# California condor (*Gymnogyps californianus*)

Canonical page: https://creaturedata.com/animals/california-condor  
Data as of: 2026-11-11

The california condor (Gymnogyps californianus) is a bird of prey in the family Cathartidae and the order Accipitriformes. It is a medium-sized bird by body mass, with adults weighing 8.4 kg (from 8.1 to 8.8 kg) and a wingspan of 2.8 m. The california condor is a terrestrial, sedentary scavenger of shrubland habitat, with a geographic range of 101,700 km². It is listed as Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List, an IUCN threatened category.

## Quick facts

| Fact | Value |
|---|---|
| Weight | 8.1 kg – 8.8 kg |
| Length | Not recorded |
| Wingspan | 2.82 m |
| Lifespan | 18.6 years – 45 years |
| Diet | Scavenger |
| Main food | Not recorded |
| Habitat | shrubland |
| Egg incubation | 56.3 days |
| Young per litter or clutch | 1 |
| Age at maturity | 5.99 years |
| Litters or clutches a year | 1 |
| Lifestyle | Terrestrial |
| Migration | Sedentary |
| Conservation status | Critically Endangered (IUCN) |
| Countries on record | Not recorded |

## Classification

- kingdom: Animalia
- phylum: Chordata
- class: Aves
- order: Accipitriformes
- family: Cathartidae
- genus: Gymnogyps
- species: *Gymnogyps californianus* (Shaw, 1797)

Synonyms: *Cathartes vulturinus*, *Gymnogyps amplus*, *Gymnogyps californianus californianus*, *Pseudogryphus californianus*, *Vultur californianus*

## Common questions

### What kind of animal is the california condor?

The california condor is a bird of prey in the family Cathartidae. It is also called the royal vulture, California vulture or Californian vulture.

### How heavy is the california condor?

Adult California condors weigh 8.4 kg, with reported values from 8.1 to 8.8 kg. Their wingspan is 2.8 m.

### What does the california condor eat?

The california condor is a scavenger.

### Is the california condor endangered?

Yes. The california condor is listed as Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List, which is an IUCN threatened category.

### How long does the california condor live?

The california condor has a lifespan of 45 years. It reaches sexual maturity at 6 years.

### How many eggs does the california condor lay?

The california condor has a clutch size of 1, with 1 clutch per year. Incubation lasts 56 days.

### What habitat does the california condor use?

The california condor uses shrubland habitat and is terrestrial and sedentary.

### Who named the california condor?

The california condor was named Gymnogyps californianus by (Shaw, 1797).

## Sources

- [An amniote life-history database to perform comparative analyses with birds, mammals, and reptiles](https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3563457.v1), CC0 1.0, E096-269. Myhrvold, N.P., Baldridge, E., Chan, B., Sivam, D., Freeman, D.L. & Ernest, S.K.M. (2015) An amniote life-history database to perform comparative analyses with birds, mammals, and reptiles. Ecology 96: 3109. https://doi.org/10.1890/15-0846R.1. Data: https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3563457.v1
- [AVONET: morphological, ecological and geographical data for all birds](https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.16586228.v7), CC BY 4.0, v7. Tobias, J.A. et al. (2022) AVONET: morphological, ecological and geographical data for all birds. Ecology Letters 25: 581–597. https://doi.org/10.1111/ele.13898. Data: https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.16586228.v7
- [Catalogue of Life eXtended Release](https://www.checklistbank.org/dataset/316691), CC BY 4.0, 2026-10-16 XR. Catalogue of Life (2026). Catalogue of Life eXtended Release, version 2026-10-16 XR. Catalogue of Life Foundation, Amsterdam, Netherlands. https://doi.org/10.48580/dgzlf
- [Wikimedia Commons](https://commons.wikimedia.org), per file (CC0 / public domain / CC BY green, CC BY-SA amber, anything else not displayed), 2026-11-11. Wikimedia Commons contributors. Wikimedia Commons. https://commons.wikimedia.org (each file credited to its author under its own licence).
- [Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org), CC0 1.0, 2026-11-11. Wikidata contributors. Wikidata. https://www.wikidata.org (data retrieved via the Wikidata Query Service).
- [Wikipedia (English)](https://en.wikipedia.org), CC BY-SA 4.0, 2026-11-11. Wikipedia contributors. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. https://en.wikipedia.org (text under CC BY-SA 4.0; each block names its article and revision).

Cite as: California condor (Gymnogyps californianus). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/california-condor