For Immediate Release: March 3, 2009

Contact: American Bird Conservancy, 202-234-7181, ext. 216, www.abcbirds.org

Despite Record Population, Lead Contamination Still Hindering California Condor’s Recovery

California Condor. Photo: Greg Homel

(Washington, D.C.) The California Condor has reached a significant milestone: for the first time in more than 20 years, there are now more birds flying free in the wild than there are in captivity. California Condors dwindled to a low of only 22 individuals in 1982, at which point birds were taken into captivity as part of a recovery program. The program has been a great success, with the condor population now flying high at 332. Nine chicks fledged in the wild in 2008, and there are now 87 birds in the wild in California, 68 in Arizona, and 19 in Baja California, Mexico.

“The public perception is that condors have recovered, but the reality is that without constant intervention, many of the birds would die of lead poisoning from bullet fragments in their food, and chicks would succumb to starvation due to trash accumulated in their guts,” said Dr. Michael Fry, American Bird Conservancy’s Director of Conservation Advocacy. “Several emergency surgeries have been needed to remove bottle caps, glass fragments, and other objects from the stomachs of condors, and many birds have had to be caught and treated for lead exposure.”

The American Ornithologists’ Union recently asked six experts, including Dr. Fry, to review the condor program and make recommendations for continuing the recovery. Their report confirms the absolute necessity of eliminating the sources of lead that are poisoning condors, primarily lead fragments from hunting bullets. This presents a critical problem, because condors are scavengers and they often supplement their diet with carcasses left behind by hunters.

California recently required the use of non-toxic bullets within the condor’s range. Arizona has been providing lead-free ammunition to hunters for two years, and a similar program is now underway in the Zion region of Utah, but better communication with hunters is needed, including education on the lead exposure problem. A recent study found that California’s ban was being complied with by 99% of hunters, and that the voluntary measures in Arizona had a 90% compliance rate.

“Two condors died of lead poisoning in California in 2008,” said Dr. Fry. “Unfortunately, there will continue to be lead ammunition deaths due to non-compliance. The best enforcement tool will be a statewide requirement for non-toxic ammo.”

The California Fish and Game Department has created a website (http://www.dfg.ca.gov/wildlife/hunting/condor/) to educate and provide resources for hunters. The state has now certified 17 ammunition manufacturers of non-lead ammunition.

“Providing hunters with non-toxic ammunition and encouraging manufacturers and sportsmen’s organizations to embrace the need for non-toxic ammunition is essential,” said Dr. Fry. “We were thrilled to learn that Winchester is now producing non-toxic .22 caliber ammunition – something that some opponents had claimed could never be done.”

The panel recommended that each release program continue supplemental feeding of condors until the lead issue is resolved. The feeding program allows biologists to trap and monitor the birds frequently and treat for lead exposure when birds are poisoned. The feeding and monitoring aspects of the program are very expensive and time consuming, and are preventing the program from releasing additional birds into the wild.

The panel also noted that condors in California have begun to frequently feed on carcasses of marine mammals along the Big Sur coast, and recommended that a contaminants monitoring program be initiated to ensure that the condors are not being poisoned by this new food source. Despite the problems, the panel was confident that once lead exposure has been greatly reduced, the condor populations in several states have the potential to become self-sustainable. The AOU report is available at: http://ca.audubon.org/pdf/AOU_CONDOR_REPORT_Aug08_final.pdf.

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American Bird Conservancy (ABC) conserves native wild birds and their habitats throughout the Americas. ABC acts to safeguard the rarest bird species, restore habitats, and reduce threats, while building capacity in the conservation movement. ABC is the voice for birds, ensuring that they are adequately protected; that sufficient funding is available for bird conservation; and that land is protected and properly managed to maintain viable habitat. ABC is a 501(c)(3) membership organization that is consistently awarded a top, four-star rating by the independent group, Charity Navigator.