Back from the literal brink of extinction, California Condors continue to exist as a triumph of human conservation efforts — soaring even amid hostile urbanization.
The conservation success story of the California condor is one, quite literally, for the history books. Brought back from the brink of extinction, a population that once numbered less than 22 individuals has, through means of careful habitat restoration and captive rearing initiatives, grown into a population now estimated to be over 600 birds strong — an over 20% increase from previous estimates.
A recent report published by the United States FIsh and Wildlife Service (USFWS) confirmed 607 California condors now fly through the skies, which seems like an impossible figure; 40 years ago, only 22 of these birds — the largest land birds in North America, with wingspans frequently reported in access of 9 feet — after DDT decimated their population, the most commonly used pesticide in American agriculture between the 1940s and 1970s which, as a secondary effect, made California Condor eggs fragile and almost incapable of surviving, sans a few anomalies.
Fast forward to the present day, and with the most severe effects of DDT waning, this “special,” prehistoric bird species is on the right path for survival.
“They’re North America’s largest land bird, which makes them special,” tells Maria Montag, president of the non-profit Friends of California Condors Wild and Free, to VC Reporter. “There are only 607 of them in the world, so they’re critically endangered. They’re endemic to California. Before the recovery program was up, the last condors were here in this Santa Barbara, Ventura, Kern (county) area, so we were their last-stand area.”
While Montag notes the wild population still remains fragile and unusable — lead poisoning from bullets has killed over 150 Condors over the past three decades, and ongoing urbanization threatens many of their nesting grounds — hope remains. More specifically: The recent discovery of a yet-hatched Condor egg inside a remote part of the Redwood National State Parks confirmed that rewilding efforts are proving successful. If the egg, which scientists believe is already halfway through its incubation, hatches this spring, it will be the first California Condor born in the wilds of Northern California since America’s 30th president, Calvin Coolidge, took office in 1926.
Scientists believe the condor egg is tucked into a redwood tree in a remote part of Redwood National and State Parks. They suspect the egg was laid in early February, so it would now be roughly halfway through the two-month incubation period. The pair responsible for the egg are known to scientists as “A0” and “A1,” each bird seven years old — for context, California Condors usually don’t reach sexual maturity until six years old; this is likely the pair’s first swing at parenting, and represents two of just 26 captive-born California Condors reintroduced into Humboldt County.
Nevertheless, staff at the site’s overseeing wildlife department remain hopeful.
“As a scientist, I know I shouldn’t get my hopes up too high, but that doesn’t mean I can’t cheer for these young parents’ success,” says Tiana Williams-Claussen, director of the Yurok Wildlife Department, which is the county agency that oversees the area where these two have laid an egg, in a statement. Because it’s unclear when the egg was laid, a documented hatching is expected in early spring — just in time for the fledgling to emerge from record-breaking heat.
