The California condor has a fascinating story. In 1967 the condor was almost extinct in the wild. They were getting killed due to poaching, habitat destruction, and mainly lead poisoning. Lead poisoning in condors was due to people hunting with lead bullets. According to PNAS.org, the lead bullets would shatter upon impact throughout the body of the shot animal. Since Condors are scavengers, they feed on dead remains of animals. They would find the remains of these animals shot by lead bullets, feed on them, and soon after die of lead poisoning. In 1982, there was only 23 California Condors in the wild. All of these wild condors were captured in 1987 and put into a recovery program by the US fish and wildlife service. This program is what saved the condors from extinction.
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| Two California Condors grooming each other |
During recovery, the condors were taken care of very cautiously. People didn't want the birds to get used to being taken care of and wanted to release them back into the wild as soon as possible. In this program, the condors were bred, and the offspring were taught how to survive in the wild. In 1992 condors were starting to be released again. According to di.org, these condors returned to the wild successfully. They were able to find food and travel.
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| A California Condor perched on a branch in Bitter Creek Wildlife Refuge |
California condors are now found in Utah, California, Arizona, and Mexico. I saw my first one at Zion national park in Utah during a backpacking trip. They roost on rocky cliffs, and their nests can be found as high as 6,000 feet in elevation. According to National Geographic, the California condor is the largest North American land bird. They have a wingspan of 9 to 10 feet, can fly up to 15,000 feet in the air, can fly as fast as 55 mph, and even live up to 60 years old. These birds are still critically endangered, but their population is rising substantially! According to The Guardian, condors are soon to be reintroduced to the Pacific Northwest. A captive breeding facility for these birds is also being put in the Redwood National Park. Scientists track all wild condors, and there are currently 160 in the wild, with more still in captivity. At the moment, life is looking pretty good for the California Condor population, and all of us nature lovers, are siked to see that happening.
Sources:
“California Condor, Facts and Photos.” Animals, National Geographic, www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/birds/facts/california-condor.
“Endangered Condors Return to Northern California Skies after Nearly a Century.” The Guardian, Guardian News and Media, 27 Mar. 2021, www.theguardian.com/us-news/2021/mar/26/california-condor-reintroduced-yurok-tribe.
Finkelstein, Myra E., et al. “Lead Poisoning and the Deceptive Recovery of the Critically Endangered California Condor.” PNAS, National Academy of Sciences, 10 July 2012, www.pnas.org/content/109/28/11449.
Jeffrey P. Cohn, Saving the California Condor, BioScience, Volume 49, Issue 11, November 1999, Pages 864–868, https://doi.org/10.2307/1313644
Myatt, Jon. “Pacific Southwest Region: California Condor Recovery Program.” National USFWS Website, Fws.gov, 1 Apr. 2021, www.fws.gov/cno/es/calcondor/Condor.cfm.
Region, USFWS Pacific Southwest. “California Condor #568.” Flickr, Yahoo!, 15 Aug. 2017, www.flickr.com/photos/usfws_pacificsw/35786702713.
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