Since their reintroduction to the wild in 1992, endangered California Condor (Gymnogyps californianus) populations have increased due to releases of captive-bred individuals and natural reproduction. Condors now nest across four subpopulations: Central and Southern California, Arizona/Utah, and Baja, Mexico. Most nests involve a male and female who share incubation and chick-rearing duties, but both polyandrous and polygynous nesting trios have been observed in the California and Baja populations, with all three adults contributing to incubation and chick rearing. From 2001-2024, 21 nest attempts by 13 trios were recorded, and 14 of these attempts occurred in the Central CA subpopulation. In Central CA, trios accounted for 9.2% of all nest attempts from 2011-2024. Despite perceived advantages in having an extra caregiver, nest success of trios was not significantly different than that of pairs. Individuals in trios were not closely genetically related, suggesting familial attachments may factor less in trio formation than indirect fitness benefits such as increased ability to maintain social status or increased breeding opportunities. Further research is needed to determine potential drivers of cooperative breeding in condors and to investigate reasons trios occur more frequently in certain populations.

Danaé first fell in love with California Condors when she began working at Pinnacles National Park in 2019, and joined the Ventana Wildlife Society Condor Crew as a Biologist in 2021. Danaé began her wildlife career working with carnivores in Arizona and Idaho, and became fascinated by birds after spending a season bird banding in Nova Scotia, Canada. Since then, she has been involved in several endangered species monitoring projects including Snail Kites in Florida and Northern Spotted Owls and California Condors in California.