California condors seem to have found success following their reintroduction into the southwest U.S. in 1996 after biologists confirmed that a new chick recently hatched in the wild.
The condor chick, which hatched in Utah, marks the first documented birth of a California condor in the state and follows the reintroduction of the species in northern Arizona, the Associated Press reported.
"The birds have slowly expanded within what we would now assume to be their home range of about a 70-mile radius from the release site," Peregrine Fund Condor Project supervisor Chris Parish told FOX13.
Brought close to extinction by poison, the California condor population stood at about 25 birds when the Peregrine Fund began conservation efforts in recent years. Starting in the 1990s, environmental organizations began reintroducing the birds, several pairs of which have since successfully mated in northern Arizona.
The condor chick hatched in Zion National Park, which holds plenty of food as well as high cliffs for condor nets, Parish said.
The adult birds that produced the chick are first-time parents, making the case even more unusual.
"We reproduce birds in captivity with pretty regular success, and we can release birds to the wild," Parish said. "But having parents rear those birds and hatch them in the wild, is by far the best situation, just like it is with any type of wildlife."
Biologists are keeping an eye on the chick, which is expected to fly from the nest in November or December. While the nest's exact location is under wraps to keep the condor family safe, bird enthusiasts can see a condor chick that hatched in captivity around the same time at the San Diego Zoo's website.
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