Animal Spotlight: California Condor

The California condor (Gymnogyps californianus) is a New World Vulture and the largest North American land bird. The species decline throughout the 20th century, and was eventually declared extinct in the wild in 1987, as the last wild individuals were captured. The critically endangered California Condor was first described by English naturalist George Shaw in 1797.

Description
Like many vultures, the California Condor has very few feathers on its head and neck. Its skin color varies from yellowish orange to reddish orange. It can be distinguished in flight  from other vultures by the large white patch under their wings. The overall length ranges from 109 to140 cm, and its wingspan is around 2.5 to 3 m. Their weight can range from 7 to 14.1 kg, but its average weight is estimated to be from 8 to 9 kg. Most measurements are taken from captive birds.

Habitat
They were once widespread across North America, but the extinction of megafauna led to the reduction in range and population. They historically ranged throughout the western U.S. from Canada to Mexico, with some populations as far east as Florida and New York. This species was reintroduced to northern Arizona, southern Utah, central and southern California, and northern Baja California.

California condors live around rocky, forested regions such as canyons and mountains. Nesting sites include cliff ledges or cave openings with sand on the bottom. Large trees like sequoias or redwoods are used as nesting sites as well.

Behaviour
They are graceful flyers that soar as high as 4600 m. They travel 250 km per day, in search of carrion. They prefer to feast on large mammals such as deer, bears, cattle and many others. They depend on their keen eyesight by looking for other smaller scavengers that cannot rip through corpses without the efficiency of the larger condor.

These birds are monogamous, which means they mate for life. They begin to look for a mate when they mature at the age of 6. The adult female lays an egg between January and March. If the egg is lost, another egg is laid as a replacement about a month later. Chicks start to practice flying at 5 or 6 months of age, they may stay with their parents for up to 2 years.

Threats and Conservation
Damage to the condor population has been attributed to poaching, poisoning, electric power lines and habitat destruction. At one point, cattle ranchers believed that condors were responsible for hunting calves and lambs, this led to local extinction of the condor in some parts of western United States.

The California Condor Recovery Plan received the approval of the US government. On Easter Sunday 1987, all 22 wild condors in existence were placed in captivity. The captive breeding program, led by San Diego Animal Park and Los Angeles Zoo, was participated by other zoos as well. However, the program got off to a slow start, until biologists utilized the birds' ability to double clutch (lay replacement eggs) and raised the removed eggs with puppets.

California condors were released in 1991 and 1992 in California, and again in 1996 in Arizona. Even though the birth rate remains low in the wild, the number of California condors are steadily increasing. As the recovery program achieved milestones, condors were reintroduced to Mexico. In 2007, a condor laid an egg for the first time since the 1930s.

Take part in conservation! Here are some links that might be helpful in helping this species:

1. How to help condors

2. Donate to the San Diego Zoo Global Wildlife Conservancy

Sources/References

1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/California_condor
2. https://www.nps.gov/zion/learn/nature/condors.htm
3. http://www.defenders.org/california-condor/basic-facts
4. http://animals.sandiegozoo.org/animals/california-condor
5. http://vwordpress.stmarys-ca.edu/sca4/activismsocial-change-3/