The endangered California Condor (Gymnogyps californianus) population is exposed to local haemosporidian parasites

The endangered California Condor (Gymnogyps californianus) is the largest New World Vulture in North America. Despite recovery program success in saving the species from extinction, condors remain compromised by lead poisoning and limited genetic diversity. The latter makes this species especially vulnerable to infectious diseases. Thus, taking advantage of the program of blood lead testing in Arizona, condor blood samples from 2008 to 2018 were screened for haemosporidian parasites using a nested polymerase chain reaction (PCR) protocol that targets the parasite mitochondrial cytochrome b gene. Plasmodium homopolare (Family Plasmodiidae, Order Haemosporida, Phylum Apicomplexa), was detected in condors captured in 2014 and 2017. This is the first report of a haemosporidian species infecting California Condors, and the first evidence of P. homopolare circulating in the Condor population from Arizona. Although no evidence of pathogenicity of P. homopolare in Condors was found, this study showed that the California Condors from Arizona are exposed to haemosporidian parasites that likely are spilling over from other local bird species. Thus, active surveillance should be an essential part of conservation efforts to mitigate the impact of infectious diseases, an increasingly recognized cause of global wildlife extinctions worldwide, particularly in avian populations considered vulnerable or endangered.

When Birds Are Near

In this literary collection, writers explore and celebrate their lives with and love for birds — detailing experiences from Alaska to Bermuda, South Dakota to Panama. The book offers tales of adventure, perseverance, and fun, whether taking us on a journey down Highway 1 to see a rare California Condor, fighting the destruction of our grasslands, or simply watching the feeder from a kitchen window. But these essays are more than just field notes. The authors reflect on love, loss, and family, engaging a broad array of emotions, from wonder to amusement. As one author writes, “Sometimes the best bird experiences are defined less by a rare sighting than by a quality of presence, some sense of overall occasion that sets in motion memories of a particular landscape, a particular light, a particular choral effect, a particular hiking partner.” Or, as the poet Elizabeth Bradfield remarks, “We resonate with certain animals, I believe, because they are a physical embodiment of an answer we are seeking. A sense of ourselves in the world that is nearly inexpressible.” This book gives us the chance to walk alongside these avid appreciators of birds and reflect on our own interactions with our winged companions.

In the Eyes of the Condor

This chapter recounts how the author traveled to the edge of the North American continent to attempt to find the king of North American vultures: the California condor. To birders, vultures are these incredible creatures that clean up after humans and keep the world free from a myriad of diseases. The California condor is a species that cannot adapt fast enough to an evolving human world. Today, the range of the California condor is so reduced that there are very few places that the author could have gone to find it. There are wild populations along California's southern coast from Big Sur to Ventura County and in northern Baja California; there is also a small population in Arizona in the Grand Canyon.