The California Condor

By: Aidan Short

Classification

Kingdom: Animalia

Phylum: Chordata

Class: Aves

Order: Falconiformes

Family: Cathartidae

Genus: Gymnogyps

Species: Californianus

Scientific Name: Gymnogyps Californianus

It’s closest relative is the Andean Condor

-It is slightly smaller than the California Condor in length, but it has a slightly larger wingspan.

-They are similar in appearance.

Physical Characteristics

- Largest flying bird in America.

- 3.5-4.5 feet long.

- Weighs 18-25 pounds

- Wingspan of 9-10 feet

- Males and females look exactly

alike.

- Adults have a red and

orange and completely

bald head.

- Juveniles have a grayish-

black head that is bald as

well.

- The heads change to the

color of an adult at 4-6

years of age.

- The heads are bald for

eating dead animals.

- The beaks are long and

sharp

Head

- Feathers are

mostly black with a

white lining under

the wing.

- Juveniles have

black plumage but

with very little

white.

Pelage

- At one time it used

to roam across

North America.

- Climate change

forced it to just the

west coast.

Historic Range

Current Distribution- California

Condors are

mainly in

Southern

and Central

California.

- They are

being

reintroduced

in the areas

shown on

the map

Habitat

- They have a different habitat

for each of their three primary

needs: Scavenging, Roosting,

and nesting.

Scavenging

- They like oak savanna

and open grasslands

with lots of large

mammals.

Roosting

- They roost in

dead trees and

cliffs.

- They come back

to the same place

year after year.

Nesting

- They don’t make

stick nests.

- They nest in caves,

cliffs, and crevices.

- They lay their eggs

there.

Conservation Status

- It is critically endangered.

- Its population is

increasing.

- Its population was down to

just 22 birds in 1981.

- Captive breeding

programs brought up the

population and they are

being released back into

the wild.

- There are currently about

210 in the wild.

Mating

- The male spreads

his wings and rocks

back and forth.

- They follow each

other in acrobatic

flights.

- They stay together

for life

Reproduction

- They reach maturity at 4-6 years.

- The female lays one egg every other year.

- The egg is usually laid between January and March

- The egg is a pale green color.

Parental Care

- The parents take turns

incubating for 54-58 days before

it hatches.

- The chick is fed regurgitated

food by both parents.

- After about 5 months, the chick

will start to walk from the nest.

- The chick will start to fly from

the nest at 10-12 months.

- It relies on its parents into its

second year.

Longevity and Mortality

- They live about 45 years in captivity, and 20

in the wild.

- Lead poisoning, egg collecting, shooting,

and power lines are the main causes of the

death of California Condors.

Seasonal Patterns

- They do not hibernate or undergo torpor.

- They don’t migrate; they stay in the same

regions year round.

Diet

- They are carrion eaters.

- They like cattle carcasses and other dead

large mammals.

- They can travel up to 150 miles in a day

searching for food.

Predators

- Mainly humans but some birds, such as ravens, steal

the eggs from their nests.

- Poaching, power lines, and lead poisoning almost

wiped out the California Condor.

- Lead poisoning is still a problem today to the

released birds.

Human Relationships

- They were taken into captivity

for a breeding program.

- Humans helped to bring the

population up.

- They are still being released

into the wild.

- They are kept in zoo’s.

Fun Facts

- California Condors don’t have vocal cords so they

hiss, grunt, growl, and use body language to

communicate.

- Native Americans called it the Thunderbird because

of its huge wings.

- Babies can take up to a weak to break out of their

shells.

- They can fly up to altitudes of 15,000 feet and reach

speeds of 60mph.

Works CitedIUCN Red List of Threatened Species. International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural

Resources, n.d. Web. 25 Mar. 2013. <http://www.iucnredlist.org/details/summary/106003821/0>.

San Diego Zoo Global. N.p., n.d. Web. 25 Mar. 2013.

<http://library.sandiegozoo.org/factsheets/california_condor/condor.htm#Physical%20Characteristics>.

U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service. N.p., n.d. Web. 25 Mar. 2013.

<http://www.fws.gov/hoppermountain/CACORecoveryProgram/PDF%20Fact%20Sheets/Biology%20of

%20the%20California%20Condor.pdf>.

U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service. N.p., n.d. Web. 25 Mar. 2013. <

http://www.fws.gov/hoppermountain/CACORecoveryProgram/PDF%20Fact%20Sheets/CALIFORNIA

%2

0CONDOR%20flyer-%20with%20long%20links.pdf>.

The Peregrine Fund. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 Apr. 2013. <http://www.peregrinefund.org/subsites/explore-

raptors-2001/vultures/cacondor.html>.