Uploaded September 2014 | Updated September 2026, 1 hour ago
As California condors return from the brink of extinction, the threat of lead poisoning persists, particularly for older, more independent condors, according to a study led by the University of California, Davis.
Researchers evaluated blood lead levels in wild condors over the past 15 years where the condor, the largest flying bird in North America, has been re-introduced to its previous range from southern California to the central coast.
The study, published this month in the journal Conservation Biology, found that 62–91 percent of condors sampled in a given year in California between 1997 and 2011 had elevated levels of lead in their blood. This was despite the regular provision of food at release sites, given to help transition young birds to the wild. The supplemental food has reduced foraging by the population on natural food sources that may be contaminated with lead ammunition.
The investigators found that older condors are more likely to be exposed to higher levels of lead -- especially those birds that are gaining independence from food provision and flying farther from sites where the supplemental food is available to them.
As California condors return from the brink of extinction, the threat of lead poisoning persists, particularly for older, more independent condors, according to a study led by the University of California, Davis.
Researchers evaluated blood lead levels in wild condors over the past 15 years where the condor, the largest flying bird in North America, has been re-introduced to its previous range from southern California to the central coast.
The study, published this month in the journal Conservation Biology, found that 62–91 percent of condors sampled in a given year in California between 1997 and 2011 had elevated levels of lead in their blood. This was despite the regular provision of food at release sites, given to help transition young birds to the wild. The supplemental food has reduced foraging by the population on natural food sources that may be contaminated with lead ammunition.
The investigators found that older condors are more likely to be exposed to higher levels of lead -- especially those birds that are gaining independence from food provision and flying farther from sites where the supplemental food is available to them.
