54 



BIRDS OF AMERICA 



bufif and with or without markings of gray or reddish-brown. The young are naked 

 when hatched, but very soon they are covered with a white or buff down. They are fed 

 sometimes by regurgitation; and the adults have a habit, when frightened or angered, 

 of vomiting exceedingly offensive smelling matter. Turkey Vultures and Black Vultures 

 sometimes roost in company, but speaking generally the Vultures are not gregarious. 



All Vultures are famous for their majestic flight and for their marvelously keen eyesight, 

 which, rather than their sense of smell, enables them to discover their food. By making 

 perfect use of the air currents one of these great birds will mount for thousands of feet, or 

 soar for hours at a time, without once flapping its wings. 



CALIFORNIA VULTURE 



Gymnogyps calif ornianus (SItmv) 



A. O. U. Number 3.24 



Other Names. — California Condor; Queleli. 



Description. — Length, 4 to 4'4 feet; spread of wings, 

 9 to 1 1 feet. Wings, long, folding beyond end of 

 square tail ; head and neck, bare ; skin, smooth, yellow 

 or yellowish-orange and red ; plumage, sooty-blackish 

 commencing over shoulders with a semi-rufif of linear 

 feathers, those underneath of similar character but less 

 clearly defined ; the feathers of upper parts with 

 browner tips; wings and tail, black; outer webs of 

 greater wing-coverts and secondaries grayish ; wing- 

 coverts and outer secondaries edged with whitish ; 



u)iJcr 'a'iii!/-cin'crts, pure white; bill, dark brown chang- 

 ing gradually to dull reddish on cere; iris, deep red; 

 feet, horn with a patch of red on knees. 



Nest and Eggs. — Nest : A recess among rocks in 

 most inaccessible mountains, more rarely in hollow of 

 a stump or tree trunk. Eggs : I or 2, plain greenish- 

 white, unmarked. 



Distribution. — Coast ranges of California from 

 Santa Clara County south to northern Lower Cali- 

 fornia; casual north to southern Oregon and east to 

 Arizona ; formerly north to Columbia River. 



The California Vulture is as large as the Con- 

 dor of the Andes and when full-grown will 

 measure nine to eleven feet from tip to tip of 

 the wings when they are spread. It differs from 

 its South American brother in dress. Its head 

 and neck are bare and brilliantly colored in 

 orange and red. Its coat is plain brown or 

 blackish. It will weigh from twenty to twenty- 

 five pounds. The Condor seldom, if ever, attacks 

 living creatures ; it always plays a waiting game. 

 It never carries food in its talons, because its 

 foot is not made like the Eagle's for gripping 

 and carrying prey. No bird is gentler in disposi- 

 tion or more affectionate in his home life. 



The range of the California Condor is more 

 restricted than that of any other bird of prey. 

 The few left in the wild state live almost entirely 

 in the coastal motmtainotis regions of southern 

 California and a part of Lower California. Un- 

 less careful protection is given these few Condors 

 remaining in the these wild mountainous regions, 

 this largest of flying birds will soon cease to be 

 a part of the natural history of California. 



If you were to start on a hunt for the Cali- 

 fornia Condor, you might search for years, as 

 we did, without success. In the whole world's 

 collections, less than a dozen of these birds are 

 to be seen alive. In the various museums of the 

 world, one can find almost twice as many eggs 

 of the Great Auk, a bird now extinct, as of this 

 Condor. 



The main cause which has been given for the 

 decrease in Condors seems to be that when stock- 

 raising became common in California years ago, 

 the rangers were compelled, in order to secure 

 pasture during the dry months, to drive their 

 herds back into the more remote mountainous 

 parts. Here they invaded the retreats of 

 panthers, grizzlies, and coyotes. These preyed 

 upon the calves and sheep and did considerable 

 damage. The quickest and best device for get- 

 ting rid of these animals was by baiting car- 

 casses with poison. The Condors came to feed 

 upon the poisoned animals and large numbers of 

 the big birds were undoubtedly killed in this way. 



William L. Finlev. 



