ST. GEORGE — A motherless chick offers hope for the Utah-Arizona flock’s future, thriving with its foster parents.
One of the female birds that perished in the outbreak left behind an egg. While the outbreak was raging, and staff from The Peregrine Fund were collecting dead or symptomatic condors, they noticed that condor 316’s behavior was potentially concerning, according to Audubon.
“(Staff was) closely tracking each individual in the flock for signs of illness,” the article reads. “Most concerning was if a condor settled in one spot and stopped moving — as when condor 316 made her way into a cliffside cave in mid-March and didn’t budge.”
While illness was possible, lack of movement could also be egg-laying behavior — in this case, both were true, Audubon states. She was captured but later perished, leaving the egg in the care of her mate.
While the father continued to care for his offspring, the egg was ultimately removed and transferred to Liberty Wildlife to prevent him from catching the virus through continued contact with the nest, according to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
Additionally, condor parents typically share responsibility for sitting on eggs during their 57-day incubation period and doing so alone lessened its chances of survival, Audubon writes.
The egg hatched on May 9, and the chick was placed with a condor plushie while awaiting test results as there was a chance the small bird was already infected with bird flu, the service states.
Ultimately, she tested negative and was placed with foster parents at The Peregrine Fund’s Captive Breeding Facility, increasing her chances of being released into the wild.
“With the successful egg recovery, incubation, and hatch, she has overcome the most difficult obstacles she will face for now,” Jane Naillon, the director of brand and communication with The Peregrine Fund, shared with St. George News via email. “She is in a protected environment with attentive foster condors, and we are hopeful she will be released back to the wild around 18 months old if all goes smoothly.”
Leah Esquivel, the nonprofit’s propagation manager, said the chick is doing “fantastic,” Naillon shared.
“She’s eating well from her foster parents and acting like a normal baby condor,” Esquivel said. “Now we will be watching her closely, just like we do all our chicks, and make sure she’s hitting those developmental milestones that we’d expect from a condor chick, which right now is just eating and growing well.”
The “little miracle condor” is particularly playful, The Peregrine Fund wrote on Facebook, sharing a clip of the hatchling playing with a feather “very much like a puppy would.”
“She’s adorable, and we can’t get enough,” the nonprofit writes.
Her foster parents, condors 27 and 59, have cared for foster chicks previously and have been “great parents” thus far, the nonprofit wrote.
“Her new parents have been focused on keeping her safe and getting her fed, and we’re very pleased with the feedings we’ve observed so far. … We are excited for the future of this miracle condor,” they state.
Photo Gallery
A California condor chick plays with a feather, Boise, Idaho, date not specified | Photo courtesy of The Peregrine Fund, St. George News A hatchling whose mother died of bird flu cuddles with her foster dad, Boise, Idaho, date not specified | Photo courtesy of The Peregrine Fund, St. George News A hatchling whose mother died of bird flu is placed with a condor plushie while it waits for test results, date and location not specified | Photo courtesy of The Peregrine Fund, St. George News A condor egg begins to hatch, date and location unspecified | Photo courtesy of The Peregrine Fund, St. George News A hatchling whose mother died of bird flu is placed with a condor plushie while it waits for test results, date and location not specified | Photo courtesy of The Peregrine Fund, St. George News A hatchling whose mother died of bird flu is placed with a condor plushie while it waits for test results, date and location not specified | Photo courtesy of The Peregrine Fund, St. George News A hatchling whose mother died of bird flu is placed with a condor plushie while it waits for test results, date and location not specified | Photo courtesy of The Peregrine Fund, St. George News A hatchling whose mother died of bird flu is placed with a condor plushie while it waits for test results, date and location not specified | Photo courtesy of The Peregrine Fund, St. George News Foster parents care for a condor hatchling at The Peregrine Fund's Captive Breeding Facility, Boise, Idaho, date not specified | Photo courtesy of The Peregrine Fund, St. George News
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