Encounter Atlas

Creature index / Winged things

Thunderbird

Also called Giant bird, Big bird of the Plains

Giant birds with impossible wingspans reported across North America.

The Thunderbird is a powerful spirit being in the traditions of many Indigenous peoples, from the Pacific Northwest to the Great Lakes. Separately, settlers and modern witnesses have reported enormous birds, far larger than any condor.

The best-known modern case came in July 1977, when 10-year-old Marlon Lowe said a huge bird tried to carry him off in his backyard in Lawndale, Illinois. Pennsylvania has its own long list of thunderbird sightings.

What witnesses report

  • Wingspan of 15 to 20 ft
  • Shadow over open fields
  • Livestock or pets carried off

Famous cases

  1. 1977Lawndale incident
    Lawndale, Illinois

Seen the Thunderbird?

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Related

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