How Many California Condors Are Left? The Comeback From 27 Birds

Species deep dive · california condor

*As of 31 December 2025, there were 607 California condors (Gymnogyps californianus) in the world — 392 flying free and 215 in captivity* (U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service 2025 population status). That is the short answer to "how many are left." The longer answer is one of the clearest captive-breeding comebacks in North American conservation.

From 27 birds to hundreds

By the mid-1980s the species was nearly gone. Biologists brought the last free-flying birds into captivity; by 1987 the entire world population was 27 captive birds (USFWS Recovery Program). Releases began in 1992. In 2008, for the first time since the program started, more condors flew free than sat in captivity. In 2004 the first wild chick of the modern era fledged.

The 2025 census breaks the wild flock into Arizona/Utah (98), California (216 — southern and central flocks), the Pacific Northwest experimental population (25), and Baja California (53). Captive breeding still underpins the rebound: 54 breeding pairs laid 67 eggs in 2025, with 45 chicks available for 2026 placement, at partners including The Peregrine Fund's World Center for Birds of Prey, Los Angeles Zoo, San Diego Zoo and Safari Park, Oregon Zoo, and Chapultepec Zoo in Mexico City (USFWS 2025 status).

North America's largest flying land bird

Adults span about 2.5–3 m (to roughly 9.5 feet) across the wings and weigh about 7–11 kg (USFWS species profile; Animal Diversity Web). The bare orange-pink head, black body, and white underwing triangles make soaring adults unmistakable. They are New World vultures (Cathartidae) — scavengers, not hunters — covering rough canyon, cliff, oak savanna and open coast country on long thermal rides. A pair usually lays a single egg every other year; incubation is about eight weeks, and young stay dependent for many months (ADW).

The Andean condor (Vultur gryphus) is the South American cousin with a similar soaring lifestyle; North America's Gymnogyps is the recovery story told here.

Lead still kills

Recovery is real and unfinished. In 2025, 22 free-flying birds died. Lead poisoning confirmed 9 of those deaths; another 9 awaited final necropsy (USFWS 2025 status). Since reintroduction began in 1992, USFWS counts 161 confirmed lead deaths in the wild flock — about 50% of deaths with a known cause. Condors swallow fragments of spent lead ammunition when they scavenge shot carcasses. Switch to non-lead ammo in condor country is the single most practical way the public can help (Ventana Wildlife Society; USFWS).

Other threats include power-line collisions, microtrash fed to chicks, and disease. The recovery plan still aims for two geographically separate, self-sustaining wild populations of at least 150 birds and 15 breeding pairs each, plus a secure captive flock (USFWS Recovery Program).

On the Wilder card

The California condor plays as a Rare Aves card: Cost 5, Attack 3, Health 7, with Resilient and Flock. High Health and Resilient fit a long-lived scavenger that outlasted a near wipeout; Flock nods to the social roosts and feeding aggregations condors still form around a carcass. In the free browser collectible card game, that is flavour built on the same comeback the census numbers describe — not a kids' cartoon version of a Critically Endangered bird.

If you came here from a search box: about 600 alive, roughly two-thirds wild, still Critically Endangered, still poisoned by lead. The rest of the page is how those numbers got there.

Photo credit

Hero photograph: Pacific Southwest Region U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service — Gymnogyps californianus soaring, Los Padres National Forest — Wikimedia Commons, public domain. Padded to fit the Field Journal hero.

Questions people ask

Are California condors still critically endangered?

Yes. Despite the rebound to 607 birds by the end of 2025, the species remains Critically Endangered and dependent on captive breeding, releases, and ongoing threat reduction — especially lead ammunition. Recovery goals still call for two self-sustaining wild populations of 150+ birds each (USFWS Recovery Program; USFWS 2025 status).

How big is a California condor's wingspan?

About 2.5–3 metres, up to roughly 9.5 feet — making it North America's largest flying land bird. Adults weigh about 7–11 kg. Compare the South American Andean condor for a similar soaring scavenger (USFWS species profile; Animal Diversity Web).

Why do hunters matter for condor recovery?

Condors die when they swallow lead fragments from spent ammunition in scavenged carcasses. USFWS reports 161 confirmed lead deaths in free-flying birds since 1992 — about half of deaths with a known cause. Using non-lead ammo in condor country is the main preventable fix (USFWS 2025 status; Ventana Wildlife Society).

Do California condors hunt live prey?

No. They are New World vultures that eat carrion — large mammal carcasses such as deer, cattle, and marine mammals — found by soaring over open country. They do not kill live game the way eagles or falcons do (Animal Diversity Web; USFWS).

How often do California condors lay eggs?

A breeding pair typically lays a single egg about every other year. Incubation lasts roughly eight weeks, and the chick may stay with the parents for many months, which is one reason the population climbs slowly even when nesting succeeds (Animal Diversity Web; USFWS Recovery Program).