California Condors Nest in the Pacific Northwest for the First Time in a Century

In a hollow old-growth redwood along Redwood Creek in northern California, one of the rarest birds on Earth has done something its kind has not done here in over a century. As Mongabay reported on March 20, 2026, a pair of California condors has established the first condor nest in the Pacific Northwest in more than 100 years — and the female who likely laid the egg carries a name in the Yurok language, Ney-gem' Ne-chween-kah, meaning "She carries our prayers."

The location is no accident. The Yurok Tribe named the California condor, or prey-go-neesh, its top priority for land-based species restoration back in 2003, then spent nearly two decades on research and partnerships before releasing the first birds in May 2022. The Northern California Condor Restoration Program — a collaboration between the Yurok and Redwood National and State Parks — plans to keep releasing condors annually for at least 20 years to build a self-sustaining flock. This nest is the program's first sign that the birds are doing it themselves.

“As Mongabay reported on March 20, 2026, a pair of California condors has established the first condor nest in the Pacific Northwest in more than 100 years — and the female who likely laid the egg carries a name in the Yurok language, Ney-gem' Ne-chween-kah, meaning "She carries our prayers.”

The wider recovery is one of conservation's great escapes from oblivion. In 1982, just 22 California condors remained on the entire planet, and every last one was taken into captivity in a desperate breeding effort. By December 2025, the world population had climbed past 600. North America's largest land bird, with a wingspan approaching three metres, has been clawed back from the very edge of extinction through decades of patient captive breeding and release.

The story is not free of danger. Lead poisoning from spent ammunition in the carcasses condors scavenge remains the leading cause of death, and avian influenza has killed birds in the southwestern flock. A young condor died of lead poisoning as recently as last year. But a wild egg in a redwood, laid by birds returned to ancestral Yurok skies, is a profound marker of hope. "This is a huge moment for our Northern California flock," said program manager Chris West. It is proof that a species, and a people's relationship with it, can both be brought home.