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California Condor |
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You may think the California Condor is ugly because of its bald pink head and neck and its ruffled black feathers,but its actually one of the smartest birds in the world,despite its ugliness. The condors diet is disgusting! Its made up of any thing dead. It is called carrion. It will eat this food after it's been rotting! It will usually clean its head on a rock or branch after dinner.(It can be a very messy eater!) It lives in tiny caves or holes in the sides of cliffs in central and southern California. Did you know? The California Condor can reach altitudes of 15,000 ft, and speeds of 55 m.p.h.. Condor bones have been found as far as Texas, Florida, and New York. It lays one egg every 1-2 years. The condor is so near to becoming extinct,that in 1983 there were only 20 condors. Now there are approx. 120. Why it's endangered The California Condors life is a sad story. It is probably the least populated animal in the world. Human settlement, power lines, and poachers made the condor scarce. Hunters would kill them for there expensive skins and eggs. Since the 1800's condors have been dying because of humans. Ranchers would sometimes poison the carcass of livestock to kill bears, wolves, and coyotes because they killed other livestock. But unfortunately, the condors ate it too. How it's being saved Now some clubs have started fighting to save the condors. Captive breeding programs helped condors reproduce. Special laws were made in 1964 for shooting a single condor you would go to jail for 1 year and pay a fine of $500-1000 dollars. Hopefully with help, the condor will soar peacefully again. |