#190 “Redwood Queen"
Sex: Female
Hatch Location & Date: LA Zoo, 5/10/1998
Release Date: 1/19/1999
Parents: #5 and #36
Current Location: Big Sur
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.
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. Since then, she and #167 produced one biological chick together, the famous Iniko (#1031). Iniko survived the 2020 Dolan Fire inside of the cavity of the redwood tree where Redwood Queen and #167 had nested. Viewers from around the world watched the live nest-cam as flames surrounded Iniko's nest. Iniko and Redwood Queen were later discovered to have survived the fire, only to tragically find out that #167 did not.
Currently, Redwood Queen is nesting again with a new dominant male, #477. She chose to lay her egg in the same redwood tree where she and #167 had nested with Iniko in 2020. If this new egg survives incubation, it is expected to hatch in late April 2021.
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. Since then, she and #167 produced one biological chick together, the famous Iniko (#1031). Iniko survived the 2020 Dolan Fire inside of the cavity of the redwood tree where Redwood Queen and #167 had nested. Viewers from around the world watched the live nest-cam as flames surrounded Iniko's nest. Iniko and Redwood Queen were later discovered to have survived the fire, only to tragically find out that #167 did not.
Currently, Redwood Queen is nesting again with a new dominant male, #477. She chose to lay her egg in the same redwood tree where she and #167 had nested with Iniko in 2020. If this new egg survives incubation, it is expected to hatch in late April 2021.
|
|
