Anthropology, Zoos, and Much More!

The largest flying bird is known as the California Condor and is now an endangered species and comes from North America. The wings of this majestic bird spans 10 feet from one tip to the other tip. They can fly up to 15,000 feet up in the air, making them the perfect scavengers of animals are large as deer and cattle.

They can devour one large deer or cow in one sitting. After resting for a few hours, it will start flying again in search of new prey.

The California Condor is a sacred bird to native Americans. Unfortunately, the population suffered so much that in the 1970s, it was at the brink of extinction.  There are many speculations as to why these birds began to die or disappear. Some of the theories were from eating poison, poachers stealing the California Condor eggs, and loss of natural habitat. None of these theories have ever been proven and it is most likely that the near extinction was a mix of all 3 reasons.

In addition to human intervention and error, the California Condor mature slowly. The females do not give birth frequently or in big numbers. In fact, a female California Condor can only get pregnant upon reaching 6 years. Then, she can only lay one or two eggs every two years. If a poacher manages to grab hold of that egg, then get a clearer picture of what may have happened.

With all these possibilities in mind, scientists with conservationists decided to breed them in captivity. They managed to get hold of some eggs and mature birds for their project. They also decided to get DNA samples which they added to the DNA bank for endangered animals. There is no plan yet what to do with the DNA samples, but they are there if and when needed. From the low population number of less than 10 wild California Condors, the numbers have slowly began to increase. It is very far from the hundreds of California Condors in the days of the native Americans, but the current number is now up by more than 100. For now, their biggest threat is hitting a power line when in flight.

Reference: Illustrated Encyclopedia of endangered animals.