CONDOR ROOST, CALIFORNIA, LIVE WEBCAM

More info: Ventana Wildlife Society has been releasing captive-bred condors to Big Sur, California since 1997.

California condors take between six and eight years to reach sexual maturity. A male condor will perform ritualized displays to attract a female. The skin on his head may turn an intense red-pink colour during courtship. Once bonded, condor pairs perform acrobatic flights together. Once the birds mate, they stay together for years if not for life unless one of them perishes or they do not breed successfully.

Every two years, the female condor will lay just one egg. If the egg is lost or removed, she is able tp lay a replacement egg a month later.

A condor egg will hatch after 53 to 60 days of incubation which is undertaken by both parents. Chicks are born with their eyes open and sometimes can take up to a week to leave the shell completely. The young are covered with a grayish down until they are almost as large as their parents.

The young are able to fly after 5 to 6 months, but continue to roost and forage with their parents until they are in their second year, at which point the parents typically turn their energies to a new nest. Ravens are the main predatory threat to condor eggs, while golden eagles and bears are potential predators of condor offspring.

Additional Information :
California condor - All About birds - allaboutbirds.org
Understanding and Managing Condors - nps.gov
California condors - Defenders of Wildlife - defenders.org
California Condor - The Peregrine Fund - peregrinefund.org
California Condor - American Bird Conservancy - abcbirds.org
Animal Diversity Web - animaldiversity.org