What is the Thunderbird?
The Thunderbird is a giant bird in the mythology of the Indigenous peoples of North America (Native Americans). When it flaps its wings thunder roars, and when it opens its eyes lightning flashes; it has been revered as a powerful spirit that controls thunder and storms. It is also known for being carved at the top of the totem poles of the Indigenous peoples of the Northwest Coast.
The Thunderbird as a cryptid
As a cryptid, the Thunderbird refers to giant birds with wingspans of several meters up to nearly 10 m sighted across North America. There has even been a reported sighting of a giant bird trying to lift a child with its feet. Also famous is the story of a photo of a giant pterosaur-like bird shot down in Arizona in the late 19th century, but no such photo has ever been found.
What is the Thunderbird really?
Sightings of giant birds are thought to be real large birds such as condors, bald eagles and pelicans mistaken for something bigger. On the other hand, some imagine surviving prehistoric giant birds or pterosaurs. The name of the 1960s British puppet show Thunderbirds also comes from this legendary bird.
