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Condor Exposure to Lead

Condor being tested for lead poisoning

Attention California Hunters - NON-LEAD ammunition will be required for hunting activity in the condor range in 2008. Please use this link to find non-lead ammunition manufacturers and be prepared for your next hunt.

Look in the In the News section for updates on this matter and in the Press Room for the latest press releases.

March 2007: VWS response to the California Fish and Game Commission regarding Methods of Take. Download pdf

February 2007: Manuscript on Condors and Lead. Suggested citation is as follows: Sorenson, K.J. and L. J. Burnett. 2007. Lead concentrations in the blood of Big Sur California Condors. Pages xx-xx in California Condors in the 21st Century (A. Mee and L. S. Hall, Eds.). Special Publication of the American Ornithologists' Union and Nuttall Ornithological Club. Download pdf

Frequently Asked Questions about Condors and Lead

Can lead kill condors?
Yes, condors are highly susceptible to lead toxicity. Even small bullet fragments or shotgun pellets can kill a condor after these are ingested, depending on how much time these fragments remain in the digestive system, how many back-to-back exposures occur, and other factors.

Why are condors more vulnerable to lead poisoning than other vultures or raptors?
Condors are generally long-lived with a slow reproductive rate. Condors, like any species with this reproductive strategy, cannot withstand persistent high mortality rates. For example, in the 1980's, condors were thought to have only a 6-8 year lifespan due to excessive mortality, whereas normally they can live 50+ years. Condors don't begin to breed until 6-8 years old, so given the shortened lifespan the species couldn't reproduce in time before they were expected to die. Turkey Vultures, on the other hand, begin to breed much sooner and can have more than one chick per nesting attempt. It is not that Turkey Vultures and raptors are not dying from lead poisoning, but that their populations can withstand the mortality rate caused by this toxin, whereas condors cannot.

How do condors pick up lead in the wild?
Condors inadvertently ingest lead from spent ammunition found in animal carcasses and gut piles. Fragments from lead bullets and lead shot have been found within the digestive tracts of condors many times, both in California and Arizona. For more information on the lead availability from ammunition, see Fry 2003 (pdf file).

Do lead bullets fragment?
Lead bullets can fragment into hundreds of pieces before they exit a target such as a deer. Since condors are group feeders, and only one or two lead fragments or pellets can cause lead toxicity, one animal carcass or gut pile containing lead fragments or lead shot has the potential to poison several condors. For more information see x-rays of lead fragments in deer carcasses (large pdf file).

How many wild condors have died from lead poisoning?
A total of eight confirmed deaths and two highly suspected have occurred in AZ, and two confirmed and two highly suspected in CA. A minimum of 10 and likely more condor deaths have occurred due to lead poisoning in California and Arizona combined since the reintroduction program began. At least three more condors died prior to 1987 in the original wild flock. (In 1987 all remaining wild condors were captured and brought into captivity.) Dozens more condors have been treated successfully for lead poisoning as well. Since 1995, lead poisoning is the leading cause of death for condors in Arizona and California combined.

How do we know condors get lead from bullets and not from other sources in the environment?
Recent studies using distinct isotope signatures of lead have been used to determine sources of lead in a variety of applications. Church et. al. (In Press and not yet available) compared the isotopic composition of commonly used ammunition purchased in the range of the condor to the lead found in condor blood and found these two sources to match. When lead in the blood of condors was elevated, indicating a recent exposure, the source of the lead was predominantly from ammunition. Furthermore, in both California and Arizona, either lead shot and/or rifle fragments have been recovered in the digestive systems of condors since the 1980's. Given the tendency of lead to fragment, it is no wonder why lead ammunition is commonly ingested by condors, which only eat the remains of dead animals.

As a hunter or rancher, how can I help?
Hunters and ranchers have a long tradition of wildlife conservation and the best way to help conserve the condor is to hunt with non-lead ammunition. High performance all-copper bullets are now available in most rifle calibers. In comparison to lead and copper-jacketed bullets, all-copper bullets do not fragment and are far less toxic when ingested. Scavengers like the condor are less likely to ingest one large mushroomed bullet versus many small bullet fragments scattered throughout a carcass or gut pile.

If I choose to use lead ammunition, are there still ways I can help condors and other wildlife?
Yes. You can 1) remove all shot animals (coyotes, small and big game) and gut piles from the field, 2) Hide carcasses and gut piles by covering them with rocks and/or brush, or 3) Remove bullets and surrounding flesh if leaving carcasses or gut piles in the field.

Do non-lead bullets perform as well as Lead bullets?
According to post-hunt survey results in Arizona, 88% of successful hunters who used the non-lead ammunition said it performed as well as or better than lead bullets. In addition, 72% of all hunters said they would recommend the all-copper bullets to other hunters. For the complete survey you can download it here (pdf file).

Are other animals affected by lead ammunition?
A recent study (Fisher et al 2006 - pdf file) was completed that reviewed globally scientific literature of upland (non-waterfowl) birds and found that 49 species worldwide have been documented to be affected by lead ammunition.

Lead Ammunition
The California Department of Fish and Game recently communicated to hunters through their website, hunting licenses and other means the following:

"A diverse group of hunters, conservation groups, and wildlife conservation agencies is asking hunters for help with the California condor recovery effort. Following reports that lead ammunition is contributing to the high lead levels documented in some wild condors, the group is asking hunters in condor range (parts of the counties of Tulare, Kern, Los Angeles, Ventura, Santa Barbara, San Luis Obispo, Monterey, and San Benito) to take the following steps:

• Retrieve all killed animals (including coyotes and small game) from the field, or
• Hide carcasses or gut piles by burying them, covering them with brush or rocks, or placing them in an inaccessible area, or
• Remove bullets and surrounding impacted flesh when leaving carcasses or gut piles in the field, or
• Use lead-free ammunition, in which case none of the above is needed."

With regard to using non-lead ammunition, we have provided below a brief summary and quick reference of types of non-lead ammunition. We also included a few Internet links on how to purchase these ammunitions. The following table is a partial list of ammunitions available at dealers or over the Internet.

If you hunt, PLEASE use non-lead ammunition for the sake of California Condors and all wildlife potentially ingesting lead fragments left behind in the field. Thank You!!

Non-Lead Ammunition
Click Here for the Department of Fish and Game non-lead ammunition.