the california condor
DESCRIPTION
The California Condor. By: Aidan Short. Classification. Scientific Name : Gymnogyps Californianus. Kingdom : Animalia Phylum : Chordata Class : Aves Order : Falconiformes. Family : Cathartidae Genus : Gymnogyps Species : Californianus. It’s closest relative is the Andean Condor. - PowerPoint PPT PresentationTRANSCRIPT
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The California Condor
By: Aidan Short
![Page 2: The California Condor](https://reader033.vdocuments.us/reader033/viewer/2022061605/56813792550346895d9f34ad/html5/thumbnails/2.jpg)
Classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Falconiformes
Family: Cathartidae
Genus: Gymnogyps
Species: Californianus
Scientific Name: Gymnogyps Californianus
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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.
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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.
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- 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
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- Feathers are
mostly black with a
white lining under
the wing.
- Juveniles have
black plumage but
with very little
white.
Pelage
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- At one time it used
to roam across
North America.
- Climate change
forced it to just the
west coast.
Historic Range
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Current Distribution- California
Condors are
mainly in
Southern
and Central
California.
- They are
being
reintroduced
in the areas
shown on
the map
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Habitat
- They have a different habitat
for each of their three primary
needs: Scavenging, Roosting,
and nesting.
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Scavenging
- They like oak savanna
and open grasslands
with lots of large
mammals.
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Roosting
- They roost in
dead trees and
cliffs.
- They come back
to the same place
year after year.
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Nesting
- They don’t make
stick nests.
- They nest in caves,
cliffs, and crevices.
- They lay their eggs
there.
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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.
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Mating
- The male spreads
his wings and rocks
back and forth.
- They follow each
other in acrobatic
flights.
- They stay together
for life
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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.
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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.
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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.
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Seasonal Patterns
- They do not hibernate or undergo torpor.
- They don’t migrate; they stay in the same
regions year round.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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>.