Species Profile
California Condor
(Gymnogyps californianus)A critically endangered species, the California Condor is the largest bird in North America, and sacred to several Indigenous groups. Conservation efforts have brought them back from the brink of extinction, but their future remains in doubt, thanks largely to the threat of lead and other poisoning.
Species Fact Sheet
| IUCN Red List Status | Critically Endangered | Source: IUCN 2024 |
| Estimated Total Wild Population | 345 | Source: Bakker et al 2024 |
Recent News
14 February 2025: "Caring for the condors: At remote Arizona wildlife center, biologists treat endangered birds" Arizona Republic.
13 February 2025: "California Condor Clinic" AZ Central.
12 February 2025: "Oregon Zoo's Wildlife Conservation Center celebrates arrival of new California condor eggs" KATU News.
2 February 2025: "Record 9 wild condor chicks fledged in 2024, as Central California flock continues to grow" The Tribune (California)
30 January 2025: "Navajo Nation Joins Group Working to Prevent Lead Poisoning in Animals" Arizona Highways.
29 January 2025: "First California condor eggs of 2025 arrive at Oregon Zoo" Fox 12 Oregon.
17 January 2025: "Nature Notes: Walking the line of extinction" The Baytown Sun.
11 December 2024: "2024 marks the best year in decades for the Central Coast flock of California condors" Monterey County Now.
28 November 2024: "How a tribe brought back its sacred California condors" BBC
28 August 2024: “Zion National Park’s last wild California condor survives near-death experience” The Salt Lake Tribune.
Bibliography
Bakker et al 2024. “Practical models to guide the transition of California condors from a conservation-reliant to a self-sustaining species” Biological Conservation 291: March 2024. https://www.sciencedirect.com...
Fisher 1947. “The skeletons of recent and fossil Gymnogyps” Pacific Science 1: October 1947. https://scholarspace.manoa.hawaii.edu...