California Condor Conservation Story

California Condor

Conservation Story

How We Brought the Condor Back From the Brink

Michael Mace | Curator of Birds at the San Diego Zoo | TEDxDeExtinction

The Largest Bird in North America

  • Condors are a type of vulture: they act as the cleanup crew by eating dead animals and preventing the spread of disease.
  • Though they became restricted to the Southwest, California condors were once found across much of North America. Their bones have been found all the way in Florida!
  • They are closely related to the Andean condor, which is slightly smaller and found in South America.
  • They are a giant bird, with a wingspan of more than 9 feet!
  • Like many vultures, California condors have a bald head. They have to stick their heads deep inside carcasses for food, so a bald head reduces the number of bacteria that would otherwise get stuck in the feathers.
  • They also have a long, snake-like neck to help them reach deep into their food.
  • They have a "hood" of feathers which they can pull over their heads to trap in heat.
  • They are incredibly long-lived, sometimes reaching more than 60 years old!

So, What's the Problem?

In the mid-1900s, California condors were disappearing rapidly from the wild and by the 1960s, they were placed on the Endangered Species List. Their populations were being threatened by... 

1

Lead Poisoning

This was the largest issue the condors face. When hunters make a kill of any game animal, they often take the meat and leave the organs and other non-desirable body parts, which make a nice easy meal for condors. Lead ammunition is inexpensive and commonly used in game hunting. When the bullets hit the animal, they explode, leaving small lead fragments in all different parts of the body, including the remains left for the condors. 

2

Pollution

From insecticides to microplastics, as the human population expanded, pollution in the environment had a greater and greater impact on California condors. DDT, which is a synthetic insecticide made popular in the mid-1900s, took a toll on condor populations and many other species as it was dumped into the environment. Condor eggs became fragile and successful incubation happened infrequently. On top of that, little bits of garbage, particularly plastic, have made their way into all parts of the environment and are commonly ingested by adults, or even accidentally fed to chicks.

3

Habitat Loss

As humans continued to expand and take over previously-wild spaces, we built tall structures and put up power lines, we built roads and separated ecosystems. Condors require large, open spaces, something that is becoming more challenging for them to find. Collisions with powerlines and buildings became more common. Condors exploring and landing in populated areas led to more poaching opportunities. The prey base became depleted or poisoned and condor populations continued to decline. 

By 1982, there were hardly 20 California condors left.

It was time to take action.

RECOVERY PROGRAM

From 1983 to 1987, all of the remaining California condors were collected from the wild and brought to the San Diego Zoo and the Las Angeles Zoo to begin a captive breeding program.
Wildlife biologists and a team of scientists had to quickly learn how to successfully encourage breeding among the captive condors. Not without a lot of trial and error, the first captive condor was born in 1988.
Condors are very slow breeders, only having one single chick every year or two. Reproduction in captivity could be accelerated by removing the egg once it had been laid, encouraging them to lay again.
Eggs that remained were raised by the mother condor. Eggs that were removed were incubated and raised by human caretakers, though caretakers used a condor puppet to ensure the chicks would not imprint on people.
The captive breeding population of the condors was becoming more and more successful with breeding programs expanding to other facilities, such as the Oregon Zoo and the Peregrine Fund.
In January of 1992, the first captive-born condor was released back into the wild in California followed by Arizona and Mexico. Since then, every single bird has been tagged and closely monitored.

Where Are We Now?

Condor Chicks

In spring of 2019, the 1,000th California condor chick hatched since the first captive-born chick in 1988.

Wild Birds

Today, more than 300 wild California condors fly over California, Arizona, and Mexico.

World Population

More than 500 California condors exist within captivity and wild populations. Only 23 remained less than 40 years ago

How YOU Can Help Condors

Regardless of where you are, you can help protect condors and other vultures!

Trash and Microplastics

Be mindful of where your garbage goes! To help prevent condors eating plastics or feeding garbage to their chicks, you can reduce your waste, recycle properly, and pick up garbage when you see it!

Responsible Hunting

When hunting, use non-lead ammunition and clean up your gut piles. State departments may have rewards if you deposit your gut piles at appropriate sites!

Toxins in the Environment

Lead, DDT, and other toxins are a large threat to vultures. Use non-toxic cleaners or natural insect or weed remedies. Do not use poisons to get rid of nuisance animals!

Support

The California condor recovery program has cost several millions of dollars over the past decades. You can support condors by visiting or donating to the institutions that facilitate the program!

Keep Learning!

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