Record-breaking flight for California condors as 17 chicks hatch – One Green Planet

This summer, the Los Angeles Zoo witnessed a remarkable milestone when 17 California condor chicks hatched, a new record. These chicks are part of an ongoing effort to increase the population of America’s largest flying bird, which is currently listed as endangered.

Rose Legato, the zoo’s curator of birds, attributed this success to innovative breeding techniques. By placing two or three chicks with a single surrogate condor, the team is improving the chicks’ survival and adaptation to the wild. These techniques are designed to minimize human interaction and encourage natural behavior in the birds.

California condors are vital to ecosystems. They act as nature’s cleanup crew, eating animal carcasses to prevent the spread of disease. However, their recovery has faced challenges such as habitat loss and lead poisoning. To combat this, laws have been passed requiring lead-free ammunition and bird flu vaccinations are now part of the program. The recovery of these magnificent birds began in earnest in 1967, with only 22 condors remaining in 1982. Thanks to concerted efforts, there are now 561 California condors in existence today, with 344 remaining in the wild.

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