California Condor Spotted In San Mateo, First in 110 Years

Rare bird at extinction's brink is spotted on Peninsula.

After 110 years, a California condor has returned to San Mateo County.

The first California condor spotted in San Mateo since 1904 is a three-year old female that flew over 100 miles from San Benito County to Pescadero, according to the San Jose Mercury News.

Condors are big birds with wing spans of up to nine feet, according to wildlife experts. They're also breeding again "on their own" after hunting and habitat loss cut the condor population down to 22 in 1982.

All 22 of the condors were captured and made to breed in captivity. About 195 condors live at zoos, but 238 of their offspring, like the condor that decided to visit San Mateo, are now breeding in the wild.

Most condors are in Big Sur or Pinnacles, if not in Mexico or Utah, the newspaper reported.

 
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