![]() ![]() ![]() Reproduction: California condors mature and reproduce slowly. Size: Body: 3.5 to 4.5 feet Wing span: 9 to 10 feet Weigh: 18 to 30 pounds The species’ current range includes California’s southern coastal ranges from Big Sur to Ventura County, east through the Transverse Range and the southern Sierra Nevada, with other populations in northern Baja California and in the Grand Canyon eco region in Arizona. Historically, condors ranged throughout the western United States from Canada to Mexico, with some populations as far east as Florida and New York. They create their nests in the hollows of large redwood trees. Habitat: California condors live in rocky, forested regions including canyons, gorges and mountains. The reason behind the baldness is so that when they are feeding, bacteria and other parts of the carcass do not get stuck in their feathers and cause infection. Condors have a distinct bald head and neck free of plumage. However, they are also known to eat the carcasses of smaller animals like rodents and rabbits. The birds prefer the carcasses of large dead animals like deer, cattle, sheep and beached whales. Condors do not have talons like hawks instead they have nails similar to blunt claws.ĭiet: Like other vultures, California condors are natures clean up crew by consuming carrion (dead animals carcasses) in the wild.The California condor has been protected as an endangered species by federal law since 1967 and by California state law since 1971.When a big meal is available, the birds may gorge themselves so much that they must rest for several hours before flying again and will not eat for two days.Spanish explorer Father Antonio de la Ascension recorded the earliest known record for condors with his sighting in Monterey Bay in 1602.Can travel 150 miles in a day to get their next meal.A Condor’s head can express emotion - the skin turns a deep red-pink when in courtship or if excited.Largest flying bird in North America with a 10 foot wingspan.Ventana Wildlife Society began condor releases in Big Sur in 1997 and then initiated a second release site in 2003 at Pinnacles National Monument in collaboration with the National Parks Service. Ventana Wildlife Society is the only non-profit organization releasing and monitoring this species in California. 206 remain in captivity while 219 live in the wild (116 within California). Reintroduction efforts began in early 1992 and continue today by many organizations.Īccording to the California Condor Recovery Program within the Department of Fish and Game the population of California Condors is 425 as of October 2014. These birds were placed in a captive breading program in 1987 with the first successful hatching at San Diego Zoo in 1988. In 1982 the species nearly went extinct with only 22 left in the wild. The California condor population steadily declined during the 20th century due to contamination from lead fragments in carcasses, poison bait, and environmental pollutants such as DDT. Another telling attribute to identifying a California condor in the wild is a numbered tracking tag prominently displayed on their wings. The California condor can be distinguished in flight from other vultures by a large triangular white patch under each wing. Condors catch thermal air currents that rise as the sun heats the ground, and with massive wings can stay aloft for hours. These huge birds glide on air currents soaring as high as 15,000 feet and at speeds of up to 55 miles per hour. The California condor is the largest flying bird in North America with a wingspan of nearly 10 feet from tip to tip. ![]()
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