Arizona's only three wild condor chicks doing well

Watchable Wildlife News
February 3, 2005

PHOENIX -  The only three endangered condor chicks hatched in the wilds of Arizona in more than 80 years are doing well as we enter a new year.

"The California condor chicks are becoming more independent," says Susan MacVean, an Arizona Game and Fish Department biologist. "In fact, one that hatched last year and just took its first flight in November is already flying more than a mile from its nest."

Just 22 California condors were left in the world in 1982, but efforts to save and breed the species have resulted in nearly 250 of the birds now living in both the wild and in captivity. Condors are periodically released in Arizona, California, and Mexico. Reintroduction began in Arizona in 1996, and 45 condors now live in the wild in our state, including the three chicks.

The two chicks that hatched last May in Arizona both began flying on their own in late November. The one at the Grand Canyon has been venturing up to a mile and a half from its nest cave. Its parents frequently visit and feed it. However, the other new chick, which hatched at Vermilion Cliffs National Monument, is just now doing better, after having some health trouble.

"Biologists found the chick dehydrated and a little underweight in early January," says Kathy Sullivan, a condor biologist with the Arizona Game and Fish Department. "The bird was taken to The Phoenix Zoo, where talented staffers have successfully treated condors before. The chick underwent surgery for an obstruction in its gizzard, and a mass of sticks and hair was removed. The chick was then tagged, fitted with a transmitter to monitor its movements, and vaccinated for the West Nile Virus."

"We had some concerns about separating the chick from its parents at this early age," says Chris Parish, a biologist with The Peregrine Fund, "but the chick spent time recovering in a pen in northern Arizona, and its parents even tried to feed it through a fence. When biologists finally did reunite the chick with its parents, the cheers could probably be heard for miles. The parents fed the chick within just 20 minutes. The fledgling was released back into the wild on Jan. 20 and appears to be doing well with its parents in its nest area."

Arizona's other condor chick hatched in 2003. That chick is making its way further and further from its nest. However, it is still visited by its parents and not fully independent.

Biologists are already getting ready for this year's nesting season. They're hopeful that at least two pairs of condors that have never bred before will produce chicks.

California condors are the largest flying land bird in North America. They can weigh up to 26 pounds and have a wingspan of up to 9 1/2 feet. The species has been listed as endangered since 1967.

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.
 

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