Endangered species making a comeback

PHOENIX —  Arizonans can already celebrate a milestone this holiday season… Both endangered California condor chicks that hatched in our state this year have successfully taken their first flights.

One of two condor chicks that recently fledged in Arizona. Photo by Chad Olson, National Park Service.

“We’re so pleased to have wild-hatched chicks take flight in Arizona,” says Susan MacVean, a biologist with the Arizona Game and Fish Department. “Last year, we had the first condor chick hatched anywhere in the wild in more than 20 years. This year, we have flights from the second and third California condor chicks hatched in the wild in Arizona since reintroduction of the species began here in 1996.”

Back in 1982, only 22 California condors were left in the world. Biologists captured them in an effort to save and breed the species. Experts now care for about 140 of the birds in captivity and periodically release them in California, Mexico, and Arizona, as the population begins to rebound. Forty-eight of the birds currently live in the wilds of our state, and these wild-hatched additions are particularly special.

“These chicks are a good sign that the California condor population may be able to thrive in the wild again,” says MacVean. “Hopefully, next year we’ll see even more wild-hatched condors.”

The two chicks both began to fly, or fledged, last week. One took its first flight at Vermilion Cliffs National Monument on Nov. 23. The other took flight on Nov. 25 at Grand Canyon National Park. Both chicks hatched back in May.

California condors are the largest flying land bird in North America. The birds can weigh up to 26 pounds and have a wingspan of up to 9 ½ feet. The species has been listed as endangered since 1967.