Status and Conservation
The California Condor is critically endangered. It formerly ranged from Baja California to British Columbia, but by 1937 was restricted to California. In 1987, all surviving birds were removed from the wild into a captive breeding program to ensure the species' survival. In 2005, there were 127 Californian Condors in the wild. As of October 31, 2009 there were 180 birds in the wild. The Andean Condor is near threatened. The American Black Vulture, Turkey Vulture, Lesser Yellow-headed Vulture, and Greater Yellow-headed Vulture are listed as species of Least Concern by the IUCN Red List. This means that populations appear to remain stable, and they have not reached the threshold of inclusion as a threatened species, which requires a decline of more than 30 percent in ten years or three generations. The King Vulture is also listed as Least Concern, although there is evidence of a decline in the population.
Read more about this topic: New World Vulture
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