#gymnogyps

[herpsandbirds]

California Condor (Gymnogyps californianus), family Cathartidae, order Cathartiformes, Grand Canyon, AZ, USA

CRITICALLY ENDANGERED.

photograph by Kojji Hirano

[snototter]

Mating California condors (Gymnogyps californianus) in Monterey County, California, USA

by ungerlord

[haveyouseenthisbirdpoll]

Have you seen a California condor (Gymnogyps californianus)?

Yes, in nature

No, but I have heard one in nature

Yes, in captivity

No, but I have heard one in captivity

I might have/I'm not sure

No, I've only heard of it/seen it in photos/taxidermy

No, and I have never heard of this bird

Voting ended onDec 12, 2024

Photo source

Map source

[scienceskink]

The High Priestess

California condor (Gymnogyps californianus)

The story of the California condor is a compelling and emotional one. North America's largest flying bird, once abundant and fed upon the carcasses of mastodon, giant sloths, and saber toothed cats. In the modern age they experienced a dramatic decline thanks to DDT, lead poisoning, and habitat destruction to name a couple of the threats. In 1987, the entire world's population of 22 California condors was captured in a last-ditch attempt to save the species. Captive breeding by the San Diego Wild animal Park and Los Angeles Zoo, involving double-clutching and hand rearing chicks with puppets was slow but successful. In 1991 the first California condors were released into the wild, and today there are over 550 birds, most are flying in the wild!

The California condor is also the only known vulture to go through parthenogenesis, the San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance found that two of their condors had produced offspring that upon having a DNA test had no DNA from any males! This in my opinion makes the California condor a fitting species for The High Priestess card, a card representing mystery, intuition, and spiritual knowledge.

This card was also one of the most emotional to research, many of the sites I found had information on individual condors, such as the website the Venata Wildlife Society, they even have a memorials page and it was quite emotional seeing birds and the ages they were when they passed.

The California condor is an awe-inspiring bird, and to see that nearly every single individual is tagged, known, and has a dedicated following of conservationists makes one feel hopeful for the future of these birds.

[birdblues]

California Condor

[ridiculousbirdfaces]

Condor Close-up by tomblandford California Condor (Gymnogyps californianus)

[dendroica]

Red List 2019: Guam Rail second bird to recover from extinction in wild | BirdLife

The Guam Rail Hypotaenidia owstoni is only the second bird in history to come back from being declared Extinct in the Wild – the first being the California Condor Gymnogyps californianus in the late 1980s, whose plight was infamously accelerated by an accidental forest fire caused by the country singer Johnny Cash. In this year’s update to the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species (for which BirdLife is the authority for birds), the Guam Rail follows in the footsteps of this high-profile species.

Once widely distributed across the island of Guam in the western Pacific, this fast-running flightless bird plummeted following the accidental introduction of Brown Tree Snakes Boiga irregularis by a US military cargo ship at the end of World War Two. This invasive predator has since profoundly changed the island’s ecosystem, driving three endemic bird species extinct and threatening several others with the same fate. In 1987, in a last-ditch bid to protect it, the final 21 Guam Rails were taken into captivity. Today, thanks to a 35-year captive breeding programme, a small population is now firmly established on neighbouring Cocos Island, where snakes are absent. However, as Cocos Island is just 38 hectares, the population size is likely to remain extremely small, so the species is still classed as Critically Endangered. For it to return to mainland Guam, the Brown Tree Snake would need to be removed altogether.

[nature-and-biodiversity-blog]

California Condor Gymnogyps californianus