Pinnacles National Monument - Where Can I See a Condor? (U.S. National Park Service)

Where is the best place to see a California Condor at Pinnacles?

There are currently sixteen free-flying condors in Pinnacles National Monument. Five have been living in the wild since October 2004, seven were released in September 2005, and the other four were released in the spring and summer of 2007. The flock has now ranged as far as Livermore to the north, Paso Robles to the southwest, and west to the Big Sur coast.

If you are going to visit Pinnacles and you hope to see a condor, one of the most likely viewing areas is the High Peaks in the early morning or early evening. The High Peaks can be reached from either entrance to the park, but keep in mind that hiking to the High Peaks is strenuous. Please carry and drink plenty of water, wear layered clothing, and be prepared for temperature extremes. Remember that our condors are free-flying, which means there is no guarantee you will see one on a given day at a given time.

Please remember to stay out of areas that are marked as closed to the public to protect the condors and the facility.

How can I tell the difference between a condor and a turkey vulture?
California condors and turkey vultures have a few key differences besides their size. If you're seeing a flying bird, look for the lighter area on the underside of the wings.

The condors at Pinnacles are juveniles, and have patches of mottled white along the leading edges of their wings.

Turkey vultures have a silvery area along the back edges of their wings.

A juvenile California condor perching in a tree

The heads of juvenile condors are gray until they reach the age of 5 or 6, when their heads turn a pinkish orange. The Pinnacles condors are just starting to lose the gray feathers on their heads, and the pink coloration is beginning to show through, especially when their crops are full.

An adult turkey vulture perches on a tree branch.

Juvenile turkey vultures also have gray heads, but adult turkey vultures are more common at Pinnacles, and have bright red heads.

Because the underwing markings can often be difficult to see when a bird is flying above you, the way that a condor holds its wings is often one of the best ways to identify it. In flight, condors tend to hold their wings flat.

Turkey vultures hold their wings in a slight "v" pattern, and will rock back and forth in the wind.

If you're looking at a bird that is perching, look for a wing tag. All California condors have tags along the leading edges of their wings.