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A creature that’s dark as night and rare in Nebraska has landed here just in time for Halloween.

A black vulture was found alive in a backyard in Lincoln earlier this month. It’s the first documented case of a black vulture in Nebraska since 1916, said Joel Jorgensen, a bird program manger for the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission. A century ago, a black vulture was found in south-central Nebraska.

The appearance of the vulture, a Southern species, has created a stir among local bird watchers, with word spreading about the rare find.

“Most birders would want to see a black vulture in Nebraska, just because it’s been so long,’’ said Mark Brogie of the Nebraska Ornithologists’ Union. “(They’d) like to cross it off their list.”

The vulture was taken to Fontenelle Forest Raptor Recovery center in Elmwood, Nebraska.

Betsy Finch, the center’s rehabilitation manager, said the vulture didn’t appear ill or injured but was not flying. The vulture is being fed mice and rats and is doing just fine, Finch said.

She said the center will likely have a volunteer drive the bird south and release it, although the timing is not set.