Midterm Prep CA Condors

Question 1

What are some basic physical facts about the CA condor?

Answer 1

20lbs, 60 plus year lifespan, obligatory scavengers, gregarious feeders, 9.5 foot wingspan, long lived, slow reproducing, pair defends nest, mates for life, incubation period is 57 days, nestling until 6 months, spends 1 year foraging with parents.

Question 2

What are some early causes for the decline in the CA condor population?

Answer 2

1. Reduced food supply
2. NA rituals
3. Gold rush
4. Egg collection
5. Habitat loss due to westward expansion, poisoning, and shooting

Question 3

What year were condors listed as an endangered species, and what happened as a result?

Answer 3

1967. The field research intensified, photo census of the molt pattern, radio telemetry began being used

Question 4

In 1982, how many condors were left in the wild?

Answer 4

22

Question 5

What is the multiple clutching tactic?

Answer 5

The first egg is removed and the condor mother then replaces it (up to 3 eggs per pair per season)

Question 6

What is the treatment for lead poisoning?

Answer 6

Chelation therapy- using chemical binds to remove lead from the blood

Question 7

What is the Ridley Act 2008?

Answer 7

Prohibited lead ammo for hunting large game in condor ranges

Question 8

What is the Assembly Bill 711 of 2013?

Answer 8

Expanded the ridley act to throughout CA, effective in 2019. Arizona is the exception because they label their population of condors as “experimental or non essential”

Question 9

Recovery goals for the condors

Answer 9

3 total populations that must be separate, self sustaining, and include 150 plus birds and 15 plus breeding pairs in each. 1 population in captivity 2 populations in the wild.

Question 10

What are the African vultures? And what are some threats to their survival?

Answer 10

White backed
Ruppells
Cape
Hooded
White-headed
Lappet-faced
Threats: poisoning, trade, muthi-traditional medicine, powerlines, drowning

Question 11

What is the Peregrine Fund?

Answer 11

Deals with human/predator conflict, runs Masai Muri vulture protection network, vultures are tagged and tracked in Kenya and south africa. They rescue and rehab, have vulture restaurants, conduct research, vet care, education, landowner engagement, non releasable vultures, breeding monitoring and biology

Question 12

What are the Asian vultures?

Answer 12

White-rumped
India
Slender-billed
Red-headed
Egyptian

Question 13

What happened to the population of the Asian vulture between 1986 and 1996?

Answer 13

There was a 90% decline- hard to determine reason why, possibly due to delay in recovering carcasses, and a lack of local resources and permits

Question 14

What occurred in Pakistan in 2000? And what were the effects of dying vulture populations? What are steps to recovery?

Answer 14

Necropsies show visceral gout, the cause was determined in 2004- poisoning by Diclofenac which was used for cattle and resulted in the renal failure in multiple vulture species. Effects: increase in feral dogs- rabies increase . Steps to recovery: Determine extent and cause, engage gov agencies, remove Diclofenac, use meloxican alternative, develop captive breeding facilities, create vulture safe zones, monitor wild populations