Image from the Biodiversity Heritage Library.
Contributed by Museum of Vertebrate Zoology, University of California, Berkeley.
| www.biodiversitylibrary.org
Transcription
Gymnogyps californiaus
March 23, 1946 Big Sespe Canyon, Calit.
We again approached & at 2:23 saw they
were in air. The immature had dark patch in
center of wing lining patches & a light white
line on wing - no color visible on head tho yellow-
brrown in mouth. Imm. had slit in right side of
tail (A) and #2 right primary missing. The two
passed 100±' over us heading S½, then back over
us. The imm. was always a poorer flier than
the adult & did much more tail tilting. A
good deal of the time imm. followed 100±' behind
adult as if following the leader. Imm. had a
protruding button on sternum - to rear of usual
crop bulge in adults; fuzzy down above tarsii
too. We searched for the old nest. At 3 p.m. the
same two again soared over us within about
50 ft., several times. Imm. had feet lamce-
seinely. At 3:11 the adult & imm. perched upon
an outjutting rock point about ¼ mile toward SW
from the old nest - there was a
great deal of wing flapping & it appeared that
the imm. was begging for food (possibly
fed). Another adult circled near - perhaps
we flushed this one from a nest. I entered
the old nest cavity & found no evidence of
use since my last visit. I found but
2 bones (ungulate hoof & rabbit scap femur)