Condor

n.
  1. (Zoöl.) A very large bird of the Vulture family (Sarcorhamphus gryphus), found in the most elevated parts of the Andes.
  2. (Zoöl.) The California vulture (Gymnogyps californianus), also called California condor.
  3. A gold coin of Chile, bearing the figure of a condor, and equal to twenty pesos. It contains 10.98356 grams of gold, and is equivalent to about $7.29. Called also colon.
  4. A gold coin of Colombia equivalent to about $9.65. It is no longer coined.

In the late 20th century it is classed as an endangered species. The California condor used to number in the thousands and ranged along the entire west coast of the United States. By 1982 only 21 to 24 individuals could be identified in the wild. A breeding program was instituted, and by 1996 over 50 birds were alive in captivity. As of 1997, fewer than ten of the bred birds had been reintroduced into the wild.