The time for seeing the California Condor soaring free and high has unfortunately passed.  As author and naturalist Ken Brower said "When the vultures watching your civilization begin dropping dead....  ..... it is time to pause and wonder."  The Condor dates back to the Pleistocene era when it dined on Mastodons and camels that once roamed our continent.  In the 19th century, bison, deer, and an occasional beached marine animal were on the bill of fare.   Fossilized remains have been found as far east as Florida and New York for the bird which was once revered by Native Americans as a sacred, playing a major role in rituals and legends.  In fact, the name comes from the native Peruvian "kuntur".   By the time the pioneers began to settle the west the condor's range extended from British Columbia to Baja California.  The last free condors were limited to the coast of Southern California, nesting in the high chaparral mountains of Los Padres National Forest and feeding in the San Joaquin Valley.

The bird slowly succumbed to an onslaught of various assaults.   The habitat was slowly being destroyed, and food had become scarce.   DDT and other pesticides came up through the food chain and thinned the eggshells - causing reproductive failure.  Ranchers left poisoned bait meant for coyotes and others suffered lead poisoning from consuming animals left by hunters.  In some cases the birds were shot some birds and on occasion, eggs were stolen by unscrupulous oologists.  Some fell victim to predators while others were lost to electric lines.

By the 1940s there were only 100 left.  Fewer than 60 in the 1960's.  The condor was placed on the endangered species list in 1967 but by the late 1970's only 25 or so remained.   By 1982 only 22 were left.  There was much heated debate about how best to proceed.  While many preferred minimal interferance by working to improve the habitat others wanted to actively intervene with a captive breeding program.  The interventionist view was finally taken and the last wild condor, a seven year old male named AC-9 was taken into captivity in April of 1986.  The breeding program had mixed results at first, but currently there is about 120 California Condors alive.  Releases back to the wild began in 1992 including seventeen in the California region.  Six were recently released in the Grand Canyon where they had not soared for more than 70 years.  It is thought that the Grand Canyon may be a very suitable habitat even though supplemental feeding will still be necessary.  They can be enjoyed there by millions of people and the environment of the the national park can be tightly controlled.   Perhaps once again we shall see this bird riding thermals in tight circles, soaring high overhead.

And the condor does indeed soar, rarely flapping its wings.  It may rise in thermals for hours and then glide for long distances before seeking another thermal. The aerodynamic efficiency of the bird is increased by stretching the outermost feathers completely, creating gaps at the tips of the wings that allow a more even air flow.  This reduces drag allowing the condor to slowly glide on a downward path in tight circles.  As long as the warm column of air as rising faster than the downward path that keeps the condor in flight the bird will continue to rise and can reach an amazing altitude of  15,000 feet.

The male which reaches sexual maturity at age 5 to 7 performs a highly ritualized courtship display.  Standing with his wings spread, head down, and neck arched, he turns slowly from side to side in front of the female.  Though she appears disinterested, if she does not fly off she will accept further advances and form a long term bond, repartnering only after a mate is lost.

Taking care to select a the nesting site that allows them to become airborne with just a few flaps of the wing, they nest on a sheltered outcrop or cave on the face of a steep cliff.  The nest is a natural depression with no added material. The clutch consists of a single pale bluish-green egg about 4.5 inches long and weighing about 10 ounces.  The egg is incubated by both parents and hatches in 54-58 days.  The chicks are light pink and orange with off-white down that is soon replaced by gray down.  Flight feathers develop over a six month period but parental care and feeding of regurgitant material may continue for more than a year as the young develop their foraging skills.  For these reasons, the Condor rarely lays more than two eggs in three seasons.  They will however produce another egg should the first one be lost to predators.  In captivity the birds can be encouraged to lay as many as three eggs per year by removing the first egg.

Wild Condors would travel 150 miles a day in search of carrion, preferring larger carcasses such as deer or cattle which are found by following other scavengers.  In the wild the Condor may eat up to 3-4 pounds in one sitting and not eat again for several days.  They sometimes could not fly after a particularly heavy meal.  An intelligent bird, non-nesting condors would roost in large groups on rocky ledges adhering to a strict pecking order which was maintained by a well-developed system of body language and a remarkable combination of hisses, growls, and grunts that the condor can make even though it lacks a voice box.

Length 46-55 inches Wingspan 9.5-9.8 feet. Weight 17-24 lbs