The Angels – A record 17 condor chicks California They were born in the zoo of The Angels during this year’s breeding season for this species of bird, which is found in Danger of extinction, officials announced Wednesday.
All of the chicks will be released into the wild as part of the California Condor Recovery Program, the Los Angeles Zoo said in a statement.
The 17th and final calf of the season was born in June and is thriving, according to zookeepers. The previous record was set in 1997, when 15 California condor chicks were born at the zoo.
“The team that works with the condors has once again stood out for its efforts to save the country’s largest flying bird from extinction”said Rose Legato, the zoo’s bird curator.
Legato said the recent record is the result of new breeding and reproduction techniques developed at the zoo, which pair two or three chicks together to be raised by a single adult condor that acts as a surrogate parent.
“The result is a greater number of condor chicks in the program and, ultimately, more condors in the wild.”said Legato.
The California Condor Recovery Program is administered by the Federal Fish and Wildlife Service Department of the Interior. Its mission is to propagate the iconic bird that decades ago was on the brink of extinction due to habitat loss and lead poisoning.
As of December 2023, there were about 560 California condors in the world, of which more than 340 lived in the wild, according to the zoo.
It is the largest land bird in North America, with a wingspan of up to 2.9 metres (9.5 ft).