Rare California condor chick hatches in Utah

Zion National Park officials say a new California condor chick is the first to hatch in the wild in Utah since the species was reintroduced in northern Arizona in 1996.

Park officials said in a news release Wednesday that this is a sign that the endangered species is spending more time in Utah.

Biologists have observed the condors since last winter when they built a nest in a remote canyon in Zion National Park and began showing courtship behaviors.

The nest is 1,000 feet above the canyon floor, so biologists have yet to see the chick up close. They are relying on a photo and observance of behaviors consistent with protecting a chick.

Other condors have unsuccessfully tried to breed in recent years in Zion, some dying due to lead poisoning.