| Big Critters |
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| OTHER BIRDS (page 2) | |||||||
| Giant Robin Kalkaska, MI |
Giant Cardinal Leon, IA |
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This Giant Robin is perched right next to Kalkaska's Giant Trout. The Trout was originally installed in 1966 so I assume the bird was placed there at the same time. The robin is Michigan's state bird.
This chainsaw carved Giant Cardinal is installed in someone's front yard. The cardinal is the mascot of the local elementary and high school sports teams. |
| Giant Cardinal Bowling Green, KY |
Giant Cardinal Darlington, WI |
Giant Cardinal Columbus, OH |
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The Bowling Green Cardinal stands in front of the Cardinal Motel. The cardinal is Kentucky's state bird.
The Darlington Cardinal was carved from a tree in someone's front yard. The cardinal is Darlington High School's mascot. The Columbus Cardinal is located at the Ohio State Fairgrounds. Does anyone know when this statue was first installed here? The cardinal is also Ohio's state bird. |
| Giant Crows Omar, NY |
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| These three Giant Crows were created by Will Salisbury in 2001. The crows are located on the southbound side of I-81. They about 11' tall and made of steel. For more, see these websites: 1 and 2. |
| Giant Crow Belgrade, MN |
Giant Raven Ravendon, AR |
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This Giant Crow is 18' tall and was installed here in 1990. The statue was produced by FAST. Belgrade is located in Crow County. For more, see this website.
The first fiberglass Giant Raven in Ravendon was erected in 1991. It was destroyed in a fire set by vandals. A second one was also destroyed by fire. This, the third one, was created with fireproof material. For more, see this website. |
| Old Crow Camden, AR |
Yard Bird Chehalis, WA |
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This Old Crow statue is installed on a pole at the Liquor Mart. I have not seen one of these statues before but I assume they were mass-produced for liquor stores. Old Crow is a Kentucky bourbon whiskey. This character is displayed on the company's bottles and advertising. For more, see this website.
This Yard Bird is located at a former Yard Birds home improvement store. The original store opened in 1947 in Centralia, WA. There were four locations (Olympia, Chehalis, Centralia and Shelton, WA) but they have all closed. The Chehalis store went out of business in 1998 but this bird is still there. This statue is about 8' tall and was probably installed around 1971. There were about 20 of these Yard Bird statues made but they are apparently all gone except for one in a private collection. There is also a larger bird installed here which I missed shooting. It is about 60' long. It was repainted in 2006. There was also another giant standing Yard Bird that was about 60' tall. It was built in 1971 but caught fire and was destroyed in 1976. For more, see these websites: 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5. |
| Black Bird Medford, OR |
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| This Black Bird is installed in the parking lot of the Black Bird Shopping Center. It was built by Lee Hobbs who was inspired by the Yard Bird in Centralia, WA (see above). This statue is about 29' tall and is dressed in different outfits throughout the year. This seems to be his summer look (shorts and fishing pole). For more, see this website. |
| Giant Vulture Pomona, CA |
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| The Pomona Vulture appears to be made of foam. He stands in the parking lot of the Cal Poly Pomona Downtown Center. Does anyone know more about him? |
| Giant Buzzard Key Largo, FL |
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| This Giant Buzzard advertises for the Buzzard's Roost Grill & Pub. |
| Bluebird of Happiness Vilano Beach, FL |
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| The Bluebird of Happiness was built in the 1940s to promote orange juice sales and installed in Vilano Beach. The statue is about eight feet tall and was originally painted orange. Later, the giant bird was moved to Newt's Motel where he was painted blue and was given this name. He was moved several times after the motel closed and allowed to deteriorate. His wings are now missing. The statue was donated to the town in 2008 and moved back downtown to this chain link cage where he awaits restoration. There is still debate about where to put the local icon and whether to repaint him orange or blue. For more, see these websites: 1 and 2. |
| Penguin Park Kansas City, MO |
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| Penguin Park is a children's public playground. It has been here since at least the 1970s and features a 23' tall penguin and a 26' tall kangaroo. There is also a penguin water fountain, an elephant slide and a giant giraffe. The giant penguin was once a slide but has been modified. For more, see these websites: 1 and 2. |
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More Giant Penguins:
Cut Bank, MT Lyon, France Hokkaido, Japan |
| Distelfink Reading, PA |
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| This Distelfink statue is installed at the Heritage Center. It was created in 1984 by Ramon Lago. The statue is about 6' tall and 11' long and made of cast aluminum and stainless steel. This stylized bird is frequently used by the Pennsylvania Dutch to represent happiness and good luck. Distelfink is German for Thistle Finch. For more, see these websites: 1 and 2. |
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More Giant Birds:
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Other Birds page 1 |
Geese & Ducks |
Roosters, Chickens, etc. page 1 |
Roosters, Chickens, etc. page 2 |
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Giant Animals Main Page |
Links |
| [Main Roadside Page] |
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