California condor (Gymnogyps californianus)

Credit: NPS Photo by Nancy Julian, Public domain

HAB:

Wide expanses of undeveloped land; large trees for roosting, rocky cliffs or tree cavities for nesting

LOC:

Central/Southern California, Arizona, Mexico

NUM:

347 (2022)

The California condor is North America’s largest land bird, historically ranging across western North America. Persecuted and poisoned—especially by ingesting lead fragments—it dwindled to captivity in 1987. Intensive breeding and reintroductions now support wild populations in California and beyond, yet slow reproduction, lead exposure, power-line collisions, and microtrash ingestion keep recovery fragile and management essential.

What will we remember?