Online voting was under way today to choose a name for a California condor chick born 16 days ago at the San Diego Zoo.
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.
The finalist names were selected by condor handlers out of 93 monikers suggested via the zoo's social media sites. Votes can be cast through next Monday via the zoo's condor cam web page.
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 5 to 6 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.
