During that time, the chick is vulnerable to cold or hunger, especially when its parents fly far to forage for food, leaving the chick exposed for an extended time. After hatching, it takes the young condor 18 months to develop its wings sufficiently for flight. They have also been affected by DDT and other insecticides.Ĭalifornia condors lay only a single egg. California condors have also suffered lead poisoning after ingesting lead shot or bullets in carrion. In addition, rangeland where dead cattle might have been scavenged was extensively converted to cultivated fields of alfalfa and other crops. In recent decades, condor habitat has been further disrupted by petroleum drilling, planting of citrus groves, and residential developments. By the 1950s its range was restricted to a small area of central California surrounding the southern end of the San Joaquin valley. As human populations in the region grew, the condor population declined further. By the time of the European settlement, the range of the California condor was restricted to the western coast and mountains. However, the condors began to decline at about the same time that many of these large mammals became extinct, around 10–12 thousand years ago. Historically, its range extended over much of North America, when it once foraged for carcasses of large ice age mammals. The California condor, however, is one of the most critically endangered animals on Earth. Although rare, this species still exists in relatively large numbers. It can fly over the highest peaks, but may land on lower-lying fields to scavenge dead animals. The range of the Andean condor extends throughout the high Andean Mountains, and much of this habitat remains wild. The California condor does not have this growth. The Andean male has an extra fleshy growth on top of its head, rather like a rooster's comb.
CONDOR WINGSPAN SKIN
The Andean condor's naked skin is red, while that of the California condor is pinkish orange. Both condors have a bald head and a short, sharply hooked beak. Both species have a ruff of feathers around the neck, colored black on the California condor and white on the Andean. The California condor has a wing span of 9 ft (2.7 m), while that of the Andean condor is 10 ft (3.1 m). They have black or dark brown plumage with white patches on the underside of the wings. The combined head and body length of the living condors is about 50 in (127 cm), and they weigh 20–25 lb (9–11 kg).
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