What is the highest altitude a bird can fly, and which species is it?

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Rounded off to the nearest 1000', what is the altitude record for a bird flying under its own power? What species of bird holds this record?

"The altitude record is held by a Rüppell's griffon Gyps rueppelli, a vulture with a 10-foot wingspan. On November 29, 1975 one was sucked into a jet engine 37,900 feet above the Ivory Coast in West Africa." - TheStraightDope.com

"The highest-flying bird ever recorded was a Ruppell's griffon, a vulture with a wingspan of about 10 feet; on November 29, 1975, a Ruppell's griffon was sucked into a jet engine 37,900 feet above the Ivory Coast--more than a mile and a half higher than the summit of Mount Everest." - magazine.audubon.org/birds

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