4th Grade Reading Comprehension Worksheets

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California Condors

By Vickie Chao Rewritten as a short reader by Cindy Grigg

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The California condor is our country's largest flying bird. Condors may measure up to 4.6 feet in body length. They may weigh 25 pounds. Their wingspan measures an incredible 9.5 feet! California condors are superb flyers. Condors' top speed is 55 miles per hour. They fly as fast as many cars travel on highways.

California condors are vultures. Even though they feed on dead animals, they are very tidy. After each feeding, they like to take a bath in rock pools. They may spend hours preening and drying their feathers. When there is no water, they rub their heads and necks against grasses, rocks, or tree branches.

As they soar on warm thermal updrafts, they use their keen vision to scan the ground below for food. They mainly eat animal corpses called carrion. When available, they like those of large mammals like cattle and deer. Once California condors spot a meal, they swoop down to enjoy the feast. They store extra food in their crops. Crops are pouches below their throats. They can bring stored food back to feed their young. Or they can go without having to search for food for the next few days.

California condors are one of the world's rarest birds. It was reported that there were only about 600 condors in 1890. By 1982, their numbers were down to only 22 birds! A conservation plan was put into place. In 1987, the recovery program captured all wild California condors. These 22 captive California condors began laying eggs and raising chicks. As of April 2009, 322 condors were counted. Of these, 172 have been released to live in the wild. This conservation program, although expensive, seems to be working. The number of condors is rising, and that's good news for conservation efforts for other animals.

California Condors

Questions

1. California condors belong to which family of birds? A. songbirds B. birds of prey C. vultures D. waterfowl

2. What do condors mainly eat?

3. In 1987, what happened to all wild California condors? A. They were captured. B. They were killed. C. They were counted for the first time. D. They were released to live in the wild.

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4. California condors are ______ birds. A. large B. rare C. tidy D. all of the above

5. What are baby condors called?

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