![]() However, there is a Late Pleistocene form that is sometimes regarded as a palaeosubspecies, Gymnogyps californianus amplus. The California condor is the sole surviving member of Gymnogyps and has no accepted subspecies. It may even have derived from a founder population of California condors. A condor found in Late Pleistocene deposits on Cuba was initially described as Antillovultur varonai, but has since been recognized as another member of Gymnogyps, Gymnogyps varonai. From fossils, the Floridian Gymnogyps kofordi from the Early Pleistocene and the Peruvian Gymnogyps howardae from the Late Pleistocene have been described. During the Pleistocene Epoch, this genus was widespread across the Americas. The genus Gymnogyps is an example of a relict distribution. Įvolutionary history Fossil of the extinct species Gymnogyps amplus from the La Brea Tar Pits Īs of the 51st Supplement (2010) of the American Ornithologists' Union, the California condor is in the family Cathartidae of the order Cathartiformes. The South American Classification Committee has removed the New World vultures from Ciconiiformes and instead placed them in Incertae sedis, but notes that a move to Falconiformes or Cathartiformes is possible. ![]() More recent authorities maintain their overall position in the order Falconiformes along with the Old World vultures or place them in their own order, Cathartiformes. Just how different the two are is under debate, with some earlier authorities suggesting that the New World vultures are more closely related to storks. Though similar in appearance and ecological roles to Old World vultures, the New World vultures evolved from a different ancestor in a different part of the world. The exact taxonomic placement of the California condor and the other six species of New World vultures remains unclear. The word condor itself is derived from the Quechua word kuntur. The generic name Gymnogyps is derived from the Greek gymnos/γυμνος "naked" or "bare", and gyps/γυψ "vulture", while the specific name californianus comes from its location in California. gryphus), but, due to the Andean condor's slightly different markings, slightly longer wings, and tendency to kill small animals to eat, the California condor has been placed in its own monotypic genus. It was originally classified in the same genus as the Andean condor ( V. The California condor was described by English naturalist George Shaw in 1797 as Vultur californianus Archibald Menzies collected the type specimen "from the coast of California" during the Vancouver expedition. Taxonomy Frederick Polydore Nodder's illustration accompanying George Shaw's 1797 species description The condor is a significant bird to many Californian Native American groups and plays an important role in several of their traditional myths. In December 2020 there were 504 California condors living in the wild or in captivity, while by December 2022 the population totaled 537, of which 336 lived in the wild. Since then, their population has grown, but the California condor remains one of the world's rarest bird species. Numbers rose through captive breeding, and beginning in 1991, condors were reintroduced into the wild. These surviving birds were bred at the San Diego Wild Animal Park and the Los Angeles Zoo. A conservation plan put in place by the United States government led to the capture of all the remaining wild condors by 1987, with a total population of 27 individuals. ![]() Ĭondor numbers dramatically declined in the 20th century due to agricultural chemicals ( DDT), poaching, lead poisoning, and habitat destruction. It is one of the world's longest-living birds, with a lifespan of up to 60 years. ![]() The condor is a scavenger and eats large amounts of carrion. Its 3.0 m (9.8 ft) wingspan is the widest of any North American bird, and its weight of up to 12 kg (26 lb) nearly equals that of the trumpeter swan, the heaviest among native North American bird species. The plumage is black with patches of white on the underside of the wings the head is largely bald, with skin color ranging from gray on young birds to yellow and bright orange on breeding adults. The species is listed by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature as Critically Endangered, and similarly considered Critically Imperiled by NatureServe. It is the only surviving member of the genus Gymnogyps, although four extinct members of the genus are also known. It became extinct in the wild in 1987 when all remaining wild individuals were captured, but has since been reintroduced to northern Arizona and southern Utah (including the Grand Canyon area and Zion National Park), the coastal mountains of California, and northern Baja California in Mexico. The California condor ( Gymnogyps californianus) is a New World vulture and the largest North American land bird. ![]()
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