Elephant bird that apparently originated from Marco Polo's account of the rukh in 1298, although he was apparently referring to an eagle-like bird strong enough to "seize an elephant with its talons". Sightings of eggs of elephant birds by sailors (e.g. text on the Fra Mauro map of 1467–69, if not attributable to ostriches) could also have been erroneously attributed to a giant raptor from Madagascar. The legend of the roc could also have originated from sightings of such a giant subfossil eagle related to the African crowned eagle, which has been described in the genus "Stephanoaetus" from Madagascar, being large enough
Bird Island, Minnesota Bird Island, Minnesota Bird Island is a city on U.S. Route 212 in Renville County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 1,042 at the 2010 census. Bird Island was platted in 1878, and named for a nearby bird sanctuary in a marsh. After the installation of ditches and tile, the area was converted to farmland, erasing the town's namesake. A post office has been in operation at Bird Island since 1878. Bird Island was incorporated in 1881. According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , all of it land. As of the census