California Condor #568 perched atop a tree branch at Bitter Creek National Wildlife Refuge. Photograph by USFWS. Learning about condors and the natural world in and of itself is a contribution. Knowledge of how biological systems work and the life cycles of animals and plants helps guide our society’s ability to make good land management…
Close up photo of condor #462 as a juvenile. Photograph by USFWS. Condors can be tagged on either wing. In the early days of the California Condor Recovery Program, every condor was tagged on both wings. Now condors in southern California just wear one wing tag and it can be on either side. The tags are…
California condor #509. Photograph by USFWS. The numbers on the wing tags represent the last one or two digits of the bird’s studbook number. Male condor #509 wears a black tag with the number “9” and female #111 wears a red tag with the number “11”. Be sure to let us know if you see…
Condor #462 sunning in Toms Canyon. Taken July 1, 2020 by C. Partipilo/Santa Barbara Zoo, image found on USFWS’s Flickr. All condors are tagged with at least one distinct color/number wing-mounted tags for identification in the field. Some condors are also fitted with wing-mounted GPS transmitters, like male #509, which biologists use to track their movements…
Photograph by Sheila Sund from Salem, United States (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:California_Condor_(15046439948).jpg) The California Condor Recovery Program (Recovery Program) is a multi-entity effort, led by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, to recover the endangered California Condor. Partners in condor recovery include the U.S. Forest Service, National Park Service, Bureau of Land Management, Arizona Game and Fish Department,…
California condors #594 & #374 soar overhead together. Photograph by USFWS. From 1987 to 1992, no California condors flew free in the California skies. In 1992 captive-bred condors were released into the wild at Hopper Mountain National Wildlife Refuge north of Ventura, with additional captive-reared birds added to the flock each year thereafter.
California condor standing near the nest cavity entrance. Photograph by USFWS. Yes, California condors are protected under the Endangered Species Act and listed as federally endangered. They are one of the rarest birds in the world. In 1982, there were only 22 California condors in the world. That year, these remaining condors were placed into…
California condor #262. Photograph by USFWS. Adult California condors have a distinctive pink head and neck that is bare of feathers. That bare head is perfectly designed to keep rotting food from sticking to it as the birds eat. The skin on an adult condor’s head can also express some emotions. It turns a deep red-pink…
California condor at Bitter Creek NWR. Photograph by Scott Flaherty, found on USFWS’ Flickr. Condors are usually silent (they lack vocal chords), but can issue a variety of hisses and snorts particularly when defending nest sites. Newborn chicks hiss, wheeze, and grunt at adults.
A California Condor at the Condor Ridge exhibit of the San Diego Wild Animal Park. Photograph taken by Chuck Szmurlo, found on the USFWS’ Flickr. Condors do not have a strong sense of smell.