The Los Angeles Zoo celebrated a remarkable achievement this breeding season, with a record-breaking 17 California condor chicks hatching. This surpasses the previous record of 15 chicks, set in 1997. All 17 chicks will be potential candidates for release into the wild as part of the California Condor Recovery Program. The final chick of the season emerged in June and is thriving under the watchful eye of zookeepers. This achievement marks a significant milestone in the ongoing efforts to save the California condor, America’s largest flying bird, from extinction.
Rose Legato, the zoo’s Curator of Birds, attributed this success to new breeding and rearing techniques implemented at the zoo. These techniques involve raising two or three chicks together under the care of a single adult condor acting as a surrogate parent. This approach has proven to be highly effective, resulting in a larger number of chicks for the program and ultimately more condors in the wild. The California Condor Recovery Program, overseen by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, is dedicated to the preservation of this iconic bird, which faced near extinction due to habitat loss and lead poisoning. As of December 2023, there are approximately 560 California condors worldwide, with over 340 thriving in the wild. The California condor holds the distinction of being the largest land bird in North America, with a wingspan that can reach up to 9.5 feet.
