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Poaching, habitat destruction and lead poisoning
- According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature, the condor became critically endangered in the 20th century — one classification behind extinct in the wild. The decline came from poaching, habitat destruction and lead poisoning as condors scavenged for carrion containing lead shots.
www.npr.org › 2019/07/21 › 743901094
Though things are looking up for the California condor, the species continues to be classified as critically endangered by the IUCN and faces ongoing threats to its survival, including human ...
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The California condor was placed on the federal endangered species list in 1967. Critical habitat was identified and mortality factors were studied. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service began a captive breeding program in 1983, teaming with the Los Angeles Zoo and the San Diego Wild Animal Park.
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 (including the Grand Canyon area and Zion National Park), the coastal mountains of California, and northern Baja California in Mexico.
- California Range and Habitat
- Description and Breeding
- Condor Behavior
Range During the Pleistocene Era, ending 10,000 years ago, the condor's range extended across much of North America. At the time of the arrival of European settlers, the condor ranged along the pacific coast from British Columbia south through Baja California, Mexico. By 1940, the range had been reduced to the coastal mountains of southern Californ...
Description Males and females are similar in appearance. Adult condors have a mostly bald head and neck. The skin of the head and neck is colored in shades of pink, red, orange, yellow, and light blue; becoming more intensely pink/orange during times of excitement and in the breeding season. Feathers are mostly black except for white underwing lini...
Feeding Condors do not kill for food; they are carrion eaters and prefer to feed on the carcasses of large mammals including deer, marine mammals such as whales and seals, and cattle. A condor may eat up to 3 to 4 pounds of carrion at a time and may not need to feed again for several days. Condors find their food by sight or by following other scav...
The California condor has been protected as an endangered species by federal law since 1967 and by California state law since 1971. In the 1970s, biologists found that only a few dozen condors remained in the wild.
Aug 2, 2024 · The California condor is listed as critically endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature, though its numbers have increased through a conservation program begun in the late 20th century.
Apr 5, 2023 · Brought back from the brink of extinction in the mid 1980s, California condors have steadily increased their numbers, thanks to the tireless efforts of biologists, researchers, local landowners, ranchers, hunters, and many partner organizations.
