LIVE WEBCAM AT THE CONDOR SANCTUARY IN SAN SIMEON

More info: In 2016, a pair of condors began nesting near the San Simeon Sanctuary, which extended the breeding distribution of the species along the central coast. In 2020, the Dolan Fire resulted in the loss of approximately 10% of the central California population of condors. In 2020, Ventana Wildlife Society released nine captive-bred condors at the San Simeon Sanctuary, a group that helped stabilize the population in subsequent months.

The California condor is the largest flying bird in North America. Condors inhabit the forests, rocky shrubland and oak savannas of California, Arizona, Utah and Baja California, Mexico. At one time there were thousands of California condors in the wild and fossil records indicate that these birds once inhabited present-day Florida and New York.

California condors are vultures and like all vultures, they are carrion feeders, not predators. They eat anything that is already dead, ranging in size from mice to beached whales and they may travel 150 miles per day in search of dead animals to scavenge.

Condors do not have talons like hawks or eagles and they do not have a toe that faces backward (opposing), so they are unable to grasp their prey instead, relying upon upon their long powerful beaks to tear through flesh and hide. Condors prefer to eat large, dead animals like deer, cattle, and sheep, but they also eat rodents, rabbits, and even fish. They do not have a good sense of smell but rely on their very keen eyesight to find food. Often they will look for groups of other scavengers and use their size to scare them off and steal the carcass for themselves. Condors can eat over 1 kg (2-3 lbs.) of food at a time, and then go for days without eating anything.

California condors are uniquely adapted to carrying out their role as nature’s clean up crew. With a robust immune system they can feast upon dead animals, consuming several types of bacteria, without becoming sick. Their heads are bald for hygienic reasons; a featherless face stays cleaner when submerged into a rotting carcass. After feasting, California condors bathe frequently in rock pools and spend hours preening their feathers. If water is not available, they clean their heads and necks by rubbing them on grass, rocks, and branches.