It’s egg-laying season at the Oregon Zoo’s Jonsson Center for Wildlife Conservation, and two California condor couples are getting an early start.
The first two eggs of the year arrived earlier this week: one on Jan. 26 and another trailing right behind on Jan. 27. More than 120 eggs have hatched at the Clackamas County facility since 2003 — a significant contribution to the bird’s global population, which sits around 560.
The first egg belongs to condors No. 492 and 432, one of 14 pairs living at the conservation center. They’ve been together for six years and raised four chicks. The second egg arrived to condor couple Malibu (No. 43) and Maluk (No. 55), who are both experienced parents.
Condors typically lay eggs between January and March, said Kelli Walker, the zoo’s senior condor keeper. The zoo’s most recent condor parents have been taking turns incubating their egg.
And if all goes well, the Jan. 26 egg should hatch in mid-march — maybe even sharing a birthday with Asian elephant Rose-Tu’s soon-to-be-born calf.
After spending at least eight months with their parents and another year in a fledgling flight area where they learn to socialize with adult birds, Oregon-raised condors move to a West Coast release site. Eventually, they join free-flying condors in California and Arizona.
Kun-Wac-Shun, the conservation center’s first Oregon-born condor, turned 20 in May.
“He lives in Pinnacles National Park now,” Walker said in a press release, “and it’s exciting to think some of this year’s chicks could be joining him there in a couple years.”
Keepers are hopeful more condor eggs will arrive over the next month.
“Last year, we had a record number of hatches, and we’re looking forward to another successful season,” Walker said.
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