Because there were only 22 of the birds left in 1981. There were no wild birds left, all were in captivity. Breeding was slow but the bird came to total 223 by August 2003. There were 138 birds held in captivity and the rest were released in the wild to try and reproduce. The birds need to be 6 years old before they can successfully breed. By January 2006 there was 127 birds in the wild. This species is still in critical condition, but their numbers are very slowly raising.
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Because of lost of habitat.
The use of DDT in the crops also affected the condor. The eggs of the condor have been deformed or not hatched at all. Shells have gotten so thin that the bird sitting on them crack the shells. The toxins have killed most of the birds.
They are nature's cleaning crew. Condors consume carrion (dead animal carcasses). The birds prefer the carcasses of large dead animals like deer, cattle, and sheep. However, they are also known to eat the carcasses of smaller animals like rodents and rabbits. (Source: http://www.defenders.org/California-condor/basic-facts)
the wings help the california condor to survive because if it didn't have wings it would get harmed by a ground animal