Why has the California condor become an endangered species?

Because there were only 22 of the birds left in 1981. There were no wild birds left, all were in captivity. Breeding was slow but the bird came to total 223 by August 2003. There were 138 birds held in captivity and the rest were released in the wild to try and reproduce. The birds need to be 6 years old before they can successfully breed. By January 2006 there was 127 birds in the wild. This species is still in critical condition, but their numbers are very slowly raising.