California Highway Patrol officials reported an endangered California condor was injured Monday afternoon after being hit by a vehicle on Highway 1 in Big Sur, but wildlife biologists responded to the scene and found that it was a turkey vulture.
The much smaller birds are not a protected species.
The vehicle was traveling northbound on Highway 1 just before 4pm when it hit the vulture.
Cal Fire closed down Highway 1 to all traffic, including residents, in both directions Monday due to controlled burns as firefighters battle the Soberanes Fire.
The Ventana Wildlife Society was called to assist in this incident, and biologists identified the bird as a vulture, not a condor.
"We were able to confirm it was a turkey vulture a short while ago, which was a relief but also a bummer to lose a turkey vulture," says Joe Burnett, a senior wildlife biologist at VWS. "Like condors, they play a really important role as scavengers in the Big Sur ecosystem."
The police report makes no mention of injuries to the driver.
Editor's note: This story has been updated from its original version to reflect that the police report misstated the species of the bird that was hit and injured. It was not a condor, but later confirmed to be a turkey vulture.
(0) comments
Welcome to the discussion.
Log In
Keep it Clean. Please avoid obscene, vulgar, lewd, racist or sexually-oriented language.
PLEASE TURN OFF YOUR CAPS LOCK.
Don't Threaten. Threats of harming another person will not be tolerated.
Be Truthful. Don't knowingly lie about anyone or anything.
Be Nice. No racism, sexism or any sort of -ism that is degrading to another person.
Be Proactive. Use the 'Report' link on each comment to let us know of abusive posts.
Share with Us. We'd love to hear eyewitness accounts, the history behind an article.