The California Condor, one of the rarest bird species in the world.
These large birds with a wing span of 2.77 meters (9.1 ft), were almost extinct due to poaching, lead poisoning, and habitat destruction.
There were only 22 Condors left in 1987. These were captured and taken to the Wild Animal Park in Escondido, California whre this image was taken.
A conservation project was begun to save the Condors and to increase their numbers through captive breeding.
As of December 2008, there were 327 condors known to be living, including over half of them in the wild.

Read more here The California Condor