The Reason Why The California Condor Needs To Be Protected

By Author: Ramesh Vittal
Total Articles: 26
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The California condor is a vulture and it is the largest land bird in North America. It inhabits the Grand Canyon area, Zion National Park. It is also found in the coastal mountains of central and southern California. It has a bald head, and the skin color can change from yellow to a bright red depending on the mood the bird is in. The feathers are black with the underside of the wings having white patches. It has a wingspan of 3 m, the largest found in any North American bird with a matching weight of 29 lbs. which is less than that of the trumpeter swan. The condor is a scavenger and eats the carcass of dead animals. It has a large appetite and can consume a huge quantity in a day. It has a life span of about 60 years and that makes it the one of the world’s longest living birds.

Sadly, the numbers of this magnificent bird have reduced drastically thanks to poaching, lead poisoning and destruction of its habitat. A concerned US Government put in place a conservation plan and had all the remaining 22 wild condors captured in 1987. Arrangements were made at the San Diego Zoo Safari Park to have the surviving birds breed ...
... in captivity. With experienced vets at hand and round the clock monitoring the numbers gradually rose through captive breeding and in the 1990’s the condors were released back in their natural habitat. The project has cost the exchequer dearly though it was tax payer’s money that was well spent. As the California condor is one of the world’s rarest bird species awareness needs to be created regarding the importance of its conservation. Today there are almost 400 condors living, including some that are in the wild. The California condor is significant to many Native Americans has played an important role in the traditional myths.

Today’s California condor is the sole surviving member of the genus Gymnogyps and there are no subspecies. Inbreeding in the species is common. The adult California condor is black with large white patches on the underside of the wings. The feet and legs are gray in color, the bill is ivory-colored and the eyes are brownish red in color. The younger ones are found to be in mottled dark brown with the color on the underside being gray. The color change takes place in an adult. The head and neck have few feathers, an adaptation for hygiene that lets the skin be exposed to ultraviolet light when soaring at high altitudes. The skin of the head and neck changes color according to the moods and helps in communication between individuals. The colors vary from yellow to a bright reddish-orange.

The male of the species is larger than the female, which is contrary to the rule among birds of prey where the male is normally found to be larger. The American White Pelican and the Whooping Crane have longer bodies than the condor. However, the Californian condors are so huge that while in flight they could easily be mistaken for a small plane in flight in the distant horizon. They inhabit large territories travelling a remarkable 250 km in a day in search of food. It is believed that the condor used to feed on the carcass of gigantic animals called megafauna which are now extinct. They now make a hearty meal of the carcasses of deer, goats, sheep, donkeys, horses, pigs, cattle. They also feed on carcasses of smaller animals like rabbits and coyotes. However, they do not feed on the carcasses of other birds and reptiles.

Due to the timely act of the Government, the California condor is now safe and the fear of it going extinct no longer exists. More information on related birds and animals of the endangered species are aired on programs aired by popular service providers like ATT Uverse deals.

Randy Collins is a freelance author and loves to keep track of the endangered species of birds and animals on this planet. He keeps himself updated by watching related programs that are aired by popular service providers like ATT Uverse Deals