California condor’s flight back from the brink of extinction

It has been 17 years since I last wrote about the largest bird in North America, a bird that was nearly driven to extinction and is being brought back through heroic captive breeding and reintroduction efforts.

The California condor (Gymnogyps californianus) is a New World vulture, meaning it isn’t related to 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 Conservation of Nature.

California condor populations dropped dramatically during the 20th century due to various human-related pressures, such as agricultural chemicals (DDT), illegal shooting, and habitat destruction. Because these pressures were caused by humans, it made sense for humans to take action to help bring back the condor. In 1987, with fewer 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 birds were released back into the wild in 1991. Releases have continued over the past couple of decades. As of May, the estimated population is 561 birds, making the California condor still one of the rarest birds in America. Additionally, because they started with so few birds, the genetic pool was very limited. Only time will tell if this genetic bottleneck will be an obstacle for the species.

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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’s amazing that all of these species share a similar story: each was nearly driven to extinction by humans, with their populations dwindling to around 20 individuals. All of these animals had to be brought into captive breeding programs to save them from extinction. Each species still struggles today but is slowly reestablishing itself in 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 across all of 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.

On my first evening looking for the condors, I had about a four-hour drive to get near the North Rim of the Grand Canyon. By the time I arrived at the location where I hoped to see a condor, it was already past sunset, so there wasn’t an opportunity to capture any images. I headed to a nearby town to find a hotel room and prepare for the morning.

I got up early and slammed down breakfast so I could get out before the day heated up too much and the birds became less active. I packed lunch because I knew it was going to be a long day. I drove to a location where several condors like to roost overnight. The goal was to arrive before the overnight roosting condors flew off to find food during the day.

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Upon arrival, I saw two condors, but neither was in a position for me to capture quality images, so I set up my camera gear and got comfortable. I knew I might be in for a long wait. Hours passed, and still, the birds hadn’t moved. Several times, I got distracted by a beaver swimming up the Colorado River. Then, while I was standing there daydreaming, I saw one condor lunge at the other in an aggressive manner. The condor that was “attacked” launched off its perch and started to fly. It flew directly toward 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. Until next time …

Editor’s note: Stan Tekiela’s NatureSmart column appears twice a month in the Eden Prairie Local News. Tekiela is an author, naturalist, and wildlife photographer who travels extensively across the United States to study and capture wildlife images.

You can follow his work on Instagram and Facebook. He can be contacted via his website at www.naturesmart.com.