California Condor

California Condor Stats Wingspan: 91/2 Feet Weight: 25 pounds Food: large dead animals Travel: 150 miles a day Soar: up to 50 miles an hour Long Lived: 60 years Habitat: cliffs, ledges, forests, & large open grasslands Pleistocene: condor found throughout North America Mating: for life Fledge: 5-6 months Sexually mature: 5 years of age Reproduction: single egg every other year Dependent on parent for 1-2 years Dimorphism: same for adults - young all black to age of 3-4yrs

Reasons for Reduced Populations Food Resources: large game Settling of the west Shooting Poisoning from lead and DDT Egg collecting Habitat degradation Population: dwindled to just 22 birds Captive breeding Reintroduction of captive bred birds began in 1992 in California & in 1996 in Arizona.

Recovery Plan 1. Placed on the federal endangered species list in 1967 2. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service began a captive breeding program in 1980 3. In 1987, a controversial decision was made to bring all remaining condors (22 individuals) into captivity 4. Captive bred condors released into the wild 1992 5. Double clutching 6. Puppetry 7. Soft Release - hacking

Recovery Efforts

Losses Shootings $150.00, 2K, 20K and community service Collisions with power lines Electrocution Anti Freeze Lead Poisoning Fire

Program Goals To be downlisted from Endangered to Threatened Maintenance of at least 2 wild populations Maintenance of one captive population Each population must: number at least 150 individuals must contain at least 15 breeding pairs be reproductively self sustaining have a positive rate of population growth Non-captive populations must: be spatially disjunct and non-interacting contain descendents from each of the 14 founders

Population Condor Numbers (updated 12/5/07) Total population 300 Captive population 142 Wild population 158 Arizona population 63 California population 80 Baja population 15

Arguments Against Intrusion into nature Property Rights Cost A risk that might speed the birds demise

Power Pole Aversion Training

Whooping Crane Estimated that between 500 and 1,400 whooping cranes inhabited North America in 1870 Collisions from power lines illegal shooting for meat and sport Avian tuberculosis, avian cholera, and lead poisoning Due to their long migration route, whooping cranes also are vulnerable to natural disasters such as hail storms or draught. The Crane's delayed breeding maturity and small clutch size make the population slow to recover

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