2024 a Banner Year for Condors Nesting in Central California

By Conservation Fellow Emma Elsner, Pinnacles National Park

California condor parents 913 and 889 at a nest in Pinnacles National Park. They're one of three pairs (or trios!) raising chicks in the park this year. NPS / Gavin Emmons

September 2024 - California condors, known for their nearly 10-foot wingspan and near extinction in the 1980s, nest in caves on cliffs or sometimes in large redwood cavities. The iconic rocks of Pinnacles National Park, forged by volcanic activity, provide great nesting sites for condors. The park is home to a flock of 98 condors, co-managed by Ventana Wildlife Society, and is of one of three sub-populations in California. It’s been a great year for condors in central California, with a record number of wild-born chicks.

Condor 913—one of a condor parent trio—as seen through a spotting scope, with two eggs clearly visible in the nest cavity. It's rare for condor nests to contain more than one egg. Both eggs didn't last long, though. One was crushed, cause unknown. The trio hatched the other one successfully. NPS / Kaitlin Lopez

Currently, there are nine nestlings, three of which are in nests inside the park. These numbers bring hope, especially because condors reproduce much more slowly than other bird species. One of the reasons condors are so vulnerable to population decline is their low reproduction rate, with pairs typically producing a single offspring every two years. This is due to the extensive parental care that condors give to their young. Nestlings fledge at six months old, and these young condors stay with their parents for up to a year afterward.

Condors usually form pairs, but some form trios with either two males and one female, or two females and one male. They typically care for a single egg. But the central California flock had an unusual occurrence this year, when biologists found one of the nests at Pinnacles to have two eggs. A trio consisting of one male and two females used this nest, and evidently both females laid an egg. The two eggs didn’t last long though. Biologists found one of the eggs crushed a couple of weeks after being laid. It was not clear what crushed the egg, but the trio successfully hatched the surviving egg. All three condors are now actively tending to their chick, with each taking turns visiting the nest to feed and preen him. Biologists expect this nestling to fledge in November. Hopefully the other eight nestlings will fledge by then, too, and push the central California population to well over 100 individuals!

For more information

• Visit the California Condors at Pinnacles webpage
• Contact Pinnacles Condor Program Manager Alacia Welch

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