The greatest obstacle to a self-sustaining condor population is lead toxicity from spent ammunition. Cooperative efforts are underway to reduce mortality rates from lead contamination in condors. The Arizona Game and Fish Department offers a free non-lead ammunition program, started in 2005, in an attempt to reduce lead exposure for wild condors. Hunters have responded positively to using non-lead ammunition in condor range, although expanded adoption of the effort is needed to further reduce lead exposure and mortality in condors.
The chicks are expected to fledge in December when they are about six months old. Four out of five of the previously wild-hatched chicks have survived and assimilated into the flock. "These hatchlings are a significant step in recovering a magnificent bird," said Benjamin N. Tuggle, regional director for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. "Wild-hatched condors are part of the plan for re-establishing a truly wild population of California condors."
Condors were added to the federal endangered species list in 1967. In 1982 there were only 22 California Condors in existence and in 1987 the last birds were removed from the wild for captive breeding to save the species from extinction. Today, more than 300 birds exist, with nearly half of those released to the wild in California, Mexico and at the Vermilion Cliffs in Arizona. The condor is the largest flying land bird in North America. The birds can weigh up to 26 pounds and have a wingspan of up to 9 1/2 feet. Condors were first reintroduced in Arizona in 1996. There are now 69 condors (59 wild and 10 awaiting release) in the state. Visitors at the Grand Canyon and Vermilion Cliffs may be able to observe the birds, especially during the spring and summer.
The condor reintroduction in Arizona is a joint project of many partners, including Arizona Game and Fish Department, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, The Peregrine Fund, Bureau of Land Management, National Park Service, Kaibab National Forest and Utah Division of Wildlife Resources.
For more information on California Condors, visit The Peregrine Fund website at peregrinefund.org/ or the Arizona Game and Fish Department website at azgfd.gov/condor.
Article contributed by Arizona Game and Fish "Wildlife News," July 20, 2007.
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