California
Gymnogyps californianus   photos: U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service | |
| Type of Animal: | Birds |
|---|---|
| Class: | Aves |
| Order: | Ciconiiformes |
| Family: | Cathartidae |
| Federal Status: | Endangered |
| State Status: | Endangered |
| Occurrence: | |
| Habitat: | Captivity and released into the wild |
| Description: | "The California condor (Gymnogyps californianus) is North America's largest bird. With a wingspan of nearly 10 feet and a weight of 20-22 pounds, it commands the skies. The genus, Gymnogyps, means "naked vulture" referring to the bird's bare head and neck. The name "condor" is derived from the Quechua "cuntur," a name for the Andean condor of South America (Snyder and Rea 1998:32). Adult California Condors have a yellow-orange head, black plumage set with brown on the back, and a white triangle patch under each wing. A whitish wing bar is also found on the upper surface of the wing. As juveniles, they have black heads and light neck ring. Condors are carrion eaters. They lack the strong talons and beaks of hawks and eagles, and depend on finding carcasses for food. They have never been known to attack a living animal. They will commonly gorge themselves when feeding on a carcass and may go days without eating. Their keen eyesight helps them locate food. They sometimes travel up to 140 miles per day in search of a meal. They are also keen observers of other scavengers like Turkey Vultures and Golden Eagles, and Common Ravens." - California State Parks "Like all vultures, condors are carrion-eaters. They prefer large dead animals like deer, cattle, and sheep, but will also eat rodents and more rarely, fish. If a meal has been particularly big, they may have to spend hours on the ground or a low branch before they can take off again. Condors are fastidious birds -- after eating, they clean their heads and necks by rubbing them on grass, rocks, or tree branches. Condors also bathe frequently and spend hours preening and drying their feathers." - U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service |
| Effort: | |
| References: | U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service California State Parks |
| Other Sites: | SORA - Searchable Ornithological Research Archive U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service |
| Field Office(s): | Bakersfield |