Conservationists for the endangered California condors have discovered 2 instances where 
unfertilized eggs have successfully hatched into chicks. The findings were published in “The Journal of Heredity”. Parthenogenesis is the process in which a female animal produces an embryo that has not been fertilized. However, this is common in fish and lizards. It has been rare in birds but has occurred in turkeys, finches, and pigeons. The California condor was removed from the wild after 1982 when it was discovered that there were 23 remaining. In captivity their number has increased to 504. A concise database was established since males and females look the same and to prevent inbreeding. In 2001 and 2009 two male chicks were found to have DNA markers that did not code with any of the males. This meant that no male condor had fathered the chicks while they only genetic info from the mom. Scientists are now looking into the possibility that more birds may be giving birth by Parthenogenesis as a last-ditch effort to save their species from extinction.