NewsCalifornia News

Actions

Study finds California condors can have "virgin births"

California condor
Posted
and last updated

SAN DIEGO (AP) — A new study says endangered California condors can have “’virgin births.”

Researchers with the San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance say genetic testing confirmed that two male chicks hatched from unfertilized eggs in 2001 and 2009 were related to their mothers. Neither was related to a male.

It’s the first report of asexual reproduction in California condors, although parthenogenesis can occur in other species ranging from sharks to honey bees to Komodo dragons.

But in birds, it usually only occurs when females don’t have access to males. In this case, each mother had a mate.

The study was published Thursday in the Journal of Heredity.

,

Weather

Daily Forecast

View Hourly Forecast

Day

Conditions

HI / LO

Precip

Wednesday

09/17/2025

Cloudy

-° / 76°

2%

Thursday

09/18/2025

Showers Late

85° / 69°

32%

Friday

09/19/2025

Partly Cloudy

85° / 69°

15%

Saturday

09/20/2025

Clear

89° / 69°

4%

Sunday

09/21/2025

Mostly Clear

90° / 70°

2%

Monday

09/22/2025

Partly Cloudy

93° / 74°

19%

Tuesday

09/23/2025

Mostly Clear

89° / 69°

24%

Wednesday

09/24/2025

Clear

89° / 67°

3%