A dozen fluffy condor chicks prepare for takeoff

A dozen gawky condor chicks are getting their wings this month at the Oregon Zoo's Jonsson Center for Wildlife Conservation. As their fluffy down develops into strong, sturdy feathers, some of the young birds have started taking short flights outside.

"They're not full-fledged condors yet," said Nicole LaGreco, who oversees the zoo's condor recovery efforts. "But they'll be feathered and flying on their own soon enough, getting ready to soar off into the wild.

The first chick left its nest box last month, and the remaining 11 are hopping and flapping closely behind, LaGreco said. The young condors, which hatched earlier this year, stay with their parents for at least eight months before spending about a year in large, outdoor pre-release pens.

Nine condors from last year's cohort departed the zoo conservation center earlier this month, traveling to wild release sites in California and Arizona, where they will eventually join free-flying condors.

The California condor was one of the original animals included on the 1973 Endangered Species Act and is classified as critically endangered. In 1982, only 22 remained in the wild and by 1987, the last condors were brought into human care in an attempt to save the species from extinction. Thanks to recovery programs like the Oregon Zoo's, the world's California condor population now totals more than 600 birds, most of which are flying free.

The Oregon Zoo's recovery efforts take place at the Jonsson Center for Wildlife Conservation, located in rural Clackamas County on Metro-owned open land. The remoteness of the facility minimizes the exposure of young condors to people, increasing their chances to survive and breed in the wild.

Upgrades and new equipment at the Jonsson Center have been made possible through continued support from U.S. senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden, the Avangrid Foundation, and donations to the Oregon Zoo Foundation, which supports the zoo's efforts in advancing animal well-being, species recovery work and conservation education.

More than 150 chicks have hatched at the Jonsson Center since 2003, and more than 100 Oregon Zoo-reared birds have gone out to field pens for release. Several eggs laid by Oregon Zoo condors have been placed in wild nests to hatch.