California condor (Gymnogyps californianus).
Image: James St. John, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
At a glance
- IUCN category
- CR · Critically Endangered
- Animal group
- Birds
- Population trend
- Increasing
- Last verified
Conservation overview
The California condor is one of the largest flying birds in North America. After declining to a tiny remnant in the 1980s, every remaining wild bird was brought into a captive-breeding programme, and condors have since been released back into the wild.
It remains Critically Endangered and dependent on active management, but its population trend has been increasing thanks to that sustained recovery effort.
Range & habitat
A small, intensively managed population in the south-western United States and Baja California, Mexico.
Major threats
Threats below are drawn from the authoritative sources listed on this page. For the current, complete assessment, see the IUCN Red List.
- Lead poisoning from spent ammunition
- Habitat loss
- Collisions and micro-trash ingestion
Why it matters
As a scavenger, the condor helps remove carrion from the landscape, and its rescue is one of the most closely studied examples of intensive species recovery.
Recovered from a low of 22 birds in the 1980s through captive breeding and release; still dependent on active management.
Gallery
A California condor in flight (U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service).
Image: U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service (Pacific Southwest Region), Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.
Sources
Sources for California Condor
- IUCN Red List — look up California Condor (authoritative status)
- U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service
- Animal Diversity Web
Frequently Asked Questions
Why is the California condor still Critically Endangered if numbers are rising?
What is the biggest threat to condors?
Last updated: