The California condor is the largest bird in North America. From tip to tip their wingspan is 9 1/2 feet. They weigh from 17 to 25 pounds and when standing on the ground they reach from 45 to 55 inches tall.

Males and females are similar in appearance. Adult condors have a mostly bald head and neck. The skin of the head and neck is colored in shades of pink, red, orange, yellow, and light blue; becoming more intensely pink/orange during times of excitement and in the breeding season. Feathers are mostly black except for white underwing linings. Juvenile birds have dusky black heads and bodies with limited white underwing linings. At hatch, chicks have light pink and orange skin and are covered in off-white down which is quickly replaced by gray down.

California condors can soar on warm thermal updrafts for hours, reaching speeds of more than 55 miles per hour and altitudes of 15,000 feet. Flights up to 150 miles in a day have been recorded. Condors hold their wings in a horizontal position and fly very steadily, unlike turkey vultures which fly with their wings held in a V-shape and appear to be unsteady or "wobbly."

This information is courtesy of the US Fish & Wildlife Service, Pacific Region. For California Condors' stuff, check out our Stuff Page.