Strengthening the Future of the
California condor

a new innovative breeding center helping to recover one of North America’s most iconic and endangered native birds.

At California Condor Alliance we are on a mission to become an essential captive breeding center.

about us

Our aim is clear: to provide a substantial number of healthy, young condors for release each year, helping accelerate the species’ path from endangered to enduring.

We aspire to be both a key step and a vital partner in the California Condor Recovery Program

Founded by Michael Clark, one of the foremost experts in condor recovery, with over 35 years in the program, his career began at the LA Zoo when only 30 condors remained in the world. Over the next 30 years, he would be joined by the rest of our directors and together they devoted their professional lives to the recovery of the California condor through passion, innovation and dedication to the program’s mission.

Remarkable Team

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Photo credit: Conor Bucalo

Why restoring the California condor matters

a legacy worth saving

California condors are uniquely important because of their size, efficiency, and range, which differentiates them from other scavengers. While coyotes, ravens, or even smaller raptors will consume carrion, they are often less efficient or specialized. Condors, being the largest land birds in North America, can quickly process massive carcasses that might otherwise linger for weeks, becoming reservoirs for disease or attracting generalist scavengers that contribute less to deep nutrient cycling.

Keystone Species

Beyond their ecological role, California condors are profound cultural icons. As North America's largest bird, they are living symbols of the land’s heritage, embodying their sheer will to survive against the odds of late pleistocene extinction event. They are deeply woven into the ancient stories, spiritual beliefs, and artistic heritage of indigenous communities across the west, connecting people to the land and a profound past. Their presence in the skies enriches our landscapes, inspires awe, and stands as a powerful, tangible link to a wild, untamed western heritage.

Cultural Icon

The California condor is one of the world's most renowned conservation stories – a testament to how determined, cooperative conservation can snatch a species from the very brink of certain extinction. Without urgent intervention, this magnificent bird would undoubtedly be lost forever. While its gradual recovery symbolizes hope and resilience, our work is far from finished. This journey of bringing the condor back to the wild is an ongoing effort, and it's precisely where our organization plays its crucial role.

The Long Flight Home

The Challenges they face

And Why Increased Captive Breeding is vital for their successful recovery

Lead ammunition fragments found in animal carcasses, inadvertently consumed by the birds along with the meat, remain the leading cause of wild condor mortality, responsible for 50% of known deaths.

Lead Poisoning

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Condors naturally produce a single egg and rear a single chick per breeding attempt.

Slow Breeding

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A California condor chick may require more than one year of parental care before independence, limiting a pair of birds to producing only two chicks in four years

Slow Development

Despite the successful release of condors each year, wild population growth has been sluggish due to factors such as: lead poisoning, forest fire, and viral outbreak.

Growth Rate Plateau

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Too few facilities exist to meet the urgent need for young condors to be raised.

Breeding Space Shortages

Lead Poisoning

Source: California Condor Recovery Program, 2024 Annual Population Status.

Growth Rate Plateau

Source: California Condor Recovery Program, 2024 Annual Population Status.

What It Takes to Produce a California condor for release to the Wild

Every step is deliberate — from pair bonding and nesting to chick rearing and social development — to ensure each bird has the best chance of survival and success in the wild.

Raising a single California condor chick for release is a nearly 2 year long process, built on over 35 years of hands-on experience, research, and innovation.

DISCOVER THEIR JOURNEY

We begin with a carefully matched adult pair — typically at least seven years old — introduced using methods we've refined to strengthen pair bonds and encourage early egg production. The right environment makes all the difference: comfortable housing, natural social stimulation from nearby pairs, and a nutrient-rich diet all contribute to healthier, more vibrant birds who are ready to reproduce.

The Foundation: Breeding with Purpose

Because condors are easily disturbed during nesting, we rely on video monitoring to observe behaviors and chick development without intrusion. Hidden portals in the nest box allow us to safely access eggs and chicks when necessary, while the birds remain unaware of our presence.

Hands-Off, Eyes-On Monitoring

Decades of studying wild condor nests have taught us what they prefer: secluded spaces, soft nesting substrates, and defensible cavities. In captivity, we recreate these features across multiple nest sites, giving each pair the illusion of choice — a proven technique that leads to more successful nesting outcomes.

Designing the Perfect Nest

Photo credit: Gavin Emmons

Once an egg is laid, it’s carefully removed and placed in an incubator for its safety and close monitoring. This not only protects it from accidental breakage in a captive environment but also allows us to track its development throughout the 57-day incubation period.

Removing the egg also triggers the pair to lay a second — a natural response that can effectively double their reproductive output. While the egg is in incubation, the parents continue to care for a dummy egg, maintaining their incubation behavior.

We only intervene during hatching if absolutely necessary. Most of the time, once we are confident that the chick will hatch successfully on its own, we return the real egg to the nest so it can hatch naturally with its parents.

Artificial Incubation for Safety and Success

At around 9 months, the young condor joins a group of other juveniles produced that season, along with an adult “mentor” condor — usually a mature male. This group setting introduces the chick to condor hierarchy, social structure, and competition — all key survival tools.

A mock utility pole rigged with a harmless electric wire is placed in the pen. The mentor bird avoids it, and the juveniles instinctively follow suit — a life-saving lesson that helps them avoid dangerous utility poles after release.

Graduating to the “Finishing School”

Once hatched, chicks are raised by their biological or foster parents— a vital step in ensuring proper imprinting, species-specific behavior, and social development. The chick remains with its family for as long as time allows, learning from the adults and building the behavioral foundation it will need in the wild.

Natural Parenting with Human Support

With the creation of our new breeding facility, we’re applying everything we've learned over the past three decades to expand our impact. By raising more healthy, well-prepared condors for release, we’re supporting exponential population growth and helping this iconic species soar toward a sustainable future.

Looking Ahead: Building a Future for Condors

By their second September — at about 1.5 years old — the young condors are fully developed, socially adapted, and physically strong. They are then transferred to field release sites to begin their life in the wild. As they leave, a new generation of chicks moves into the finishing pen, and the cycle begins again.