Video captured by deputies in Castaic this week shows a rare sight: two California condors along a road in Castaic before flying away.
The condors, one of the largest flying birds in the world, are endangered.
Though there are fewer than 500 of them left, the population has steadily increased since 1979, when there were only 25 to 35 condors in the wild, according to the California Department of Fish and Wildlife.
The video tweeted by officials from the Santa Clarita Valley station of the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department Friday highlights how uncommon it is to see condors in the wild, calling it a “rare sighting.”
After being spotted roaming along Ridge Route Road, the condors take flight, showing off their long wingspan, which can spread more than nine feet from tip to tip.
According to fish and wildlife officials, condors can glide for hours without beating their wings.
“After rising thousands of feet overhead on air currents, California condors will glide long distances, sometimes at more than 55 miles per hour.”
The video, however, only pans on the birds for a few seconds after they fly away.
Conservation efforts for California condors include developing reproducing populations in the wild and in captivity, with 150 birds in each, officials said.
Despite those efforts, officials said it could taken years before they know whether the condor population will be able to survive.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service started tracking the recovery of the California condor in 2015. The service shares its monthly findings online.