California Condor Returns to Oregon After 122 Years

Last month, a California condor soared across the Oregon border for the first time in 122 years, proving that one of North America's rarest birds is slowly reclaiming its historic territory.

The young female condor, known as B9, was born in captivity and released into the wild by California's Yurok Tribe in 2022. She flew an impressive 380-mile loop over four days, starting in Redwoods National Park and passing through Redding before crossing into Oregon.

B9 made stops near Medford, Cave Junction, and Brookings before returning home to the redwoods. Yurok Tribe Wildlife Department Director Tiana Williams-Claussen says B9 is an especially curious bird who covered nearly 100 miles per day.

"She was really utilizing the landscape the way that only a condor can, really taking advantage of those mountains and riverways that give good flight corridors," Williams-Claussen explained.

The journey represents more than just an adventurous flight. California condors were nearly extinct in the 1980s when only 22 wild birds remained, all captured for a last-ditch breeding program.

The recovery has been painfully slow but steady. By 2016, the wild population had grown to just 276 birds, and that year marked the first time more condors were born in the wild than died there.

The Ripple Effect

The Yurok tribe is leading the way in bringing these magnificent birds back to their ancestral skies. Earlier this year, a female condor laid an egg in a hollow redwood tree for the first time in over a century.

Though the egg didn't hatch, Williams-Claussen saw it as progress rather than failure. First-time condor parents often struggle, she notes, and the attempt itself was groundbreaking.

B9's solo expedition into Oregon shows these intelligent birds are gradually expanding their range again. Each flight, each nest attempt, and each successful release brings condors one step closer to reclaiming the vast territories they once dominated.

Every mile B9 flew carried hope on wings that nearly disappeared forever.