The California Condor is the largest flying land bird in North America, riding thermals on a wingspan of up to nine and a half feet. An Ice Age relic that once soared over much of the continent, it was driven to the brink by lead poisoning from bullet fragments in the carcasses it scavenged - by 1982 only 22 remained on Earth, and in 1987 the last wild bird was captured for an all-or-nothing captive breeding program. It worked: condors fly free again over California, Arizona, Utah, and Baja California, and every one of them descends from those final few.
Best time to see a California Condor
The best time to see a California Condor is January–June, when about 67% of U.S. sightings happen, based on 6,387 research-grade iNaturalist observations.
Not certain it is a California Condor? What bird is this? walks through what to check first and the lookalikes that catch people out.
Recent California Condor sightings near you
Live, research-grade observations from iNaturalist. Allow location to center the map on you.
Spotted a California Condor?
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