The hatching of a rare Andean condor chick was cause for celebration Friday at the National Aviary on Pittsburgh’s North Side. Captured on a live-streaming camera from inside a nesting cave, the chick started pecking its way out of the shell Tuesday and emerged at about 8 a.m. Friday.
An Aviary representative said the bird is the only Andean condor to have hatched so far this year at a North American facility accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums. It is the first of its kind to hatch at the National Aviary since 2007.
Kurt Hundgen, director of animal collections at the National Aviary, said he’s not passing out cigars but the hatching has been “very exciting.”
See up-close views of the National Aviary’s newest arrival on the live streaming nest cam at https://www.aviary.org/condor-nest-cam.
Although the nesting cave in the Aviary’s Condor Court habitat is visible to the public, the gray-white fuzzy ball of bird is about the size of a grapefruit and hidden under its mother most of the time. Its gender remains unknown; Aviary staff are expected to examine it soon. In about 10 weeks the chick will likely be venturing around the habitat, and will reach full size in six to eight months. Mr. Hundgen said the condor will remain at the National Aviary.
“We’ve been working on this for five years,” he said. “The condors deserve the credit, but creating the right conditions for successful breeding has been a long-term project for us.”
The chick’s mother, Lianni, is 35 years old and was acquired by the Aviary in 1984. A new condor habitat was installed when the facility got its second male, Lurch, in 2014. Two years ago Mr. Hundgen visited Ecuador to review captive condor breeding facilities and develop relationships with condor researchers.
Andean condors are considered threatened throughout much of their range and critically endangered in Ecuador. The National Aviary’s Andean condor breeding program is part of a worldwide effort to revive the species’ population. In a Species Survival Plan developed by the AZA, genetic samples of captive Andean condors from zoos around the world are collected and analyzed to pair couples with the best chances of breeding success.
“When we started out, it wasn’t working as well,” said Mr. Hundgen. “Lianni was paired with another male for two or three seasons but the pair bond was breaking down. So we decided to try Lurch with Lianni in 2017.”
The Aviary is working with other facilities to maximize genetic diversity in Andean condors.
“What’s really important about this hatching, Lurch is the most genetically valuable male Andean condor in North America,” said Mr. Hundgen. “His offspring have been sent out of the country, so he has no offspring currently in the SSP program.”
The live-streaming camera that captured the hatching has had about 3,000 viewers. More are expected now that the chick has hatched.
“With the camera, we’re not guessing,” he said. “We know exactly who [was] sitting on the egg at night and exactly what each condor is doing. I gave the link to condor researchers around the world, so we know they’re watching and learning. And for the public, it gives them a greater appreciation. People can watch to see how interesting these birds are and how important it is to save them.”
John Hayes: 412-263-1991, jhayes@post-gazette.com.
First Published: June 7, 2019, 8:48 p.m.
