California Condor
Look, up in the sky! (We mean WAY up, as in 15,000 feet!)
It's a bird, all right--the mighty California condor! And with all due respect to that tall dude with yellow feathers on Sesame Street, this high flyer holds the title of the largest bird in North America. Weighing up to 25 pounds, he's got a wingspan of 9 1/2 feet and can glide for hours at 55 mph without once beating his wings. If that sounds hard, well...it is. It takes a year for young condors to sharpen their soaring skills.
The California condor is a vulture, a type of bird recognizable by his big size and bald head. And like his vulture cousins, the California condor chows down on carrion. That's the meat of dead animals, such as cattle, sheep, deer and horses. It may sound gross to you, but just think--he's part of nature's clean-up crew. And besides, he always washes up after dinner by rubbing his head and neck against grass, rocks and trees. No rinsing needed!