Condor #27 Spotted!

Looking over the lower ledge of “The Lookout” at the Grand Canyon, we spotted a large, black bird on a ledge below. After further viewing using binoculars, it was noted that this creature had an orangish-red head and sported a large number 27 on a tag on its side. Wow! Condor Number Twenty Seven! That’s 27 of a total 172 living in the wild! (see excerpts from Wikipedia, below).

The California Condor is a a North American Species of bird in the vulture family and the largest North American land bird. Currently, this condor inhabits only the Grand Canyon area, Zion National Park, and western coastal mountains of California and northern Baja California.

It is a large, black vulture with patches of white on the underside of the wings and a largely bald head with skin color ranging from yellowish to a bright red, depending on the bird's mood. It has the largest wingspan of any bird found in North America and is one of the heaviest. It is one of the world's longest living birds, with a lifespan of up to 50 years.

Condor numbers dramatically declined in the 19th century due to poaching, lead poisoning, and habitat destruction.

Eventually, a conservation plan was put in place by the United States government that led to the capture of all the remaining wild condors in 1987. These 22 birds were bred at the San Diego Wild Animal Park and the Los Angeles Zoo. Numbers rose through captive breeding and, beginning in 1991, condors have been reintroduced into the wild. The project is the most expensive species conservation project ever undertaken in the United States. The California Condor is one of the world's rarest bird species. As of February 2009, there are 321 condors known to be living, including 172 in the wild.

:) ~!~
Be sure to click on the photo to see a large view. You will be able to see the "27" on the condor's tag.