The California Condor Is Being Brought Back from the Brink of Extinction
Wildlife photographer and naturalist Stan Tekiela talks about the Californian condor, the most endangered bird species in America.
It has been 17 years since I last wrote about the largest bird in North America—a bird that was almost killed off and is being brought back from the brink of extinction through some heroic captive breeding and reintroduction efforts. The California condor (Gymnogyps californianus) is a New World vulture, which means this bird isn’t related to the vultures found in Africa and Europe. It is the only surviving member of the genus Gymnogyps. There were at least four other similar species in the past, all of which are now extinct. The California condor is listed as critically endangered by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature.
California condor populations dropped dramatically during the 20th century due to a variety of outside pressures such as agricultural chemicals (DDT), illegal shooting, and habitat destruction. Of course, all these reasons are human-related pressures. So, it made sense that humans do something about it to help bring back the condor. In 1987, with less than 25 individual condors left in the wild, all of these remaining birds were captured and brought into captive breeding programs at the San Diego Wild Animal Park and the Los Angeles Zoo.
These birds reproduce with just a single chick every two years, so growing the population will take some time. The first of these birds were released back into the wild in 1991. Birds have continued being released into the wild over the past couple of decades. As of May 2024, there is an estimated population of 561 birds. This still makes the California condor one of the rarest birds in America. In addition, since they started with so few birds, the genetic gene pool is very limited. Only time will tell if this genetic bottleneck will be an obstacle for these birds.
In 2007, I wrote a series of articles focused on a wide variety of endangered species such as the whooping crane, black-footed ferret, and, of course, the California condor. It is amazing that all of these have a very similar story. Each was nearly killed off by humans, and their populations dwindled to around 20 total individuals. All of these animals needed to be brought into captive breeding programs to save them from ourselves. Each species still struggles today but is slowly establishing itself back into the wild.
All of this was racing through my head last week while I was in northern Arizona to check in on the condors. These huge birds once ranged all across North America thousands of years ago. However, after the last glacial period about 10,000 years ago, the condors were restricted to the West Coast of the United States.
In my first evening looking for the condors, I had about a 4-hour drive to get near the north rim of the Grand Canyon. By the time I arrived in the location where I hoped to see a condor, it was already past sunset, so there wasn’t an option to capture images. I headed to a nearby town to catch a hotel room and get ready for the morning.
I got up early and slammed down breakfast so I could get out early before the day heated up too much and the birds became less active. I packed up some lunch because I knew it was going to be a very long day. I drove to a location where a number of condors like to roost overnight. The goal was to arrive before the overnight roosting condors flew off to find food during the day.
Upon arrival, I could see two condors, but neither were in a position where I could capture some quality images, so I set up my camera gear and got comfortable. I knew I might be in for a very long wait. Hours passed and still the birds hadn’t moved. Several times I got distracted by a beaver that was swimming up the Colorado River. Then, while I was just standing there daydreaming, I saw one condor lunge towards the other in an aggressive manor. The condor that was “attacked” launched off its perch and started to fly. The condor flew directly towards me but was about 100 feet below where I was standing. Its 10-foot wingspan was impressive to see.
I managed to capture a few unique images as the bird flew below my position and then landed on the opposite side of the canyon. After it landed, I got a few more images before it stepped into a narrow gap in the canyon wall and disappeared. Mission accomplished! I was so happy to capture a few images of one of the most endangered bird species in America.
If you enjoyed Stan’s post, you might also like: Cranes, Herons & Egrets, Bird Migration: The Incredible Journeys of North American Birds, Wild Birds: North America’s Most Unique Birds, Bald Eagles: The Ultimate Raptors, Owls: The Majestic Hunters, Hummingbirds: Marvels of the Bird World, and, for little tykes, his series of Mamas & Babies board books.
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