Data from: Competitive interactions among Gymnogyps californianus (California Condor)and other avian scavengers in southern Utah

Gymnogyps californianus (California Condors) were reintroduced to southern
Utah and northern Arizona in 1996, and their presence at carcasses may
impact the historic scavenger community. Little is known about the
foraging patterns of G. californianus and its competitors, including
interactions among scavengers. We deployed a pair of trail cameras on
carcasses (n = 76), each placed at a unique location point. We used these
recordings to determine scavenger behavior, including arrival rate, time,
and order; carrion consumption and feeding time; displacement frequency
and rate; and visit duration. G. californianus arrived at 12 of these
carcasses, and an average of 13.5 condors attended a carcass. Condors
arrived at carcasses within an hour of the first scavenger and on average
consumed over half the carrion, leaving little for other scavengers. When
condors arrived, 27% of the carcass had been eaten, compared to 78% when
condors departed, while consuming ~15 kg of carrion. Visitation rates of
vultures declined after condors had visited a carcass. To date, the low
rate of carcass visitation by condors does not produce much competition
for other scavengers. Condors may reduce the length of time carrion is
present on the landscape, which has benefits for nutrient cycling and
controlling the spread of disease.