Endangered Utah bird species to get a boost. Here's how to watch its population soar

ST. GEORGE — California condors, including a flock near the Utah-Arizona border, were once pushed to the brink of extinction, but they've slowly recovered as part of a massive conservation push.

The flock is about to receive a few more members as that push continues. Four more condors will be released into the wild on Saturday for the 30th annual condor release, a joint venture between the Bureau of Land Management and The Peregrine Fund.

The birds, hatched at zoos through a program that replicates natural scenarios, will be released at Vermilion Cliffs National Monument just south of the Utah-Arizona border during an in-person event, which will also be streamed live.

"We are proud that America's public lands provide habitat and landscapes that allow these magnificent condors to thrive," said Robert Bate, manager of the bureau's Vermilion Cliffs National Monument.

California condor releases like this have become a tradition since 1996, as various groups and agencies came together to save the California condor.

The species' global population fell to as low as 22 in the 1980s due to poisoning from lead ammunition and other environmental factors. It prompted concerns for the vital scavenger species, which help reduce disease transmission across humans, wildlife, and livestock, federal wildlife biologists note.

Its population is now up to 607 worldwide, including 392 spread out across four wild locations.

Nearly 100 condors were counted in the Arizona-Utah flock at the start of this year, behind only California in wild population size, per the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Smaller flocks have also been established in the Pacific Northwest and Mexico.

While the global wild population has jumped 46% over the past decade, recovery efforts haven't always been steady, especially within the Arizona-Utah flock. Eight condors within the flock died last year, following 25 in 2024 and 34 in 2023, federal wildlife experts noted.

An avian flu outbreak was detected in 2023, contributing to many of the deaths. However, deaths by lead poisoning remain a problem, while at least two were illegally killed in Utah in recent years.

That's where every additional release makes a difference.

"It is a reminder of the tremendous comeback by this once nearly extinct species and the hard work and dedication of those who have fought, and those who continue to fight, day in and day out to ensure we reach our ultimate goal of recovery," said Tim Hauck, director of The Peregrine Fund's California condor program, ahead of last year's release.

Saturday's festivities will begin at 10:30 a.m. Mountain at Vermilion Cliffs' Condor Viewing Site. The actual release will begin at noon.

More details, including driving directions, can be found on a webpage set up for the event.

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