06/01/2026
Free-flying Condor Enters Oregon for First Time in Since 1904 - Two-year-old Bird Soars over 380-miles in Only Four Days
Northern California Condor Restoration Program (NCCRP) condor B9 recently completed a monumental journey from Orick in Northern California to an area near Medford, Oregon, becoming the first condor to fly free in the state since 1904.
“We have always known that at least one of our condors would eventually travel into Oregon because the state is well within their flight range. We are thrilled it finally happened,” said Yurok Wildlife Department Director Tiana Williams-Claussen.
“We are very excited to see our condors begin exploration of the greater Northern California and Southern Oregon region,” said Leonel Arguello, National Park Service superintendent for Redwood National & State Parks. “Their progress reflects the dedication and hard work of everyone involved in their reintroduction and care, and marks an important milestone for the condor recovery effort.”
In Oregon, the last wild condor was observed in the city of Drain between Eugene and Roseburg in 1904. Before the NCCRP reintroduction effort, the last free-flying condor in Northern California was documented during the early 1900s in Humboldt County.
“It’s been a dream for many Oregonians to see a California condor soar over our state again, and B9’s journey has made that dream real,” said Oregon Zoo director Heidi Rahn. “Historic moments like this show the power of Tribal leadership in wildlife recovery. We’re deeply honored to partner with the Yurok Tribe to help bring this iconic species back to its ancestral range and to support a future for condors in the Pacific Northwest.”
"This is incredible news that we’ve been waiting to hear since the Yurok Tribe began releasing condors in northern California a few years ago. Condors will travel long distances to find new habitat and we knew they would make it into Oregon eventually,” added Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife Director Debbie Colbert. "While this was just a brief visit from B9, we look forward to the day when California condors again call Oregon home."
Condor B9 (studbook 1268), two years and one month old, was hatched on April 3, 2024, at the World Center for Birds of Prey in Boise, Idaho and released into the redwood region last fall. On May 12, 2026, she began the four-day, 380-mile flight from Orick, CA, traveling to within 12 miles of Redding, CA before crossing both the northern Trinity Alps and Marble Mountain Wildernesses prior to reaching her northernmost point on this voyage within 8 miles of Medford, OR. On the return trip, she spent one night near Cave Junction before heading down the Smith River corridor, making a detour to Brookings, OR on the coast and arriving back at the facility on May 16. She flew for a total of 80 miles in Oregon and expanded the NCCRP flock’s range by 25 miles north and 35 miles east.
Condors can soar up to 250 miles per day. B9 covered nearly 100 miles each day on her foray into Oregon.
“Young birds, like B9, explore more extensively than adults, which typically remain within a home range established during their juvenile stage. Most likely, B9’s excursion was an exploratory flight to see what’s around her,” said Chris West, the NCCRP Manager and Yurok Wildlife Department Senior Biologist, who has worked with condors for more than two decades. “After they fledge, wild-born juvenile condors join up with other young condors and they teach each other their parents’ territories before settling on a home range. By that time, a young bird will have covered a large geographic area. I imagine B9 will explore more and take other birds with her.”
This is the NCCRP’s second major milestone in 2026. Earlier this year, condors A0 (Ney-gem' 'Ne-chween-kah) and A1 (Hlow Hoo-let) established the flock’s first nest and deposited an egg in a hollowed-out cavity near the top of a redwood tree. As is often the case with new condor parents, the egg failed. While the cause is unknown, the failure may have been the result of an infertile egg, inadequate incubation, or a hatching issue. There is a small chance the pair may produce another egg this year, but it is unlikely. However, condor egg incubation success rates increase significantly from the first to the second breeding season. It is possible that the NCCRP will have its first chick next year.
The California Condor Recovery Program is an international multi-entity effort, led by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, to recover the endangered California condor by establishing robust self-sustaining populations of condors within their historical distribution. The NCCRP is a partnership between the Yurok Tribe and Redwood National and State Parks.
To support the Yurok Tribe’s condor restoration work, please visit https://www.yuroktribe.org/condor-conservation-donor-information
