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I and the Bird: What is a Vulture?

10,000 Birds

The Cherokee nation called them “Peace Eagles” owing to the fact that they never killed a living thing – and also that they tended to show up in numbers after battled when peace treaties were being signed, though admittedly that may have been for a slightly more macabre reason. White-backed Vultures, photo by Adam Riley.

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The Nonessential Whooping Crane

10,000 Birds

What could motivate gunmen (I cannot call them hunters) in two states to deliberately kill North America’s tallest and most critically endangered bird? Those who harvest are unfortunately myopic, seeing only the instant gratification of the meal or the kill. Speculation is useless in acts of vandalism. It has not.

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