The term "Thunderbird" comes from the name used by many Native American communities to describe either a single creature, or a species of bird, regarded as a supernatural beast of great strength - large enough and capable enough to attack, and take off with a human.
Very Big Birds
Depiction of the attack. In the summer of 1977, in the state of Illinois, a young boy and several other witnesses would report a strange and terrifying story. A ten year old boy by the name of Marlon Lowe, on the night of July 25th, in the small community of Lawndale, would tell authorities that while playing with two other boys outside of his home a massive black bird, one of two that appeared, had chased and grabbed him by his tanktop and pulled him two feet in the air, carrying him some distance before his mother managed to grab him and pull him back to the ground.
A number of witnesses also attested to seeing the birds, describing them as "gigantic black birds with hooked beaks, with bodies as big as a mans and a white ring coated around their half foot long necks. The birds were said to have had a wingspan of fifteen to twenty five feet in length.
Marlon Lowe has for years maintained his encounter did occur, however many zoologists have regarded this tale as a fabricated encounter with an Andean Condor, the largest known flying creature still existing today.
A number of witnesses also attested to seeing the birds, describing them as "gigantic black birds with hooked beaks, with bodies as big as a mans and a white ring coated around their half foot long necks. The birds were said to have had a wingspan of fifteen to twenty five feet in length.
Marlon Lowe has for years maintained his encounter did occur, however many zoologists have regarded this tale as a fabricated encounter with an Andean Condor, the largest known flying creature still existing today.
Ruth and Marlon Lowe. Natives in South America have spoken for years about condors swooping down and stealing newborns, however many in the scientific community have a hard time grasping the notion of an Andean Condor attempting to snatch a ten year old boy, as no known condor is capable of lifting things with its feet, as it has feet like a turkeys and unable to grasp prey easily. It is also rare for condors or other large birds to attack humans.
Marlon Lowe's is not an isolated story for sightings and encounters with abnormally-large birds have been documented for decades in North America, with many being reported in the late 1970's.
These encounters are labelled by cryptozoologists as Thunderbird encounters.
Marlon Lowe's is not an isolated story for sightings and encounters with abnormally-large birds have been documented for decades in North America, with many being reported in the late 1970's.
These encounters are labelled by cryptozoologists as Thunderbird encounters.
Totem of a Thunderbird. The term comes from the name used by many Native American communities to describe either a single creature or a species of bird that in some traditions was regarded as a benevolent spirit - a supernatural creature of great strength and power. In some oral traditions it could be capable of great wrath if angered and was also said to have some control over the weather. Some also believed the creature/s could take human form and would often marry into tribes.
Science supports the possibility that these creatures may have existed, although possibly greatly exaggerated in their capabilities. We now know large winged creatures called Teratorns possibly existed with early man, as a number of skeletons of these creatures have been unearthed (most notably in South America) and they fit descriptions of many of the modern sightings of "Thunderbirds". Teratorns not only would have been able to stand and look a man in the eye, but they dwarf species of known condors, vultures and eagles, being up to at least five times bigger in height and wingspan. These flying beasts are believed to have been extinct for up to maybe eight million years.
So could teratorns, or a creature that links them with modern species of raptors (Birds of Prey), have somehow survived extinction and be stalking humans from the air today?
Could they be responsible for many disappearances and vanishings?
Science supports the possibility that these creatures may have existed, although possibly greatly exaggerated in their capabilities. We now know large winged creatures called Teratorns possibly existed with early man, as a number of skeletons of these creatures have been unearthed (most notably in South America) and they fit descriptions of many of the modern sightings of "Thunderbirds". Teratorns not only would have been able to stand and look a man in the eye, but they dwarf species of known condors, vultures and eagles, being up to at least five times bigger in height and wingspan. These flying beasts are believed to have been extinct for up to maybe eight million years.
So could teratorns, or a creature that links them with modern species of raptors (Birds of Prey), have somehow survived extinction and be stalking humans from the air today?
Could they be responsible for many disappearances and vanishings?
Reconstruction of a Teratorn. Zoologists and ornithologists (bird watchers) do not believe so, as they posit we would see them more often and no remains seem to have ever been found. However many cryptozoologists believe a giant species of bird, larger that an Andean condor, does exist and is responsible for many of the sightings made by people all over the world. Even though we have reported accounts, video footage and sometimes print casts of these birds, the scientific community still regard tales of Thunderbirds with jest and scorn.
An urban legend associated with tales of Thunderbirds comes from Texas, where it is said that two cowboys killed a large "bird-like" creature in late April, 1890, and dragged their kill back into town and a picture, or pictures, were taken of it pinned to a barn, its wingspan taking the length of the entire barn wall!
The local newspaper was said to have published the story, however nobody has ever substantiated the validity of the story and any pictures have never been made public, however a few, including cryptozoologist Ivan T. Sanderson, have attested they have seen, or owned at one point, a copy of the picture. This creature was described more as reptilian in appearance, leading many to speculate that if the story is true the cowboys may have shot and killed a Pterodactyl - a dinosaur said to have also died out millions of years ago.
Many tales of fiction are littered with great birds, such as the Griffin and the Phoenix, both with legendary supernatural powers attributed to them. Arabian tales of Sinbad the Sailor fighting the mighty Roc - a man-eating bird so large it was said to be able to carry elephants - have become legendary in English speaking countries. Could these examples of large birds have some basis in fact?
Do large birds of prey, much larger than any species currently known to Science, exist?
Or are "Thunderbirds" the result of perhaps a collective memory, of birds from long ago stored in our genetic make-up that still manifest themselves in some form today?
An urban legend associated with tales of Thunderbirds comes from Texas, where it is said that two cowboys killed a large "bird-like" creature in late April, 1890, and dragged their kill back into town and a picture, or pictures, were taken of it pinned to a barn, its wingspan taking the length of the entire barn wall!
The local newspaper was said to have published the story, however nobody has ever substantiated the validity of the story and any pictures have never been made public, however a few, including cryptozoologist Ivan T. Sanderson, have attested they have seen, or owned at one point, a copy of the picture. This creature was described more as reptilian in appearance, leading many to speculate that if the story is true the cowboys may have shot and killed a Pterodactyl - a dinosaur said to have also died out millions of years ago.
Many tales of fiction are littered with great birds, such as the Griffin and the Phoenix, both with legendary supernatural powers attributed to them. Arabian tales of Sinbad the Sailor fighting the mighty Roc - a man-eating bird so large it was said to be able to carry elephants - have become legendary in English speaking countries. Could these examples of large birds have some basis in fact?
Do large birds of prey, much larger than any species currently known to Science, exist?
Or are "Thunderbirds" the result of perhaps a collective memory, of birds from long ago stored in our genetic make-up that still manifest themselves in some form today?
Matty Sweeney 2014
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