主题:動物/精選條目/2

加州神鷲（學名：Gymnogyps californianus）属于美洲鹫科新大陸禿鷲家族，为北美洲大陆最大的鸟类。如今这种鹫只生活在科羅拉多大峽谷区域以及加利福尼亚州和下加利福尼亞州北部西海岸的群山中。牠是加州兀鹫属中唯一存活的物种。

加州神鹫是一种大型黑色的禿鷲，翅膀下面有白色的小块，头部秃毛，根据其情绪的不同，显露的皮肤颜色为微黄色到鲜红色。在所有北美洲的鸟类中其翼幅最宽，同时也是最重的鸟类之一。加州神鹫是食腐動物，吃大量的腐肉。牠是世界上寿命最长的鸟类之一，其寿命可达50年。

19世纪以来，由于非法狩猎、鉛中毒和栖息地破坏，加州神鹫的数量急遽减少。最终，美国於1987年执行了一项自然保护运动计划，捕获了所有存活的野生加州神鹫，总计22只鸟被豢养在圣迭戈野生动物园和洛杉矶动物园。从1991年起，数量开始有所增长，加州神鹫又被重新放归山林。这项工程是美国迄今以来最昂贵的物种保护工程。加州神鹫是世界上最稀少的鸟类之一。到2008年12月，据统计只剩有327只存活的加州神鹫，其中半数以上为野生。

加州神鹫对于很多加州印第安人的文化具有重要意义，作为一个重要角色出现在一些传统的美國原住民神話中。

The California condor (Gymnogyps californianus) is a New World vulture, the largest North American land bird. This condor became extinct in the wild in 1987 (all remaining wild individuals were captured), but the species has been reintroduced to northern Arizona and southern Utah (including the Grand Canyon area and Zion National Park), the coastal mountains of central and southern California, and northern Baja California. Although other fossil members are known, it is the only surviving member of the genus Gymnogyps. The species is listed as critically endangered by the IUCN.

The plumage is black with patches of white on the underside of the wings; the head is largely bald, with skin color ranging from gray on young birds to yellow and bright orange on breeding adults. Its huge 3.0米（9.8英尺） wingspan is the widest of any North American bird, and its weight of up to 12公斤（26磅） nearly equals that of the trumpeter swan, the heaviest among native North American bird species. The condor is a scavenger and eats large amounts of carrion. It is one of the world's longest-living birds, with a lifespan of up to 60 years.

Condor numbers dramatically declined in the 20th century due to poaching, lead poisoning, and habitat destruction. A conservation plan was put in place by the United States government that led to the capture of all the remaining wild condors which was completed in 1987, with a total population of 27 individuals. These surviving 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 were reintroduced into the wild. The California condor is one of the world's rarest bird species: as of December 2015 there are 435 condors living wild or in captivity.

The condor is a significant bird to many Californian Native American groups and plays an important role in several of their traditional myths.