"The Ancient Ones" - California Condors - Fine Art Print

Perched on their lofty throne of thousand-year-old Bristlecone pine branches, this mother California Condor and her fledgling watch the sunrise over the Sierra Nevada range in eastern California. The wing tag on the mother signifies that she was raised in captivity, as most of the wild Condor population has been.

The California Condor, Gymnogyps californianus, was down to just 22 individuals in the wild. Since 1982, extensive conservation work has helped boost their population. Today, around 350 Condors fly free and 215 are being raised in captivity. Their story is both a warning to the effects of habitat loss and overhunting, as well as a testament to how successful–and vital–conservation efforts can be.