Alta Elementary School
Report by Leslie & Rosemary
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Plight of the Condor
The California Condor range was along the Pacific and the San Joaquin Valley. The range went from Baja California to British Colombia. People killed them, poisoned them, and destroyed their habitat. By 1987, not very many remained. A breeding program was started in 1988. It was successful, and in 1990, they began releasing condors preserves in California and other places.
Status
The California Condor is almost extinct. In 1897, only three wild condors remained. The San Diego and Los Angeles Zoo had a breeding program. The last wild condors were captured. At that time there were 27 condors. By 1992, the number had doubled. 31 condors were released to the wild. In 1996, 17 of the 31 were still alive. 5 had died, and 9 were captured for the breeding program. Their behavior in the wild was dangerous for their survival.
The California Condor is on the Endangered Species list, but the number of living condors has increased since the breeding program began in 1988. Perhaps one day these birds will become more frequently seen in the wild again.
Description of Condors
California condors are the largest birds in North America. They have bare heads, dull grey and black feathers, large wingspans, and weak talons. Condors looks like they have a necklace of black spiky feathers. They cannot carry food. They nest in caves or cliffs.
Conservation Efforts
Conservation efforts have already been mentioned and links are supplied below. This is an interesting story told by our teacher Mrs. Vitali.
Back in 1977-78, my husband assisted an environmental impact study being done in the Sierra Nevada near Shaver Lake. He was a student of Wildlife Biology at California State University, Fresno. I assisted him some in catching and releasing birds which we tagged and weighed. Most of our time was spent exploring the lovely surroundings looking for rare plants and animals. At the time they were planning on constructing a dam that would cover the area with water. We were especially looking to find a nesting site of a California Condor. Other graduate students also assisted with this work. No condors were found, but the dam was never built and the area is still enjoyed by many today, including my daughter who attended the Girl Scout camp in the area that would have been impacted. I would be absolutely delighted if some day I saw a condor flying in this area which I still visit on a regular basis. Link to story on Condor Sighting.
Interesting Facts about Condors
The California Condor has a wingspan of 9 1/2 feet. They weigh up to 25 pounds. The condor has only one baby. Both parents will care for the baby for 12-14 months. The condor is bald because it eats dead animals. It is a member of the vulture family.
Internet Links
Archaeological evidence indicates that condors have been revered by western Native Americans for thousandsof years and played a major role in their legends and rituals. http://moby.ucdavis.edu/GAWS/107/1india/bio-cond.htm
California condor http://arnica.csustan.edu/esrpp/condor.htm
FIRST CAPTIVE CALIFORNIA CONODOR HATCHES OUTSIDE OF THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA http://www.peregrinefund.org/condchic.html
Foundations to help preserve California Condors and Birds of Prey http://everest.hunter.cuny.edu/~kellip/condor/foundations.html
THE RAPTOR CENTER: statistics, facts, and news from the Los Angeles Zoo. http://www.raptor.cvm.umn.edu/newwebdev/raptor/websites.html
Report on Condors
http://www.hillsborough.k12.nj.us/hhs/endspeci/condor.htm
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Updated 7/23//98
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