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First Off: General Facts
* Family Cathartidae
* North American species of bird
* Weighs 20-26 lbs.
* Wingspan: over 9 ft(3 m)
* Males: brown eyes
* Females: garnet red eyes
* Inhabits Grand Canyon area, western coastal mountains of California and northern Baja California
* Only surviving member of genus Gymnogyps
* Black with patches of white on wing underside
* Largely bald head with skin color ranging from yellowish to bright red
* Skin color changes according to bird's mood
* Largest wingspan in North America
* One of the heaviest birds there
* Scavenger, feeds on large amounts of carrion
* Lifespan: up to 50 yrs.
* Known to have lived 75 yrs. in zoos
* Dramatic decline in 19th century
* poaching
* lead poisoning
* habitat destruction
* Travels at 250 km a day searching for carrion
* flies up to speeds of 90 km/h (55 mph) and as high as 4,600 meters (15,000 ft)
* Defecate on their legs- reduces core body temperature
*This is known as Urohydrosis.
* Genetically related to storks
* Consumes average of 2-3 lbs at a feeding
* Sometimes takes week to hatch from an egg
* Chicks are born with eyes open
* Regurgitates when scared
* No talons like eagles or hawks, condor nails more like toenails
Hey kids! Try this memory game!
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A Poached Bird
The great decline in the condor population is blame on lead poisoning(eating dead animals with lead shot), DDT poisoning,[35]
electric power lines, egg collecting, habitat destruction and of course poaching(esp. for museum specimens).
Adding to this, cattle ranchers have had mistaken for condors killing their cattle. They thought so as they observed
them feeding on their dead bodies. This false news brought the extinction of the condor in some parts of the United States.
This belief challenged cattle ranchers who believed these birds hunted calves and sheep.
Close up...
Home sweet home
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