Rensselaer Semi-Weekly Republican, Volume 20, Number 16, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 28 October 1898 — California Has the Biggest Bird. [ARTICLE]

California Has the Biggest Bird.

The South American condor is no longer the king of flying birds. The rare California vulture, which is now only to be found in the Cocopah mountains, holds the honor. It stands about four feet high, though it is neither as weighty nor as strong as many birds of smaller size. It has much the same appearance as the turkey buzzard. Years ago tlie California buzzard was quite plentiful, but poisoned meat intended for animals led to their extinction. It is for this reason that the eggs of this bird are now more valuable than those of the great auk. There are fifteen perfect specimens of the latter known, while only two eggs of the California vulture are preserved.