Belled buzzard

The belief that the belled buzzard was one continuous entity, and not multiple birds, was common, and the creature rose to prominence in the 1880s on through the turn of the twentieth century.

[9] However, it would be the belled buzzard's appearance in Brownsville, Tennessee during the yellow fever epidemic of 1878 that first connected the animal with a natural disaster.

By 1885, the belled buzzard's range would expand to include the states of Maryland,[13] Ohio,[14] Kentucky,[15] Mississippi,[16] Texas,[17] and New York.

A reference by the Delaware Ledger openly related "We most sincerely hope that the bell-buzzard, that has been so frequently spoken of our exchange, will not locate in this section.

It might be the forerunner of cholera,"[21] whereas a Nebraskan paper simply noted, "A BUZZARD with a bell on its neck is frightening people in Maryland.

The article elaborated that a buzzard captured at Ft. Gains, Georgia was speculated to be the same bird due to the alleged similarities in the bronze bell and leather collar used.