![]() There are populations of wild condors in California (hence the name California condor), Arizona, and Mexico. Distribution of the California Condor Modern RangeĬalifornia condor populations have been reestablished in a small number of locations, through release programs. They frequent beaches, meadows, forests, mountains, and canyons. They have been found flying as high as 15,000 feet in the air! Condors can also reach speeds of up to 55 miles per hour.Ĭalifornia condors soar across a wide variety of habitats in search of food. These birds use their immense wings to ride rising thermal air currents, and will glide at great heights searching for food. High-Flying Speedsters – California condors are built for soaring.Once they find an appropriate partner they will mate for life. An unsuccessful pairing will “divorce,” and each bird will seek a more compatible mate. Monogamy, with Conditions – California condors are monogamous and mate for life – if they like their partner, that is.When the bird is alarmed, excited, or seeking a mate, blood will flow to the area turning the skin bright pink or red. Because they are bald, blood flow to the area can be seen under the skin without pesky feathers blocking the view. Chameleon Birds – By keeping that bald head and neck clean, condors can also communicate more effectively with others.This adaptation allows the birds to effectively clean themselves, which is vitally important to maintaining their health. Condors feeding on carcasses can dig into the rotting flesh without entangling debris in their feathers, because they don’t have any. While they may look ugly to you, this lack of feathers has a purpose for the birds. Bald is Beautiful – California condors, like many other vulture species, have a bald head and neck.The pink pigeon, the burrowing bettong and Sumatran rhino were among the first 181 species to be assessed by 200 scientists from 171 institutions in the decade-long effort to develop the green status metric, which looked at historical population size, present-day distribution, the success of previous conservation efforts and viable habitat.After facing virtual extinction, these magnificent birds are soaring through the skies again thanks to successful captive breeding programs! Learn more about these unique birds, and their interesting adaptations below. “Every species exists in different abundances and different distributions across the planet, so recovery has to be measured relatively.” Recovery, however, is relative,” says Molly Grace, a University of Oxford researcher who led the development of the IUCN’s green status tool. A species is either at risk of extinction or it’s not. “Extinction risk, which we’ve used to measure conservation progress for decades, is a very absolute thing. Recovery, however, is relative Molly Grace, researcher Extinction risk is a very absolute thing. It estimates the California condor, despite still being listed as critically endangered on the IUCN red list, has the potential for “a significant rebound over the next century” across its previous range from British Columbia to Baja California, giving hope to many more of the one million species threatened with extinction. Photograph: Cinda Mickols/APĪ new metric published by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) last year, known as thre Green Status of Species, is helping scientists plot a path to recovery for threatened animals and plants, not just halt their extinction. ![]() ![]() California condors on Cinda Mickols’s porch railing in Tehachapi.
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