California Condor Chick Survives Being Hatched In Pinnacles National Park For 1st Time In 125 Years
PINNACLES NATIONAL PARK (AP) -- A California condor chick has hatched in the wild, survived and flown out of its nest at Pinnacles National Park for the first time since the 1890s.
The Santa Cruz Sentinel reports the female bird, born in April, is not the first chick to be born in the park.
But it is the first to survive long enough to leave the nest and begin the path to adulthood.
Pinnacles is a 26,000-acre park located in rural San Benito County about 80 miles south of San Jose.
Scientists say it's a success story for North America's largest bird as it continues a slow but steady path from near extinction.
California condors once ranged from British Columbia to Mexico. Habitat loss, hunting and lead poisoning led to a massive population dwindle.
