California Condor

## The magnificent thunderbird

California condors are one of the largest flying birds. They are known for their enormous black wings, extraordinary eyesight, and an inquisitive and engaging intelligence. At one time there were thousands of California condors in the wild across the western United States and into Mexico. Fossil records indicate that these birds once inhabited present-day Florida and New York as well. Native American tribes have great respect for the condor and see it as a symbol of power. They call it the thunderbird because they believe the bird brings thunder to the skies with the beating of its huge wings. It can be distinguished in flight from other vultures by the large, triangular white patch under each wing.

## Impressive in flight

When they fly, California condors are a wonderful sight to behold. That’s when their impressive wings are shown in all their glory, and you can see that distinctive white patch. The structure of condor wings and the placement of the feathers allow these large birds to soar. Condors catch thermal air currents that rise up as the sun heats the ground, and with those huge wings they can stay aloft for hours, soaring through the skies as they scan the fields below. They can reach flying speeds of up to 55 miles per hour (88 kilometers per hour), and they can fly to altitudes of 15,000 feet (4,600 meters).

## Nature's cleanup crew

California condors are vultures. Like all vultures, they are carrion feeders, not predators. They eat anything that is already dead, ranging in size from mice to beached whales. Condors do not have talons like hawks or eagles do; instead, their nails are more like blunt claws. They also do not have a toe that faces backward (opposing), so they cannot grasp or carry prey with their feet. Condors prefer to eat large, dead animals like deer, cattle, and sheep, but they also eat rodents, rabbits, and even fish. Unlike turkey vultures, condors don’t have a good sense of smell, so they find their food mostly by their keen eyesight. These large birds gorge themselves on 2 to 3 pounds (1 to 1.36 kilograms) of food at a time and can then go without food for several days until they find another carcass. Like other scavengers, condors are part of nature’s cleanup crew, and they are an important part of the ecosystem. Without them, things could get pretty messy!

When a condor finds a food source, it often cases out the situation for days, safely perched on a hillside watching the carcass, or it flies in a circle for a long time before landing. Eventually, the condor flies down to the feeding site to dig in. Other condors soon follow, with two or more birds often grasping the same piece of meat, rocking back and forth and using each other’s weight to rip it apart.

At the San Diego Zoo Safari Park, the adult condors are fed either rabbits, rats, beef spleens (melts), trout, or a ground meat product made for zoo carnivores four days a week. They are not given the same items every time, as they would encounter different types of food in the wild. Wild condors don’t eat every day, so the condors at the Safari Park have “fast” days, where they don’t get any food either. This gives them a chance to digest what they’ve already eaten and is similar to what they would experience in the wild.

## Condors are neat!

Some people think of vultures as "dirty,” but California condors are pretty tidy birds. After eating, they clean their head and neck by rubbing them on grass, rocks, or branches. Condors also bathe frequently and spend hours smoothing and drying their feathers. They even have a very hardy and effective immune system, so they don’t get sick from any of the bacteria they may come in contact with when feeding on decaying animals.

## Bald and beautiful

Adult California condors have a distinctive pink head and neck that is bare of feathers. They may not be the prettiest birds you’ve ever seen, but that bare head is perfectly designed to keep rotting food from sticking to it as the birds eat. The skin on an adult condor’s head can also express some emotions. It turns a deep red pink during courtship or when the birds are excited or alarmed. The adults also have a throat sack that they can puff out during courtship displays. Male and female condors may look the same to us, but the birds know the difference!

## Condor etiquette

California condors have a complex social system. They are monogamous and, once established, generally pair for life. However, if a pair is unsuccessful, each bird may seek out a new mate. Condors, like other vulture species, are social birds that share food and spend time resting near one another. They use a variety of body postures, in addition to hisses and grunts, to communicate with one another to maintain social hierarchies.

## A home in the cliffs

Condors prefer nest sites high on cliff ledges or cave openings with sand on the bottom. Holes in very large trees, like sequoias or redwoods, also make for great condor nest sites, although no nest itself is constructed for the egg and the condor pair doesn't add any nesting material. The adult female lays a single whitish or pale green-blue egg directly on the substrate of dirt, pebbles, or woodchips between January and March. Both parents incubate the egg and care for the chick, and they may only raise one chick every other year. If that egg is lost (predation, accident, etc.), the female may lay a replacement egg approximately a month later. Although adult condors have no predators (other than humans), eggs and chicks may be attacked in the nest by ravens or golden eagles.

## Breaking out

Breaking out of the egg isn’t easy for a condor chick. It uses a sharp point on its beak called an egg tooth to crack through the shell, but it can still take many hours, or even days, for the chick to completely break free. The chick hatches with bare skin on its head, neck, belly, and underwings. When it’s about eight weeks old, the chick starts to wander outside of its nest area. Condor parents carry 2 to 3 pounds (1 to 1.4 kilograms) of food to their young by storing it in a food storage area in their throat called a crop. The parents regurgitate this meat and feed it to their chick until it learns to pick up food itself.

By five or six months of age, the youngster is ready to practice flying. It learns the fine points of dining by observing its parents and peers. One of our researchers says condors act much like human teenagers - continuously jostling and squabbling for rank, resources, and respect. A chick may stay with its parents for up to two years but does not attain its adult plumage until it is five to six years old.