1 United States Department of the Interior
FISH AND WILDLIFE SERVICE HOPPER MOUNTAIN NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE COMPLEX CALIFORNIA CONDOR RECOVERY PROGRAM 2493 Portola Rd, Ste A Ventura, CA 93003 Tel: (805) 644-5185 Fax: (805) 644-1732
California Condor Recovery Program 2019 Annual Population Status
Total World Population 518
(2017=463, 2016=446, 2015=435)
Wild Free Flying Population 337
AZ /UT Wild 98
CA Wild 200 – SoCa 99; VWS 63; PNP 38
Baja Wild 39
Total Captive Population: 181
(Includes pre-release captive chicks in breeding facilities and field sites) Wild Chicks Fledged 14
AZ/UT 4 (1 pending confirmation)
CA 9 (SoCa 4, 1 pending; VWS 3 confirmed, 1 pending; PNP 2)
Baja 1 (1-2 additional nests likely)
Captives Released to Wild 32 AZ/UT 10 CA 20 (6 VWS; 1 PNP; 13 FWS) Baja 2 2
Captive Breeding
Captive Breeding is conducted at the Peregrine Fund’s World Center for Birds of Prey, Los Angeles Zoo, San Diego Zoo and Safari Park and Oregon Zoo in the U.S. and Chapultepec Zoo in Mexico City, Mexico.
Captive breeding pairs 50 (48 in the U.S.; 2 in Mex.)
Chicks produced: 34 (32 in the U.S.; 2 in Mex.)
Chicks available for release in 2019: 32
Chicks held for future breeding: 1 (2018-1)
Captive chick deaths: 0 (2018-3)
Captive adult deaths: 1 (SB#39 aspergillosis infection)
Captive juvenile deaths: 1 (SB #917 predation pre-release)
2019 Deaths in the Wild Free-flying Population 17 (2017=17, 2018=20)
AZ/UT 5 (2018=7)
CA 12 (2018=11)
{SOCA 4 (2018=9) From 1992 through 2019 there have been {CECA 8 (2018=2) 93 documented deaths from lead poisoning Baja 0 (2018=2) in the free flying population. 2019 Cause of Death Lead poisoning is responsible for 50 percent Lead toxicosis 9 of the 185 condor deaths where a cause of death has been determined. (2018=6)
{AZ/UT 3 (2018=1) An additional 93 free-flying condors have been presumed dead after missing for more {SOCA 1 (2018=3) than 365 days.
{CECA 5 (2018=2)
Power line 1
Pending final necropsy / COD: 3
Unknown missing in the wild: 3
Undetermined: 1 3
KNOWN CAUSES OF MORTALITY IN THE WILD CALIFORNIA CONDOR POPOULATION 1992 -2019 Other, 9 illness, 8 fire, 7 trauma, 6
shooting, 11
Lead, 93 50% of the 185 mortalities with a predation, 27 known cause death from 1992-2019 are lead poisoning
drowning, 7 powerline, 17
Number of Releases, Fledges and Deaths in the Wild Condor Population 2010-2019
40
35
30
25
20
15
10
5
0 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 Wild deaths Wild fledged Releases
4
Breeding Aged Condors Gained and Lost In the Wild Condor Population in 2019 25
20
15
10
5
0 Number of Number of birds Turned age 6 in Turned age 5 in Turned age 8 in breeding age birds that turned age 5 2019 2020 2019 that died in 2019 in 2019 CA AZ Total BAJA
Number of Wild Condors Age 8 and Older in 2019 160 141 140
120
100 79 80
60 43 40 19 20
0 CA AZ BAJA Total
5
California Condor Population Trend 2010 - 2019
600
500 518 488 463 Total population 400 435 446 421 404 412 337 390 312 Wild population 370 290 300 268 276 235 230 228 Captive 210 population 181 Number of condors of Number 200
189 182 193 181 180 169 167 170 173 176 100
0 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019
All data used in the preparation of this report was provided by the following California Condor Recovery Program partners: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Hopper Mountain National Wildlife Refuge Complex, National Fish and Wildlife Forensics Lab, Ventana Wildlife Society, Pinnacles National Park, Peregrine Fund, Los Angeles Zoo, San Diego Zoo and Safari Park / San Diego Zoo Global, Oregon Zoo, La Comisión Nacional de Áreas Naturales Protegidas - National Commission of Natural Protected Areas Mexico (CONANP), Zoológico de Chapultepec - Chapultepec Zoo, and Santa Barbara Zoo.