Comeback Species✓✓ 2 independent sources
California condor: 27 birds to 607, most flying free
27 → 607 condors (1987–2025), 392 now wild
By 1982 only 22 condors remained, and the last wild bird was captured in 1987, making the species extinct in the wild until releases began in January 1992. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's official year-end tally now records 607 condors worldwide — 392 of them free-flying in California, Arizona, Utah and Baja California — though lead poisoning remains the top known killer.
California condors fell to 27 individuals by 1987 — every wild bird trapped for captive breeding. As of December 31, 2025: 607 condors exist, 392 of them flying free.