California Condor (Gymnogyps californianus) lives in rocky mountains and coastal cliff across Southwestern United States and Baja California. Its conservation status is Critically Endangered.
Fascinating facts about the California Condor
- The California condor vanished from the wild in 1987 when every remaining individual was captured, but a concerted re-introduction programme has returned it to the landscape of northern Arizona, southern Utah, California's coastal mountains and northern Baja California. The birds that survived were first bred at the San Diego Wild Animal Park and the Los Angeles Zoo, creating a captive population that could later be released.
- With a wingspan of 3.0 m the California condor has the widest span of any North American bird, and individuals can weigh up to 14 kg, almost as heavy as the continent's trumpeter swan. Some birds have been measured with wingspans reaching 3.4 m, although no verified record exceeds 3.05 m.
- The California condor can live for up to 60 years, placing it among the longest-lived bird species on the planet. Once an individual reaches adulthood it faces few natural threats apart from human impacts, and its vocal repertoire is limited to low grunts and hisses because it lacks a syrinx. These birds spend considerable time bathing and can preen their feathers for hours each day, maintaining the condition of their large wing membranes.
- By 1987 only 27 condors remained, all held in captivity for a breeding programme. All remaining wild birds were captured that year, and the survivors were bred at the San Diego Wild Animal Park and the Los Angeles Zoo. Beginning in 1991 the species was re-introduced to its historic range, and the population has steadily increased ever since. In December 2025 the world total was recorded at 607 individuals.
- Condors cool themselves by excreting onto their legs, a behaviour called urohidrosis, which lowers their body temperature. They also bathe frequently and can spend hours each day preening their large feathers, keeping the wing membranes in good condition for soaring.
Sources
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At a glance
RangeSouthwestern United States and Baja California
HabitatRocky mountains and coastal cliff
DietCarrion and scraps
About the California Condor
As the California Condor soars through the arid skies, its massive wings beat with a slow, deliberate rhythm, a masterclass in effortless elegance, its feathers a deep, burnished black that seems to absorb the very sunlight itself. With eyes that gleam like polished onyx, this majestic creature rides the thermal currents, a monarch of the desert realms, its broad wingspan casting a shadow on the rocky outcroppings below. In a landscape of scrubby hills and canyons, the California Condor is a haunting presence, a reminder of a world both beautiful and fragile.
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