Once paired, these condors will mate for life, taking another mate only if the first one dies. Females will lay a single, greenish white or bluish white egg every other year, between late January and late March. If the egg is lost or removed, the female may lay another. Both parents take turning incubating the egg, as well as in caring for the chick. Young birds do not fly away until they are 5 or 6 months old.

These birds were abundant until the West Coast was settled by Europeans. Uncontrolled shooting, lead poisoning from lead shot, habitat loss, accidental capture in traps, predation of eggs and young by ravens, and collection for museums and zoos all led to their rapid decline. The use of DDT, a pesticide that weakens eggshell integrity and harms reproduction, may also have contributed to the loss of birds. The California condor was declared endangered in 1967 under the Endangered Species Preservation Act, and the state of California classified it as endangered in 1971.

However, these efforts seemed to have little effect, and by 1982 there were only 22 birds remaining in the wild. In 1987, local officials trapped the last wild condors then in existence, placing them at the San Diego Wild Animal Park and the Los Angeles Zoo, where they helped start a captive-breeding program. By June of 1992, there were 64 condors living. Two young captive-bred birds were released in January 1992, but one died after ingesting antifreeze left at a local recreation area. Sixe more birds were released that December, but only four survived.

To ensure these birds' survival, the maintenance of adequate, undisturbed breeding and foraging areas free of contamination and poison must continue. Most of its foraging habitat exists on private ranchland, so continued cooperation between public agencies and private landholders is essential.