主題:動物/精選條目/2

加州神鷲（學名：Gymnogyps californianus）屬於美洲鷲科新大陸禿鷲家族，為北美洲大陸最大的鳥類。如今這種鷲只生活在科羅拉多大峽谷區域以及加利福尼亞州和下加利福尼亞州北部西海岸的群山中。牠是加州兀鷲屬中唯一存活的物種。

加州神鷲是一種大型黑色的禿鷲，翅膀下面有白色的小塊，頭部禿毛，根據其情緒的不同，顯露的皮膚顏色為微黃色到鮮紅色。在所有北美洲的鳥類中其翼幅最寬，同時也是最重的鳥類之一。加州神鷲是食腐動物，吃大量的腐肉。牠是世界上壽命最長的鳥類之一，其壽命可達50年。

19世紀以來，由於非法狩獵、鉛中毒和棲息地破壞，加州神鷲的數量急遽減少。最終，美國於1987年執行了一項自然保護運動計劃，捕獲了所有存活的野生加州神鷲，總計22隻鳥被豢養在聖迭戈野生動物園和洛杉磯動物園。從1991年起，數量開始有所增長，加州神鷲又被重新放歸山林。這項工程是美國迄今以來最昂貴的物種保護工程。加州神鷲是世界上最稀少的鳥類之一。到2008年12月，據統計只剩有327隻存活的加州神鷲，其中半數以上為野生。

加州神鷲對於很多加州印第安人的文化具有重要意義，作為一個重要角色出現在一些傳統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.