Giants of the Sky wayside

Condor identification tags help biologists track medical histories and behavioral patterns.

NPS

Quick Facts

Location:

Farview Point

Amenities

1 listed

Historical/Interpretive Information/Exhibits

The California condor, with a nearly ten-foot wingspan, is the largest land bird in North America. Its range once stretched across the west, south to Baja California, and north to British Columbia. By 1940, this magnificent bird was on the verge of extinction from poaching, DDT contamination, habitat destruction, and lead poisoning from consuming carrion containing lead bullets. Captive breeding programs have helped stabilize the population, and today there are nearly 100 condors nesting and flying free in northern Arizona and southern Utah. In July 1999, two condors were spotted in the park. Sightings are rare and impossible to predict, but perhaps one day California condors will nest on these rugged cliffs.

Female condors lay one egg every other year. Both parents incubate the egg and care for their offspring. A chick fledges (flies) by six months, but may stay with its parents for 1-2 years. Identification tags help biologists track medical histories and behavioral patterns.