California Condors in the Pacific Northwest

by Jesse D'Elia, Susan M. Haig

Overview

“The re-creation of a viable population of condors in the Northwest would constitute an achievement of substantial importance…This book goes a long way toward justifying such an effort.”   —Noel Snyder, retired U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service biologist in charge of condor research in the 1980s and lead author of The California Condor: A Saga of Natural History and Conservation

Despite frequent depiction as a bird of California and the desert southwest, North America’s largest avian scavenger once graced the skies of the Pacific Northwest, from northern California to British Columbia. This important volume documents the condor’s history in the region, from prehistoric times to the early twentieth century, and explores the challenges of reintroduction. 

Jesse D’Elia and Susan Haig investigate the paleontological and observational record as well as the cultural relationships between Native American tribes and condors, providing the most complete assessment to date of the condor’s occurrence in the Pacific Northwest. They evaluate the probable causes of regional extinction and the likelihood that condors once bred in the region, and they assess factors that must be considered in determining whether they could once again thrive in Northwest skies. 

Incorporating the newest research and findings and more than eighty detailed historical accounts of human encounters with these birds of prey, California Condors in the Pacific Northwest sets a new standard for examining the historical record of a species prior to undertaking a reintroduction effort. It is a vital reference for academics, agency decision makers, conservation biologists, and readers interested in Northwest natural history. The volume is beautifully illustrated by Ram Papish and includes a number of previously unpublished photographs.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780870717000
Publisher:	Oregon State University Press
Publication date:	06/01/2013
Edition description:	1
Pages:	184
Product dimensions:	9.00(w) x 6.00(h) x 0.70(d)

About the Author

Jesse D’Elia is a supervisory fish and wildlife biologist at the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s Pacific Regional Office in Portland, Oregon. He works on a wide array of endangered species issues throughout the Pacific Northwest and Pacific Islands and is co-lead of the interagency Pacific Northwest California Condor Working Group. He is a also a PhD candidate at Oregon State University. He lives in Sheridan, Oregon.

Dr. Susan Haig is a supervisory wildlife ecologist at the USGS Forest and Rangeland Ecosystem Science Center, a professor of wildlife ecology at Oregon State University, and a research sssociate of the Smithsonian Institution. She serves as president of the American Ornithologists’ Union and has led international Piping Plover conservation efforts since 1984. She lives in Corvallis, Oregon.

Table of Contents

List of Figures and Tables vii

Foreword ix

Preface xiii

1 Background 3

Evolution and Life History of the California Condor 3

A Brief History of the Condor Recovery Program 6

Bringing Condors Back to the Pacific Northwest: The Birth of an Idea 13

2 Historical Distribution of California Condors: A Review of the Evidence 17

Prehistoric Distribution and Pleistocene Range Contraction 17

The Archaeological and Paleontological Record 19

California Condors in Pacific Northwest Native American Culture 25

Observation and Collection of California Condors by Naturalists, Explorers, and Settlers 38

Summary of Historical Distribution 52

3 Historical Movement Patterns 61

Evolution of Migration in Vultures of the World 63

Modern California Condor Movement Studies 67

Seasonality of Occurrence Records in the Pacific Northwest 71

Summary of Historical Movement Patterns 74

4 Timing and Causes of the Condor's Range Collapse 77

Population Decline 77

Secondary Poisoning 79

Lead Poisoning 87

DDT, DDE, and Eggshell Thinning 90

Collecting and Shooting 91

Egg Collecting 95

Loss of Nesting Habitat 96

Native American Ritual Killings 98

Food Increases in Central and Southern California 100

Reductions in Food Availability 101

Salmon 102

Whales 106

Seals and Sea Lions 111

Native Ungulates 112

Livestock 115

Summary of Changes to the Condor's Food Supply 118

Summary of the Plausible Causes of Extinction in the Pacific Northwest 119

5 Summary and Future Outlook 125

Reintroductions: Challenges and Opportunities 126

Literature Cited 131

Appendix 163

Index 201

Editorial Reviews

The re-creation of a viable population of condors in the Northwest would constitute an achievement of substantial importance…This book goes a long way toward justifying such an effort.”   —Noel Snyder, retired U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service biologist in charge of condor research in the 1980s and lead author of The California Condor: A Saga of Natural History and Conservation

From the Publisher