Major Threats

Some of the major threats that affect the California condors are:

1. Lead Poisoning

Lead Poisoning is the major cause of death for the California condor. Lead from ammunition that is used by hunters to hunt game in areas where the birds live. When lead ammunition is used, lead bits can break up into many pieces, scattering around everywhere. This makes it susceptible for the lead to come into contact with these birds, and for the lead to accumulate inside of their bodies. Hunters can also leave behind the carcass, and organs of the animal behind, which contains lead ammunition. The California condor could eat the carcass, as it is a scavenger, and part of its biological job is to eat dead organisms. Ultimately, when the lead accumulates inside of the bird, and reaches a high level, it will be poisoned.

2. Habitat Loss

Human developments in areas where the California condor have lived led to the reduction of the habitat for this bird. As Humans moved into the natural habitat of the California condor, they would take away space where normally the California condor would live. Major Habitat Loss occurred in the 1800’s and 1900’s, when Europeans discovered the New World, and began to populate the areas where the birds would live. This would reduce nesting spaces for these birds, which is particularly harmful to the survival of these species as they lay one or two eggs and are unable to mate until they are 6-7 years of age. If they do not have a place to nest, then it will mean that the birds will not be able to continue their generation, reducing the number of birds in the next generation. Also, human developments would reduce resources for these birds. Humans would disturb natural systems, since humans would bring domestic farming into the region, which reduces how much food the bird would recieve naturally, and make it harder for it to survive.

3. Pouching

For many hunters, shooting animals such as the California condor is a sport, to display that they have caught an animal, and to be able to boast about it. However, this has a negative impact on the animal. As mentioned before, these birds do not produce many eggs, only around 1-2 and are able to mate at a rather late age, which is 6-7 years of age. So by killing these birds for mere sport, it is undermining the ability of the species to reproduce, and keep its generation going. This would have a negative impact on the long run, since the species will have a smaller and smaller population as they are hunted more and more, meaning that there will be less offspring of these birds. This would mean that the more you keep hunting the bird, the more loss the species will face as a whole. This is why this is a major threat to the California condor.

There is work which is being done to prevent the extinction of this species from lead poisoning. For example, condors found with high levels of lead will be treated, so that they do not die. In California a law has been passed that all lead based ammunitions are illegal to use in areas where the California Condor inhabit, which is basically the surrounding areas where the birds were first re-introduced. This regulation has been set in place to protect the birds from lead-based poisoning. All of these regulations have helped in the preservation of this bird.

On the left hand side is a picture of a lead ammunition bullet, and on the right is non lead ammunition bullet. As you can see, lead bullets break into many peices when they hit an object, and could indirectly be injested by a California Condor, poisoning it

The following picture is an aerial view of Los Angeles. Cities and Urban centres in the region such as Los Angeles have a negative effect on the condor, as they reduce nesting grounds, and food availability.