Vote to Name a California Condor Chick

Internet users have exactly one week left to cast their votes to choose a name for a California condor chick born 17 days ago at the San Diego Zoo Safari Park.

Three possible names were selected by condor handlers out of 93 monikers suggested via the zoo's social media sites. Votes on the three finalists can be cast through next Monday via the zoo's condor cam web page, sandiegozooglobal.org/video/condor-cam.

The three finalists, in the Chumash language, and their English
translations, are:

• Maxa'lam, to hold a festival or throw a party;
• Saticoy, sheltered from the wind; and
• Moyomin, to be mischievous.

Zoo keepers said the chick's parents, father Sisquoc and mother Shatash, continue to care diligently for their offspring -- cleaning, feeding and keeping it warm. However, they're also spending more time away from the nest, giving Condor Cam users a more clear view of the 2-week-old chick.

The chick will hop around and test its wings until it tries its first flight at around five to six months of age, according to zoo officials. Condor parents generally tend to their chicks until they are around a year old.

About 20,000 people logged onto the Condor Cam on March 10, when the chick was born.

— City News Service