California Condor

The California condor, a nasty looking bird, but it is the largest bird in North America. It is the last surviving member of a genus. The condor lives in Zion National Park, the Grand Canyon area, and parts of Baja California. Weighing in at 30 pounds with a wing span of 3 meters (nearly 10 feet) this giant bird was almost lost to us. In 1987 there were only 22 wild condors. With the help of the San Diego Safari Park and the Los Angeles Zoo they condors have begun their recovery with a great start.

Ugliness

The condor is all black except for small white stripes under its wings. Since condors eat a lot of dead things they have fewer feathers around their neck to reduce chances of infection. In my opinion, this makes them uglier, yet it also makes them more unique. The skin color can even change color depending on the mood of the bird. Females are actually larger than the males, rare for most animals, except spiders.

Food

As a scavenger, the condor eats carrion. It can engulf up to 3 pounds in one meal! Being a scavenger they have no sense of smell, common among a lot of scavengers. In order to find the meat condors look for other animals already feasting.

Sexy Time

It’s not until the age of 6 that the condor begins looking for a mate. A male has to show off for the female by puffing out, trying to look badass, and it’s not until the female bows her head and accepts him that he can stop looking such a fool to onlookers. The condors are now mates for life! A simple nest will suffice and the egg is laid around February or March. There is a gestation period of 60 days but sometimes the condor baby will take up to a week to actually get out of the egg.

Conservation Efforts

Living in San Diego is the perfect place to help with the condor conservation movement. The San Diego Safari Park (formerly called the Wild Animal Park) has been really successful in breeding condors with the help of their puppets. These puppets are made to feed the hatchlings if the parents are unable to. Also, to help speed the breeding process along sometimes an egg is taken from the nest to induce the parents to lay another egg. This way they get 2 for 1! It was a slow process but the condors’ numbers are definitely growing. There are at least three active release sites in Arizona, California, and Baja California.

How’d They Become So Endangered?

Six years old is a long time that a bird has to manage to stay alive without reproducing. In addition to the long sexual maturity, finding a mate can be difficult. An egg is only laid every other year so the species doesn’t do too great alone. Habitat destruction, lead poisoning doesn’t help either though.

Should We Care

Native Americans have a special place for condors in their culture. In some tribes the condor was thought to bring back humanity and yet others still think that the condor was evil and the only reason why anyone defeated him is because he had to stop and drink some blood. Condor feathers and bones are used for many purposes in their customs. Either way, the condor is part of their story.  

For More Information

San Diego Safari Park's Success Story with Condor Breeding

http://www.sandiegozooglobal.org/success_stories/condors

Also check out their condor cam

http://www.sandiegozooglobal.org/video/condor_cam