Press Releases

For nearly a century California condors have been absent from the skies of San Diego County, but this could soon change as condors released in Baja California are approaching the United States and Mexico border.

Since June several condors, led by a mature male, No. 261, have made exploratory flights north from the Sierra San Pedro de Martir National Park release site in Baja California, Mexico. Some flights have come as close as 15 miles to the international border, leaving researchers anticipating their return into San Diego's backcountry soon.

"I anticipated that the Baja released birds would 'eventually' cross the border and join up with the California population of condors in Central California, but I thought it would be several years from now," said Mike Wallace, Ph.D., Zoological Society of San Diego condor biologist and California Condor Recovery Program team leader. "While we need five high level international permits to transport them across the border in either direction, the released condors will soon fly on their own over the border without visas or passports."

The last documented sighting of a free-flying condor in San Diego was in 1910. The birds disappeared from Baja California in 1937. The Zoological Society of San Diego began a reintroduction program in Baja California in 2002 led by Wallace through the department of Conservation and Research for Endangered Species (CRES), the Zoological Societys research division. It is these same birds that are now extending their reach by exploring the mountain ridge leading them toward the border.

Once the birds reach San Diego, the California Condor Recovery Program team will be one step closer to reaching its goal of establishing two independent populations of California condors. Condors released in Central California and the Baja California birds are expected to eventually become one population. To date, the Central California birds have flown as far south as the San Bernardino mountains. The second population of birds is being established in Arizona.

While there are currently 11 condors flying freely in Baja California, researchers expect only one to four of the mature birds to reach San Diego initially. Because the condors recognize the Mexican national park as the place where food is provided and it is where other condors live, the birds may return to Baja the same day or stay one night in the beginning. Eventually the condors may choose to stay longer in rural areas, particularly on boulders along the mountain communities, especially when they connect with the Central California birds.

Researchers first became aware of the condor's approach to the border in June through Global Positioning System technology that showed No. 261's location. GPS technology will allow biologists to continue to monitor the birds' movements as they venture further from their home base.

The public can help researchers if a sighting is made by emailing the location of the condor, its identifying tag number and what the bird was doing to the Zoological Society at condors@sandiegozoo.org. However, it is important to note that the California condor is a critically endangered species and is protected by the federal government. The public should not interact with it or inhibit its actions. Human interaction can interfere with its return to San Diego's wilderness.

There are several large bird species flying over the skies of San Diego County, but a California condor can be easily distinguished from other birds by its size and wing coloration. The California condor is the largest bird in North America with a 9-foot wingspan. In flight, a condor can be identified by a white triangle across the middle of its wings, whereas a turkey vulture has a light gray band on the rear edge of the wing and a juvenile golden eagle has a white spot on each wing. The mature eagle has no white.

The California Condor Recovery Program is a team effort managed by U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in conjunction with the Zoological Society of San Diego, Los Angeles Zoo, The Peregrine Fund's World Center for Birds of Prey in Boise, Idaho, the Oregon Zoo, California Fish and Game, Arizona Game and Fish, the Bureau of Land Management, and various Mexican government and conservation agencies. The California condor population numbers more than 270 birds, with approximately 125 living in the wild. There are more than 120 condors in the four zoological institutions including 28 at the San Diego Zoo's Wild Animal Park.

Four birds can be seen by guests visiting the Wild Animal Park's Condor Ridge, a habitat showcasing some of North America's rare and endangered species. To date, 127 condors have hatched at the Park, 87 of these birds have been released into the wild including the last four condors released in Baja California.

The department of Conservation and Research for Endangered Species (CRES), operated by the not-for-profit Zoological Society of San Diego, is working to establish field stations in five key ecological areas internationally and participates in conservation and research work around the globe. The Zoological Society also manages the 100-acre San Diego Zoo and the 1,800-acre San Diego Zoo's Wild Animal Park (more than half of which has been set aside as protected native species habitat).

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