‘Wondrous and amazing’: female California condors can reproduce without males

Long-imperiled birds offer scientific breakthrough after genetic testing highlights rare phenomenon

The California condor is the largest flying bird in North America, with a 10ft wingspan that enables it to soar up to 15,000ft - nearly half the height of a commercial airplane. Now the birds can claim another superlative feat: scientists have discovered that females can reproduce without a male partner, in a rare phenomenon known as parthenogenesis.

Oliver Ryder, the director of conservation genetics for the San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance, has called the recent findings a eureka moment".