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California Condor

Gymnogyps californianusOrder: CICONIIFORMESFamily: Vultures (Cathartidae)

California Condor Portrait
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General

California Condor: Very large raptor with black body, bare-skinned red-orange head, and white wing patches. Sexes are similar. Juvenile has gray-skinned head and dull gray wing patches. Exceptionally rare bird.

Range and Habitat

California Condor: Found in arid foothills and mountain ranges of southern and central California; requires large areas of remote country for foraging, roosting, and nesting. Condors roost on large, old growth trees or snags, or on isolated rocky outcrops and cliffs.

Listen to Call

Voice Text

Hisses, growls, and grunts.

Interesting Facts

  • California Condors gorge themselves on several pounds of food in one sitting to sustain them until they find their next meal.
  • The skin on the bare head of an adult bird turns a deep red-pink during courtship or during times of alarm.
  • They can only make hissing or grunting noises because they do not have vocal cords.
  • A group of condors are collectively known as a "condo" and a "scarcity" of condors.


Author

Gary Owen Dick

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Range Map for California Condor
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Bird Call Credits: The Macaulay Library of Natural Sounds at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. Martyn Stewart, http://www.naturesound.org, Redmond, Washington USA. The reuse or copying of bird calls in this database is strictly forbidden.
Family
Species Gymnogyps californianus
Length46 - 52 Inches
Wingspan108 Inches

California Condor

California Condor: Very large raptor with black body, bare-skinned red-orange head, and white wing patches. They can soar for longs periods with minimal wing movement. Locates carrion with its keen eyesight, can survive several days without food. Has the largest wingspan of any North American bird.

● Song: Hisses, growls, and grunts.

● Foraging & Feeding: California Condor: Prefers large carcasses, such as deer, cattle, and beached marine mammals, but readily feeds on smaller carrion. Leaves roost to begin foraging late in morning, after strong thermals form, often returning to a known carcass.

● Breeding & nesting: California Condor: A single pale green or blue egg is laid in a shallow cave or rock crevice; no nesting material is added, but the pair may manipulate rocks and other objects to form a crude nest. Incubation ranges from 54 to 58 days and is carried out by both parents; produces no more than one brood every other year.

● Similar species: California Condor: Bald Eagle juvenile is noticeably smaller, has brown belly, long tail, and shows long head and neck projection in flight.

Flight Pattern

Soars for long periods with minimum flapping of wings
California Condor Body Illustration
● Range & Habitat: California Condor: Found in arid foothills and mountain ranges of southern and central California; requires large areas of remote country for foraging, roosting, and nesting. Condors roost on large, old growth trees or snags, or on isolated rocky outcrops and cliffs.
BreedingMonogamous, Mates for life
PopulationEndangered in limited range in U.S.
MigrationNonmigratory
Weight356.8 Ounces