Thunderbird

 

The Thunderbird is a cryptid of North America.Thunderbirds inhabit the folklore of many regions. The name Thunderbird is derived from the sound that is apparently produced as a result of the thunderous beating of the mighty wings of the creature.Tales of similar creature often appear in Native American mythology; some tales tell of enormous eagles strong enough to carry whales back to their nests. Since pioneers began moving west across the North American plains, sightings of large birds have been reported. Similar stories appear from civilizations around the world.

Legend:

Native tribes all across North America, especially along the Pacific coast and in the Great Lakes area, have stories depicting enormous birds of prey. Some stories told that these birds were so large and powerful that when they flapped their wings, thunder was created. Lightning flashed out of their eyes, and water fell off their backs, creating rain. 

The tribes used thunderbirds to explain some of the things that happened naturally, such as storms and other forms of weather. The legend of Passamaquoddies, for example, describes the quest of two Indians in search of the source of thunder high in the mountains. Other stories said that there was a thunderbird who battled an enormous killer whale. When the two beasts fought, they destroyed much of the land, knocking down trees and causing much destruction. 

Although dangerous and powerful beings, thunderbirds were also seen as benevolent nature spirits, and they sometimes assisted the tribes in their search for food during periods of famine.According to some legends,the igneous rocks known as thunderstones are the eggs of these creatures.

Sightings:

Sightings of large bird-like creatures have been reported for many years, ever since people began settling further west in the United States and Canada. 

One of the most famous reports is from 1890, where two Arizona cowboys claimed to have shot and killed a large bird. It was described as having no feathers, and it had the head similar to that of an alligator. The two men supposedly dragged the dead bird back to town after killing it. The report seems to suggest that this creature looked more like a pterodactyl or a dragon than any modern-day bird.

Jeromy Clark in his book Unexplained!, lists many more sightings,including:

• In the early 1940s, writer Robert R. Lyman spotted a Thunderbird sitting on a road near Coudersport, Pennsylvania. It soon took to the sky, spreading its 20-foot wingspan.
• In 1948, several witnesses along the Illinois-Missouri border sighted a condor-like bird about the size of a Piper Club airplane
• In 1969, the wife of a Clinton County, Pennsylvania, sheriff saw an enormous bird over Little Pine Creek. She said its wingspan appeared to be about as long as the creek was wide—about 75 feet!
• In 1970, several people saw the gigantic bird "soaring toward Jersey Shore [Pennsylvania]. It was dark colored, and its wingspread was almost like [that of] an airplane."

Another sight occurred recently, on the evening of Tuesday, September 25, 2001, a 19-year-old claimed to have seen an enormous winged creature flying over Route 119 in South Greensburg, Pennsylvania. The witness's attention was drawn to the sky by a sound that resembled "flags flapping in a thunderstorm." Looking up, the witness saw what appeared to be a bird that had a wingspan of an estimated 10 to 15 feet and a head about three feet long.

Conclusion:

The possibilities for an explanation are endless.There’s something marvelous about the notion that a giant, man-eating bird of native lore could still be prowling the skies of the Midwest.