “With the departure of … (the California condor), the skies above the continent were without the condor for the first time in over ten thousand years.” [Povey] This program has helped the condor numbers increase even though they are still considered critically endangered.
	Native Americans used them in their ceremonies. They also used their bones for whistles and other things.
	There are double the amount of birds in captivity as there are in the wild.
	California Condors only make hissing noises because they don’t have a voice box.