Feelings

Cleanliness

     This may sound a little strange, but California Condors are very clean! Though they dig in to all of those dead animal carcasses, they keep themselves unsoiled. After having feasted on rabbit, even a little sheep, the condor cleans himself. He rubs his dirty feathers on a grass, rocks and even branches, to get off any leftovers from the meal. California condors also bathe! They will get themselves wet, and then spend hours smoothing out their feathers so they look perfect, what drama queens! California Condors have a tough and hardy immune system, so the harmful bacteria that may come from decaying animals will not make them see.

Our world consists of many amazing animals, and the condor is one that we should admire. This truly beautiful bird, as unattractive as it may seem, has a heart no different than ours, and we should treat it the way we would like to be treated. Would you like the human race to fall to a deadly end? No, I don't think so! So why should it be any different than the condor? I don't know about all of you reading this article but I would be crushed if this species went away, wouldn't you? Remember, this animal has feelings just like you and me. The next time you hear people say "Who cares about the California condor it's just an ugly bird!" tell them to think again!

Looks

 The California condor is seen as unpleasant and hideous.  But this creature is really beautiful inside, and deserves a sense of respect and kindness. The reason their heads appear ugly is because they are scavengers which means they eat organisms and dead bodies, so when they start to eat, the feathers on their heads would start to come off and they would look even nastier.  They are born bald and obviously never grow any hair around their heads. This sure doesn’t help when it comes to protecting to the ultraviolet light in high altitudes. The skin color varies from yellowish to a glowing reddish-orange. The overall length of the condor can range from 117–135 centimeters (46–53 in) and the wingspan averages around 2.77 meters (9.1 ft).  There long wing span is good for glide at an average speed of 50 miles per our and glide for a 100 miles a day.  Their weight can range from 7–14 kilograms (15–31 lb.), with estimations of average weight ranging from 8–9 kilograms (18–20 lb.).  Most measurements are from birds raised in captivity, so determining if there are any major differences in measurements between wild and captive condors is difficult.

Diet 

 The California condor's diet is made up of mostly dead animals, rodents and carcasses that are left behind by hunters. It also eats medium and larger sized dead mammals such as sheep, deer, cattle, goats, donkeys, pigs, and horses in any start of decay. The scavenger sometimes has to go 250 kilometers (150 miles) each day in search of food (which in this case is decaying matter).  The condor actually has no sense of smell, and determines the location of dead animals by observing the movements of vultures and eagles. The Condor's diet is very important to us as it cleans up the carcasses in our society. It cleans up the mess we humans leave behind from hunting. 

Reproduction

 Condors nest in a cave or a cliff among boulders on a cliff or hillside.  Which makes sense because when there babies are old enough to learn how to fly, they will have an easier time because they can jump off of the cliff?  The female will lay its egg directly on the cave floor. The egg is kept warm for 54-58 days. After hatching, the baby condor learns to fly in about 6 months, but will stay with its parents for several more months. The extended breeding season prevents condors from breeding early. California Condors usually become mature at around 6 years old. A good way to tell both genders apart can be seen in their difference in size, the male is slightly bigger than the female condor. A newborn baby condor has a 4 foot wing span.

This picture shows the amazing

beauty of our California Condor.