A young California condor from the L.A. Zoo had been flying freely for only three months when he died after ingesting a lead pellet from an air gun.

Lead poisoning poses the single greatest threat to California condors. Even a small amount of lead can be fatal to a condor or other birds, such as vultures and eagles. According to the USFWS, half of the known condor deaths in California between 1992 and 2020 were due to lead poisoning.

Endangered condor dies of lead poisoning months after being freed - The bird was just 18 months at the time of his death

A California condor, known as Pey-noh-pey-o-wok', has died from lead poisoning just months after being released into the wild as part of the Yurok Tribe's Northern California Condor Restoration Program.

In a social media post on Wednesday, the tribe said the 18-month-old condor, found in the wild in January, died after it apparently ate an air gun pellet. The bird was found in a remote backwoods area of Redwood National Park .

B7, the youngest member of the North Coast’s fledgling California condor flock, also known by the Yurok name Pey-noh-pey-o-wok' (I am friend or kind