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The middle toe is greatly
elongated, and the hinder one but slightly developed, while the
talons of all the toes are comparatively straight and blunt. The
feet are thus more adapted to walking as in their relatives the
storks, and of little use as weapons or organs of prehension as
in birds of prey and Old World vultures. The female, contrary
to the usual rule among birds of prey, is smaller than the male.
California Condor's head (adult)Sexual maturity and breeding behavior
do not appear in the condor until 5 or 6 years of age. They may
live for 50 years or more, and mate for life. The South American
condor prefers roosting and breeding at elevations of 3,000 to
5,000 m (10,000–16,000 ft).
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There on inaccessible
ledges of rock, its nest consisting merely of a few sticks placed
around the eggs, it deposits one or two bluish-white eggs, weighing
about 10 ounces and from 3 to 4 inches in length, during the months
of February and March every second year. The egg hatches after
54–58 days of incubation by both parents. If the chick or
egg is lost or removed, another egg is laid to take its place.
Researchers and breeders take advantage of this behavior to double
the reproductive rate by taking the first egg away for hand-rearing,
causing the parents to lay a second egg which they are generally
allowed to raise. The
young are covered with a whitish down until almost as large as
their parents. They are able to fly after six months, but continue
to roost and hunt with their parents until age two, when they
are displaced by a new clutch.
Above Image Come From The Us Fish and Wildlife Service
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