CALIFORNIA CONDOR 77 



offspring with unfailing accuracy. (Reproduced from studies a1 Pelican 

 Island, Florida. I 



This beautiful bird has been broughl to the verge of extinction in 

 this country through the use of its "aigrette plumes" for millinery 

 American purposes, and is now confined to a lew protected rookeries 

 Egret Group of the South. The birds have these plumes only during 

 the nesting season, at which time the death of the parent means the 

 starvation of the young-. (Reproduced from studies in a rookery of 

 South Carolina.) 



The turkey vulture, or "buzzard," is one of the best-known birds of 

 the South, where it performs a valuable service in acting as the scavenger 

 Turkey of the streets. On this account it is protected by law and 

 Vulture by public sentiment and has become both abundant and 

 Group tame. (Reproduced from studies at Plummer Island in 

 the Potomac River, near Washington.) 



The California condor is the largest and one of the rarest of North 

 American birds. It is not so heavy as the condor of the Andes, but has 

 California a slightly greater spread of wing, eight and one-half to 

 Condor eleven feet. In the group the visitor is supposed to be 



Group standing in the interior of the cave where the bird has its 



nest and is looking down on the river of the canon which is more than 

 five thousand feet below. (Reproduced from studies in Piru Canon, 

 California.) 



The foreground of the group shows a detail of the island that is 

 painted in the background. The young birds are feeding, and it 

 Brandt's will be noticed that one fledgling is reaching well down the 



Cormorant mother's throat after the predigested food. (Reproduced 

 Group from studies at Monterey, California.) 



Formerly this area was an arid place with a characteristic desert bird 

 San Joaquin fauna. Now the ranchmen have irrigated the land and 

 Valley Group aquatic bird-life abounds. This group is a good illustra- 

 tion of the influence of man on the bird-life of a region. 



In the breeding season the flamingoes congregate in great numbers in 

 their rookeries. There were estimated to be two thousand nests in this 

 Flamingo colony. The flamingoes construct their nests by scooping 

 Group up mud with their bills and packing it down by means of 



bills and feet. The nests are raised to a height of twelve or fourteen 

 inches; this protects eggs and young from disasters due to high water. 

 Only one egg is laid in the nest, and the young is born covered with down 

 like a young duck and is fed by the mother on predigested food. The 

 brilliant plumage of the adult is not acquired until the fifth or sixth 

 molt. (Reproduced from studies in the Bahama Islands.) 



