California Condors
The condor is the largest flying bird in north America, with a body length of 3 1/2-4 1/2 feet and wing span up to nine feet. It can be recognized by its black feathers and pink neck which can show emotion, getting brighter when excited or mating. Looking up on a condor you will notice white patches of feathers. The condor is a master of flight, reaching speeds of 35-55 miles per hour. It takes off by catching rising air currents called thermals. Straight feathers called primaries located at the wing tips help the bird position itself on the thermals. It lands by partly folding its wings and sticking out its feet. Right when the condor looks like its going to crash it lands on its feet. It uses its tail to steer and as a brake. Its feet have no talons like eagles and hawks. Instead its nails are more like toe nails. Its not surprising that the condor has been around for so long with an average life span around 50 years. When the condor gets overheated it cools off by peeing on its feet or defecating on its legs to reduce body temperature. This is called urohydrosis. The condors diet consists of dead animals also called carrion. It does not hunt its own prey. The California condor had a major population decline
Man’s relationship with the condor has greatly changed. The native Americans had beliefs and legends about the condor. They believed the they rode to the spirit world on the wings of a condor. The Chumash Indians had a legend about how the condor got white on the bottom of its wings. Then came the pioneers who used the condor as target practice. Farmers had the biggest impact on the condor. They shot the condor, used DDT and poisoned coyotes. Hunters shot the condor for its skin, feathers and eggs and gave them lead poisoning. Then came the conservationists. They set up breeding programs and educated the public. But not everyone liked the new breeding programs. In 1987 protesters against capturing all the condors chained themselfs to the gates to the Los Angeles zoo and the bird had to go to the San Diego Wild Animal Park for one year. Through the efforts of the people at the breeding programs the condor may once again be soaring plentifully through the skies. The basic requirements for a condors habitat, a place to rest, raise their young and available carrion, haven’t changed since creatures like mastodons and saber toothed tigers roamed over north America. But their habitat range has. Around 100,000 years ago the condors range extended from British Columbia to Baja California, Florida t
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Approximate Word count = 888
Approximate Pages = 4 (250 words per page double spaced)
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