2. C alifornia C ondors R eintroduction By: Kaitlyn Kunce http://animals.nationalgeographic.com/animals/birds/california-condor/

3. http://www.bigsurcalifornia.org/condors.html -Largest flying bird in North America -Wing Span: Nearly 10ft tip to tip -Use air currents to soar -Weight: 18-31 lbs Opportunistic scavengers: feast on carcasses of large mammals California Condor Gymnogyps californianus

4. California Condor egg in nest cave. Photo by Brandt http://www.ventanaws.org/species_condors/ -Long-lived species -Breeding age is between 6-8 years old -Mate for life -Female only lays one egg every two years -Egg is about 5 inches long, and 10 ounces -56 days of incubation -Young fledge at 5-6 months of age -Cavity-nesting birds: do not build nests

5. California Condors adult -photo by Joe Burnett -Mostly black feathers -Heads and neck are mostly bare -Their necks and heads turn pink when they’re excited -Also can be shades of red, orange, yellow, and light blue

6. 1967: Placed on the Federal Endangered Species Act 1980: The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service began a captive breeding program with the Los Angeles Zoo, and the San Diego Wild Animal Park 1982: 21-23 birds in California 1987: Decision was made to bring all the remaining condors into captivity 1992: January, began releasing condors into the wild in California 1996: December, began releasing condors into the wild in Arizona Since then, program personnel soft-released roughly 6-10 birds per year. 2011: Total Population 369 with 192 in the wild and 177 in captivity

7. California Condor lead poisoning. Photo by Noel Snyder -Loss of habitat -Power lines -Shootings -Lead poisoning Ingest lead from spent ammunition found in animal carcasses and gut piles.

8. The Recovery Goals of the California Condor Program: -Maintenance of at least 2 wild population -Maintenance of at one captive population -Each population must =contain 150 individuals and 15 breeding pairs =be reproductively self sustaining =have a positive population growth rate -Wild populations must =be separated and non-interacting =contain descendants from each of the 14 founders Future Status of the Arizona Program: 1. Continue daily monitoring of condors. 2. Addition of more satellite and GPS transmitters. 3. Expansion of the 10(j) area. 4. Establish a medical treatment facility near the release site. 5. Continued education programs on condor reintroduction.

9. http://www.ventanaws.org/species_condors/adopt_a_condor.htm

10. References: National Geographic. 1996-2012. California Condors. Retrieved from http://animals.nationalgeographic.com/animals/birds/ california-condor/ National Parks Conservation Association. California Condor. Retrieved from http://www.npca.org/protecting-our- parks/wildlife_facts/condor.html Sullivan, Kathy. 2009. California Condor Recovery. Retrieved from http://www.azgfd.gov/w_c/california_con dor.shtml Ventana Wildlife Society. 2009. California Condor Reintroduction. Retrieved from http://www.ventanaws.org/species_condors/