Grand Canyon California Condor Preservation

 

 

The California condor is considered one of the rarest birds in the world and is the largest land bird in North America. The condor boasts a wingspan of 9 ½ feet and weighs up to 22 pounds. The condor is unmistakable, black in color with white wing-linings and a silvery panel on its upper flight feathers. It has a naked head which is orange – red in color.

 

The condor is considered one of the most endangered birds and at one point, its population dangerously declined to less than 25 birds. Prior to the extinction faced by the condor, it made the Grand Canyon its home for nearly 10,000 years. Through captive breeding and the efforts of the Peregrine Fund, the population has steadily grown and there are now more than 72 condors in the area. Condors prefer mountains, gorges and hillsides which create updrafts and provide them with favorable soaring conditions, thus making the Grand Canyon an ideal home for these magnificent creatures. With the thermal updrafts, condors can fly at speeds up to 50 miles per hour and travel more than 100 miles in search of food, all while exerting little energy.

 

Condors are members of the vulture family and prove to be gifted scavengers, feeding on dead animals like deer, cattle, rabbits, sheep and large rodents.

 

Condors are very social creatures, spending a lot of time feeding and roosting together. They are also known to congregate near people.