Skip to content
NOWCAST KSBW Action News 8 at 6 pm
Coming up Soon
Advertisement

California condor waiting for egg to hatch in Pinnacles

Advertisement
California condor waiting for egg to hatch in Pinnacles
Pinnacles National Park released video recorded in a nest showing an endangered California condor patiently waiting for an egg to hatch. The condor, named 340 by biologists who track the birds, is the soon-to-be chick's devoted father. He is taking turns with his mate, a mother named 236, keeping the egg warm.VIDEO: California condor waiting for egg to hatch in PinnaclesTheir nest in Pinnacles National Park is one of only 16 nests in California. The couple's egg is expected to hatch in mid April, and from the video, biologists said it appears the egg is very healthy.Condor 340's previous mate died from lead poisoning last summer and they were unable to make an egg together. Park officials are hopeful that 340 and 236 will be great parents. "They will continue to spend most of their time in and around the nest until the chick fledges (leaves the nest) in the fall, when they will start touring around Pinnacles with their youngster," park officials said. The birds with a 10-foot wing span went extinct in the wild in the 1980s because of lead poisoning.Today they are making a comeback. An estimated wild population of 60 condors live on the Central Coast, mostly in Big Sur and Pinnacles, according to the Ventana Wildlife Society.VIDEO: California condors thrive in Big Sur while sea lions struggle

Pinnacles National Park released video recorded in a nest showing an endangered California condor patiently waiting for an egg to hatch. 

The condor, named 340 by biologists who track the birds, is the soon-to-be chick's devoted father. He is taking turns with his mate, a mother named 236, keeping the egg warm.

Advertisement

Related Content

VIDEO: California condor waiting for egg to hatch in Pinnacles

Their nest in Pinnacles National Park is one of only 16 nests in California. 

The couple's egg is expected to hatch in mid April, and from the video, biologists said it appears the egg is very healthy.

Condor 340's previous mate died from lead poisoning last summer and they were unable to make an egg together. Park officials are hopeful that 340 and 236 will be great parents. 

"They will continue to spend most of their time in and around the nest until the chick fledges (leaves the nest) in the fall, when they will start touring around Pinnacles with their youngster," park officials said. 

The birds with a 10-foot wing span went extinct in the wild in the 1980s because of lead poisoning.

Today they are making a comeback. An estimated wild population of 60 condors live on the Central Coast, mostly in Big Sur and Pinnacles, according to the Ventana Wildlife Society.

VIDEO: California condors thrive in Big Sur while sea lions struggle