Charles Yonts, age 10, of Hazard, Kentucky, for his question:

How big does a condor?

In the bird world, the great condor holds a record for size. He is not as big as some of our swans and only half as heavy. But swans are rated as water birds because they fly only once in a while. The condor is a bird of the air and the land. And he is without doubt the largest land bird of North America.

There are two condor cousins in the bird world and both of them are whoppers. The South American condor is at home on and above the loftiest peaks of the Andes. The Califor¬nia condor has a last remaining home in the Los Padres National Forest in the Sierra Nevada. The two cousins belong to the Cathartida bird family, a family name that means "cleansers." The zoologists who gave them this name knew just what was right for them, for they are cleansers. They are nature's garbage collectors. Without the help of such birds the fresh outdoors would be strewn with smelly, decaying carcasses.

Condors are slow growing birds and their growing years are threatened by human hunters and trappers as well. as the perils of their natural environment. A condor lucky enough to reach his full size may weigh 25 pounds. His huge body may measure 4 1/2 feet from the tip of his fiercely hooked beak to the tip of his stiff feathered tail. Standing straight up to his full height, his body just tops the height of a 10 year old boy. But his greatest measurement shows only when he takes to the air.

A fully grown condor has a wingspread of 10 feet    12 inches more than three full yards. The sea going albatross measures an extra 1 1/2 feet from tip to tip of his slender wings. But the great condor has the second longest wingspread of any bird in the world. He needs these mighty wings to soar above the highest crags, scanning the landscape with his super sharp eyes, searching for meaty food and possible foes. He can soar almost five miles above the level of the sea.

    In spite of his size, nature lovers are worried about the survival of the California condor. The great birds have been hunted and tormented and less than 100 of them are left alive. They are protected in their craggy sanctuary and laws forbid any person to harm them. These rare birds wear glistening dark gray plumage on their backs    but their color scheme is far from drab. Their bald heads are yellow and their bare necks are vivid red. The undersides of their wings are cushioned with feathery white. Mr. California condor wears a black collar of pointed feathers, low around his throat. His South American cousin wears a shiny black coat. His bald neck and head are brilliant red and he wears a downy white neck ruff. A flap of rosy red skin sits on top of his head like a stylish beret.

Condors hest in the high crags and the devoted parents share the family baby sitting. The South American condor lays two big white eggs. The California condor lays only one pale egg, tinged with bluish green. When the shell is empty, it is big enough to hold more than a half pint of water. But one egg hatches into only one chick. The rare condor cannot mul¬tiply at a great rate because the family can have only one young condor each year.