Beginning of Essay
California s are the largest birds in North America. They may weigh up to 25 pounds and have wingspans of 9 1/2 feet. California s have bare heads and necks, dull gray-black feathers, and blunt claws. They have a triangle-shaped patch of white, visible only when a ....

Middle of Essay
.... they may have to spend hours on the ground or a low branch before they can take off again. s are fastidious birds -- after eating, they clean their heads and necks by rubbing them on grass, rocks, or tree branches. s also bathe frequently and spend hours preening and drying their feathers. s were probably never very numerous in North America. The species once ranged along the entire Pacific Coast from British Columbia to Baja California. Fossils have been found as far east as Texas, Florida, and New York. More recently, however, they were confined to a horseshoe-shaped area north of Los Angeles. For years, no one knew precisely how many California ....