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ST. GEORGE — A motherless condor chick is offering hope for the Utah-Arizona flock's future. The small condor is thriving with its foster parents.
One of the female birds that perished in a bird flu outbreak left behind an egg. While the outbreak was raging, and staff from The Peregrine Fund were collecting dead or symptomatic condors, they noticed that condor 316's behavior was potentially concerning, according to the National Audubon Society.
"(Staff was) closely tracking each individual in the flock for signs of illness," the article reads. "Most concerning was if a condor settled in one spot and stopped moving — as when condor 316 made her way into a cliffside cave in mid-March and didn't budge."
While illness was possible, lack of movement could also be egg-laying behavior — in this case, both were true, Audubon states. She was captured but later perished, leaving the egg in the care of her mate.
