The largest land bird in North America with a 9.5-foot wingspan, the California condor was reduced to just 22 birds in 1987 before captive-breeding rescued it. Today over 500 exist, half flying wild.

Also called: California Vulture (historic)

Native status: Native; critically endangered — extinct in wild 1987, reintroduced from captive flock

§ Quick facts

SizeBody 117–134 cm (46–53 in); wingspan 2.8–3.0 m (9–10 ft)
Weight7–14 kg (15–31 lb) — heaviest land bird in North America
LifespanWild 60+ years (one of the longest-lived US birds)
OrderCathartiformes
FamilyCathartidae

§ Encyclopedia

The California condor is a New World vulture and the largest North American land bird. It became extinct in the wild in 1987 when all remaining wild individuals were captured, but has since been reintroduced to northern Arizona and southern Utah, the coastal mountains of California, and northern Baja California in Mexico. It is the only surviving member of the genus Gymnogyps, although four extinct members of the genus are also known. The species is listed by IUCN as critically endangered, and similarly considered Critically Imperiled by NatureServe.

Source: Wikipedia — California condor Licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0

§ Identification

Field marks. Massive black vulture with bare orange head (adults); white triangular underwing patches in flight. Juveniles dusky-headed.

Similar species. Turkey Vulture (much smaller, red head, two-tone underwings). No other North American bird is even close in size.

Voice. Largely silent — no syrinx (vocal organ). Grunts and hisses near roosts.

§ Diet & behavior

Diet. Strict scavenger of large mammal carcasses: deer, elk, livestock, marine mammals. Lead from spent ammunition in carcasses is the leading mortality.

Behavior. Soars on enormous thermals, ranging 250+ km/day. Roosts communally on cliff ledges. Nests on cliff ledges and cave alcoves; single egg every two years.

§ Range

Mountains of California, Arizona, Utah, and Baja California

§ Habitat

Cliffs and rocky terrain near oak savanna, conifer forest, and chaparral

§ Threats

Lead poisoning from carcass scavenging is the #1 threat — a single fragment can kill. Also: power-line collisions, microtrash ingestion.

§ Conservation status

According to the IUCN Red List, the california condor is currently classified as Critically Endangered.

§ What helps

Use non-lead ammunition. Pack out trash from camp and trails. Donate to the Condor Recovery Program.

Support our work More ways to help

§ Further reading

§ Sources cited

  • Ventana Wildlife Society
  • USFWS recovery plan
  • IUCN Red List 2020
  • San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance