A young California condor has become the first of its species recorded in Southern Oregon in more than a century after completing a nearly 400-mile flight from Northern California, according to the Yurok Tribe's condor restoration program.
The bird, known as B9, is a 2-year-old female released through the Northern California Condor Restoration Program. Her journey took her from Northern California near Redding, across the Oregon border south of Medford, through the Cave Junction area and along the Southern Oregon Coast before returning home.
B9's flight is believed to be the first documented visit by a California condor to Southern Oregon since the late 1800s or early 1900s. The sighting is being celebrated by the Yurok Tribe and conservation partners as evidence that the restored population is expanding its range.
Tiana Williams-Claussen, director of the Yurok Tribe Wildlife Department, said B9's flight reflects the natural curiosity of a young condor exploring its range.
"She followed her instincts as a young, curious sort of creature," Williams-Claussen said.
The flight marks a milestone for a restoration effort aimed at returning California condors to the region. The Yurok Tribe began working to restore the species in 2008 and released its first condors in partnership with Redwood National Park in 2022. Today, 23 condors are flying free in Northern California.
Williams-Claussen said condors hold deep cultural significance for the Yurok people, who view them as an important part of ceremonies and world renewal traditions. She described the birds' return as helping restore both ecological and cultural connections that were lost when condors disappeared from the region.
California condors are the largest birds in North America, with wingspans more than nine feet. They can travel 100 to 200 miles in a day and are known for soaring long distances on wind currents.
Williams-Claussen said B9's journey also shows how younger birds are learning from older condors already established in the wild.
"Every subsequent cohort of birds that we've brought out has been able to build on that original knowledge that those first four birds brought to expand the range farther and farther," she said.
Guest
- Tiana Williams-Claussen, director, Yurok Tribe Wildlife Department
