The California Condor - A Success Story
Marble Canyon On a recent visit to the Grand Canyon, we stopped to see how the California Condors were doing in Marble Canyon. These birds can have a wing span of 9 ½ feet and weigh up to 26 pounds. They are BIG and magnificent in flight. I spotted two on a ledge and watched them take off down the canyon. I t started to rain as I saw three fly under the bridge below me. I hung (more than leaning!) over the sides to see if I could get a picture. The birds hopped from strut to strut keeping dryer that me. They mate for life, lays a single egg every other year, and can live 60 years. A wildlife recovery program brought the California Condor back from the brink of extinction. The last time a wild California Condor was spotted in the wild in Arizona was 1925. By 1982 the total in California and Arizona had dropped to 22 birds. They were all captured and a captive breeding program was started. You will notice the numbers on the