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

Dataset DOI: [10.5061/dryad.1jwstqk74](10.5061/dryad.1jwstqk74)

## Description of the data and file structure

We aim to document the potential impacts of condor reintroduction, including heightened competition within the scavenger community and more rapid consumption of carrion. We collected data in sheep pastures in southern Utah and quantified several measures of exploitation and interference competition. Despite consuming the majority of carcasses when present, condors were not frequently detected, even in their preferred habitat. Condors currently have such confined impact that other scavengers likely have little pressure to switch to alternate food sources or habitats.

### Files and variables

#### File: Arrival_orders.csv

**Description:** This dataset lays out the arrival order of the most common scavenger, by comparing the day and time that the c...,