California Condor
80% of the proceeds from this shirt go directly to support Condor Conservation at the Oregon Zoo.
The California condor (Gymnogyps californianus) is the largest flying bird in North America, with a wingspan that can reach up to 10 feet. Their large wingspan allows them to soar up to 15,000 feet high without flapping its wings. Condors are scavengers, meaning they eat carrion or decaying meat, and their featherless heads are an adaption for staying clean. Condors are currently listed as critically endangered.
Condors were part of the original Endangered Species Act in 1973, alongside the black-footed ferret, timber wolf, and the Florida manatee. Many of the animals on the original list have been delisted, and we’re hopeful that the California condor also can bounce back from the brink of extinction. In 1982 only 22 individuals remained in the wild and in 1987 the remaining condors were taken into captive breeding programs. The Oregon Zoo’s condor recovery program began in 2003. The Jonsson Center, which houses the birds, has hatched 72 chicks and released 52 of those back into the wild over the last 16 years. Condors numbers have gained steadily, now totaling around 450 individuals, captive and free.
Shapes in Nature is donating 80% of the proceeds of this shirt to the Oregon Zoo Foundation in support of condor conservation at the Oregon Zoo. Through the zoo, the foundation has also supported the restoration of endangered Northwest animals such as Oregon silverspot and Taylor’s checkerspot butterflies, Columbia Basin pygmy rabbits, and western pond turtles. We hope this shirt raises not only funds but awareness for the California condor.
