LA Zoo welcomes 10 California condor chicks. Here's how they're doing

The Los Angeles Zoo is celebrating the arrival of 10 California condor chicks. The birds are part of an international recovery program, and some of them could be released into the wild to help their critically endangered species recover.

How are they doing?

Zoo officials said the chicks are in different stages of development, but are healthy and thriving.

Greg Pontoppidan, the zoo's senior animal keeper, said socializing them is a crucial step to preparing them for surviving the outside world.

He said the zoo’s condor team observes the chicks carefully, looking for which ones might be a candidate for release or need an extra year to develop. If a chick isn't ready to move to a larger cage with bigger birds, they'll be put into a new cohort of chicks the next season

“It kind of goes from you being the one who is struggling to compete and struggling to make it... to being the coolest chick in the pen,” Pontoppidan said.

The zoo has only held back one condor in the breeding program’s history, he added. The delay is meant to make sure the bird can survive on its own. Then at about 16 to 18 months — and depending on their social behavior — the condor could get released into the wild.

Planning a visit?

Zoo visitors can learn more about the massive birds at the California Condor Talk. The show takes place every Tuesday at 2 p.m. in the picnic area near the Angela Collier World of Birds Show Theater.

You can also visit Hope, the zoo’s non-releasable condor, at the World of Birds Show at noon, except on Tuesdays.

About the program

A rare and endangered California condor flies through Marble Gorge, east of Grand Canyon National Park .

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David McNew

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Getty Images North America

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The L.A. Zoo program has focused on breeding the massive birds for nearly six decades.

The critically endangered species is America’s largest flying bird, with only 566 left in the world as of December. Officials said 369 of them are wild. In 1982, there were only 22 California condors left in the world.

“There are opportunities for people to go out into the wild and see these birds and experience what it is to have a 9-foot wingspan above your head, or see an amazing bird perching that we almost lost,” Pontoppidan said.

There are also ongoing efforts to protect them from lead ammunition, which is the leading cause of death for the species. The birds are further threatened by outbreaks of the highly pathogenic avian influenza, also known as the bird flu.

California condors at the L.A. Zoo are receiving a vaccine to protect from the illness.

“It's really challenging to have a single disease as a risk that could knock us back and be a significant stumbling block toward recovery,” Pontoppidan said.