What is "california condor"

Condor \Con"dor\ (k[o^]n"d[o^]r; in defs. 2 & 3, k[-o]n"d[-o]r), n. [Sp. condor, fr. Peruvian cuntur.]

1. (Zo["o]l.) A very large bird of the Vulture family ( Sarcorhamphus gryphus), found in the most elevated parts of the Andes.

2. (Zo["o]l.) The California vulture ( Gymnogyps californianus), also called California condor. [Local, U. S.]

   Note: In the late 20th century it is classed as an endangered species. The California condor used to number in the thousands and ranged along the entire west coast of the United States. By 1982 only 21 to 24 individuals could be identified in the wild. A breeding program was instituted, and by 1996 over 50 birds were alive in captivity. As of 1997, fewer than ten of the bred birds had been reintroduced into the wild.

3. A gold coin of Chile, bearing the figure of a condor, and equal to twenty pesos. It contains 10.98356 grams of gold, and is equivalent to about $7.29. Called also colon.

4. A gold coin of Colombia equivalent to about $9.6

5. It is no longer coined. [Webster 1913 Suppl.] ||

California condor \Cal`i*for"ni*a con"dor\ (Zo["o]l.) a large vulture ( Gymnogyps californianus), also called California vulture.

Note: In the late 20th century it is classed as an endangered species. The California condor used to number in the thousands and ranged along the entire west coast of the United States. By 1982 only 21 to 24 individuals could be identified in the wild. A breeding program was instituted, and by 1996 over 50 birds were alive in captivity. As of 1997, fewer than ten of the bred birds had been reintroduced into the wild.

The California condor (Gymnogyps californianus) is a New World vulture, the largest North American land bird. This condor became extinct in the wild in 1987 (all remaining wild individuals were captured), but the species has been reintroduced to northern Arizona and southern Utah (including the Grand Canyon area and Zion National Park), the coastal mountains of central and southern California, and northern Baja California. Although other fossil members are known, it is the only surviving member of the genus Gymnogyps. The species is listed as critically endangered by the IUCN.

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. Its huge wingspan is the widest of any North American bird, and its weight of up to nearly equals that of the trumpeter swan, the heaviest among native North American bird species. The condor is a scavenger and eats large amounts of carrion. It is one of the world's longest-living birds, with a lifespan of up to 60 years.

Condor numbers dramatically declined in the 20th century due to poaching, lead poisoning, and habitat destruction. A conservation plan was put in place by the United States government that led to the capture of all the remaining wild condors which was completed in 1987, with a total population of 27 individuals. These surviving birds were bred at the San Diego Zoo Safari Park and the Los Angeles Zoo. Numbers rose through captive breeding and, beginning in 1991, condors were reintroduced into the wild. The California condor is one of the world's rarest bird species: as of December 2015 there are 435 condors living wild or in captivity. The condor is a significant bird to many Californian Native American groups and plays an important role in several of their traditional myths.