Facts about Condors
- 09
Monogamous pairs of California condors typically raise only one chick every two years, making their reproductive rate among the slowest of any North American bird species.
- 08
Thirty years of intensive captive breeding have produced California condors with numbered wing tags that ornithologists track individually to monitor each bird's health and reproductive success in the wild.
- 07
Each California condor requires handlers to feed it using hand puppets designed to look like adult condors, preventing the chicks from imprinting on humans during captive breeding.
- 06
Bald, wrinkled heads with skin that changes color based on emotional state allow California condors to thrust their heads deep into carrion without feathers becoming matted with blood and bacteria.
- 05
All 500+ wild California condors alive today descended from just 27 birds that survived the species' 1987 extinction in the wild, when the last condor was captured for a captive breeding program.
- 04
Lead ammunition in carrion is the primary cause of death for California condors, with blood tests revealing elevated lead levels in over 90 percent of wild birds studied.
- 03
California condors can live over 60 years in captivity, making them among the longest-lived bird species in North America.
- 02
Fewer than 500 California condors existed in the wild as of 2023, down from thousands historically, making them one of North America's rarest birds.
- 01
With a wingspan reaching 9.5 feet, California condors are among North America's largest flying birds and can soar for hours without flapping their wings.