California condor

The California condor (Gymnogyps californianus) is a critically endangered North American vulture and the continent’s largest land bird.

Carrion: The decaying flesh of dead animals, consumed by scavengers. Condors feed on large carcasses rather than killing their own prey.
Gymnogyps: A genus of New World vultures containing the living California condor and extinct relatives. The species is the sole living member of this vulture genus.
California Condor Recovery Program: A cooperative effort to breed, release, and monitor California condors. This program coordinates the species’ captive breeding and wild-population recovery.
Endangered Species Act of 1973: A United States law that protects threatened and endangered species and their habitats. Federal protections shaped the condor’s recovery strategy and captive-breeding effort.
Thermal: A rising column of warm air that can lift soaring birds. Condors use thermals to travel long distances while spending little energy.
New World vultures: A family of mostly scavenging birds native to the Americas, including condors. The California condor belongs to this American lineage of vultures.
Captive breeding: The managed reproduction of animals in human care to support conservation. Captive breeding rebuilt the condor population after wild birds were gathered for protection.
California Condor Conservation: Actions to prevent California condor extinction and restore wild populations. The species’ survival depends on continuing intervention against major human-caused threats.
Vultures: Scavenging birds of prey that feed mainly on carcasses. The California condor belongs to this broad group of carrion-feeding birds.
Pleistocene megafauna: Large-bodied animals that lived during the Pleistocene epoch. Fossils show condors scavenged the carcasses of North America’s extinct large mammals.

Linked from 7 pages