#190 “Redwood Queen"
Sex: Female
Hatch Location & Date: LA Zoo, 5/10/1998
Release Date: 1/19/1999
Parents: #5 and #36
Breeding Status: Paired with #167
A clerical error for Redwood Queen led us to believe she was male for many years (her old nickname was "Slope Slug" since she rarely moved more than a quarter mile from the release slope when first introduced into the wild). When she began displaying female courtship behaviors, we contacted the Los Angeles Zoo and the error was corrected, although long-term biologists on the condor project still have a hard time thinking of her as a female. Now that she has been a foster mother and has started laying eggs, her female status is easier to remember!
As far as condor status goes, Redwood Queen was at the bottom of the dominance hierarchy when she was first released. She was mercilessly harassed by the rest of the flock and forced to wait until everyone else had fed before approaching a carcass. Many years later, she paired with #167, the most dominant male in the Big Sur flock at the time. Since then, she has revelled in her increased status as Redwood Queen. She laid her first egg with #167 in the cavity of a redwood tree: the first-ever documented case for a California Condor.
As far as condor status goes, Redwood Queen was at the bottom of the dominance hierarchy when she was first released. She was mercilessly harassed by the rest of the flock and forced to wait until everyone else had fed before approaching a carcass. Many years later, she paired with #167, the most dominant male in the Big Sur flock at the time. Since then, she has revelled in her increased status as Redwood Queen. She laid her first egg with #167 in the cavity of a redwood tree: the first-ever documented case for a California Condor.
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