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Today on Animal Fact Files, we're talking about California condors. You can subscribe to the channel for more facts about all kinds of animals! Say hello to one of the rarest birds in the world. The California condor was actually considered extinct in the wild in the 1980s after human intervention had the remaining known wild population placed in captive care. Why would we do this? These birds might have gone completely extinct otherwise. Today, California condors can be seen soaring the skies of western North America, though they’re still quite elusive.

Fossil evidence suggests that California condors once flew across the entire landmass of North America. As scavengers, these birds consume carrion and have a preference for larger animals such as deer and bovines. Their ancestors were no exception to this. Long ago, the North American continent had diversity in heavily built mammals - the perfect meals for condors. Over time, these mammals died off and California condors became more restricted to the western coast of the continent. By the early 1900s, bird watchers had noticed a decrease in California condor populations, and by the 1980s their were thought to be just a few dozen individuals left in existence. Through laborious human efforts, these gigantic birds are making a comeback with populations reaching more than 400 individuals as of 2016 - more than half of whom are now living freely in the wild.

The sight of a California condor is not only awe-inspiring due to their scarce nature, but also because these birds hold the spot for the largest living birds in North America. Their wings can span up to ten feet (3 meters) in length and they may weigh upwards of 30 pounds (13.6 kilograms) depending on when they last consumed a meal. For scavengers, meals are often random and sporadic. It can sometimes be days between dinings, so when a California condor sees an opportunity to eat, it engages voraciously. These birds can store pounds of meat in their crop and will often rest hours after eating before returning to flight - a common sight in our household after Chester has finished a meal. Their size commands respect from other scavengers at a carcass and only the golden eagle’s tough talons are able to scare a California condor away from a meal.

Adult California condors top the food chain, but their young can be taken by ravens, eagles, and large carnivorous mammals. This may be in part why California condor nest in such precarious places. The edge of a rock face may seem like the last place anyone would want to raise their young, but for California condors it’s home. These birds typically start breeding around seven years of age and only produce one egg per nesting season. The egg takes about two months to develop before hatching and the chick takes half a year before flying solo, and she’ll stay with her parents for another six months or longer before setting off on her own. California condors may live to be sixty years old in the wild, though currently most of the surviving populations are much younger.

It’s thought that humans played a role in the decline of California condor populations, and we may still be a contributing factor to losses today. Every small act of kindness towards nature you perform - such as depositing waste into appropriate receptacles or recycling items that can be recycled - isn’t just helping your immediate environment but also the environment of everyone around you and those who may come after you. Let’s all try to do our best!

For more facts on California condors, check out the links in the description. Give a thumbs up for birds, and thank you for watching Animal Fact Files.