Environmental Needs of the California Condor

Range

• Historically, California condors could be found everywhere from Florida to New York with the highest concentration in the Western United States. Their present-day range is far more limited, with condors found in parts of the Southwestern United States, including Grand Canyon National Park and parts of California, Arizona and Utah. According to Defenders of Wildlife, development and other threats that condors face, including eating harmful trash and ingesting poisons such as lead, antifreeze and crude oil, hamper the condor's range expansion.

Dietary Needs

• As scavengers, California condors' main source of food is the carcasses of mammals, including the remains of dead cattle, horses, deer or other large and medium-sized animals. Strong eyesight helps guide them to sources of food; Defenders of Wildlife report that condors can travel 150 miles a day just to find food. Riding on thermal currents, California condors can fly up to 15,000 feet to take advantage of wind currents that will guide them to their next meal.

Reproductive Needs

• The National Parks Conservation Association states identifies one reason the condors remain critically endangered: They normally breed only every other year, producing one egg at a time. Nests generally sit high on rock faces or in caves, with females laying a single egg on the cave floor. If an animal preys on the egg or it's lost in another way, the female may produce another. Both parents help incubate the egg and feed the baby, and young condors can stay with their parents for up to a year as they learn how to fly and feed. According to the Peregrine Fund, a condor can reach sexually maturity at 6 years of age.

Climate Change

• Climate change may affect the California condor by contributing to more frequent wildfires that can destroy habitat, reports the Defenders of Wildlife, and even may change the winds that condors rely on to soar great distances in search of food. These threats, potentially accompanied by water shortages, could have substantial implications for the already critically endangered bird and its chances for survival in the wild.