Zoo InternQuest is a seven-week career exploration program for San Diego County high school juniors and seniors. Students have the unique opportunity to meet professionals working for the San Diego Zoo, Safari Park, and Institute for Conservation Research, learn about their jobs, and then blog about their experience online. Follow their adventures here on the Zoo’s website!
In the recent 20th century, due to multiple human-made factors, the population of one of our native birds nearly became extinct. This bird was the California condor. Some of the main factors of this phenomenon were hunting, littering, and the shocks of electric power lines, which resulted in only 22 California condors existing back in the 1980’s. Fortunately, conservation efforts have successfully been made to counter this endangerment of species. Before we dig deeper into their comeback story, let’s learn more about California condors.
First of all, California condors are the largest species of birds living in North America, with a wingspan of up to nine and a half feet.These large wings allow them to soar to heights of up to 15,000 feet in the air. From this height, California condors can use their excellent eyesight to spot potential sources of food such as deer, cattle, and sheep, as they have a poor sense of smell. California condors are part of nature’s clean up crew, as they typically feed on carrion (dead animal carcasses), which may lead to the misconception that California condors are unclean animals. This is in fact, not the case. One of the staple features of California condors is their baldhead. This lack of feathers allows them to maintain good hygiene when they feed, as they often need to stick their head inside carcasses while doing so. To clean themselves up after a meal, condors rub their head and body on objects such as rocks, grass, and branches, in addition to frequent bathing and feather maintenance.
Preferring rocky, forested regions, California condors often live in mountains, canyons and gorges. It is in these areas where they nest in preferably high up places. These include caves and rock crevices, along with cavities in trees. Though it can be said that condors “nest”, they actually do not build nests at all. Rather, they simply lay in eggs in the materials already present in the nest.
In a community, California condors display a complex social system. In mating, they practice monogamy and pairing for life , however, they have the option to find a new mate if their “marriage” is unsuccessful. California condors reproduce very few young, as females will usually only lay one egg every other year. Both the male and female play a role in incubating the egg and once hatched, raising the chick. Young California condors learn how to fly at around the age of six months and even then, they stay with their parents for another several months. It is during this time when the chick learns the basics of living and eating through observation of its parents. In order to establish themselves in such a complex society, young California condors are known to squabble over rank, attempting to earn the respect of other California condors.
Going back to the near extinction of the California condor, Scientists have taken action by bringing the condors into managed care where they facilitate their reproduction in order to save their critically small population. Now, through the success of these efforts,California condor populations have risen to over 430 California condors. With the goal of preventing the future extinction of California condors, scientists have trained them to avoid sitting on or flying into power lines, since they can produce a lethal shock to the birds. One easy thing you can do to help the California condors is pick up your trash and any litter you see lying around. It takes more than the efforts of scientists to end extinction for good, we need your help too!
Overall, California condors are a majestic bird that we nearly lost, had efforts to save the species not been made. To learn more about California condors, you can check out the San Diego Zoo or the Institute for Conservation Research’s website.
Evelyn, Species Spotlight
Week Five, Winter Session 2019
