Endangered Condors Soar Once Again Over Northern California Redwoods by Kylee Carter

The endangered California condor, the largest native North American bird, has returned to Northern California redwood forests after a century-long absence. Two birds were reintroduced as part of a 15-year reintroduction project by the Yurok Tribe, the National Parks Service, and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and Redwood National and State Parks. California condors haven’t graced this region since 1892, a statement from the Yurok Tribe (whose name means “downriver people”) reveals. 

Conserving the planet for future generations 

"For countless generations, the Yurok people have upheld a sacred responsibility to maintain balance in the natural world. Condor reintroduction is a real life manifestation of our cultural commitment to restore and protect the planet for future generations," said Joseph L. James, chairman of the Yurok Tribe. "On behalf of the Yurok Tribe, I would like to thank all of the individuals, agencies and organizations that helped us prepare to welcome prey-go-neesh condor [as the Yurok call the condor] back to our homeland," he said.

Protecting wildlife

Hunting is primarily to blame for the condors’ drastic population decline throughout the 20th century; the condors scavenged from dead animals shot with lead bullets and were subsequently killed by lead poisoning. Only 27 condors remained by the 1980s. Fortunately, California enacted the nation’s first 100% lead ammunition ban to protect wildlife from lead poisoning in 2019. Birds also died after eating trash (including plastic and glass fragments) and dead animals exposed to pesticides. Today, roughly 200 adult California condors exist in the wild thanks to the efforts of captive breeding programs, although only 93 have reproduced. A healthy, natural, and diverse environment is essential for supporting wild bird populations. In fact, anyone can make their own garden bird-friendly simply by planting native plants that attract insects, a vital food source for birds. 

Two more birds to be released

Another two captive-raised condors are set to be released in the near future with the intention of restoring a self-sustaining condor population in the region. All four condors (three males and one female aged between two and four) were born in captivity, although prepared for life in the wild with large flight pens designed to mimic the natural environment. A seven-year-old condor was also donated to the reintroduction program by the World Center for Birds of Prey to teach the younger birds the "worldly knowledge they need to survive outside of captivity." After their release, the condors will be carefully monitored for "appropriate behavior".

Not only are condors important to the ecosystem, but they also play a key role in Yurok culture, particularly in the tribe's origin story and White Deerskin Dance and Jump Dance. "The loss of the condor has limited our capacity to be Yurok because prey-go-neesh is such an important part of our culture and traditions," said Yurok Wildlife Department Director Tiana Williams-Claussen. "In a very real way, restoring condor habitat and returning condor to Yurok skies is a clear restoration of the Yurok people, homeland, ecological systems, culture, and lifeway".

By Kylee Carter