Thunderbird

There are many legends about these (mostly American Indian). These are giant birds (resembling pterodactyls) in early Indian myth. I saw once, where there was a picture circa the civil war period, with a group of men posing by a downed pterodactyl! While likely a fake, it was a damned good one if so, but I have been unable to locate this pic since... Anybody know where I can find it? Thanks!

Think I`ve seen the one you are thinking of before but can`t find it anywhere

I did find these but and am not gonna speculate on how real they are, they are quite cool though

www.warphead.com...

i know in like the aztec i think, civilisation, they belived quetzacoatl to be a mystical godlike thunderbird, and they belived it wqas that spanish dude that ended up killin them all. other than that no clue really. sorry i couldn't be of more help.

The Comanche tribe call it ba'a' and the Potawatomi use the name chequah, but most people know of this mystery animal as Thunderbird. Although gigantic birds are reported in the past and present from various areas of the globe, the Thunderbird is isolated to North America. Native Americans believed that these giant birds brought thunder and rain with them as they flew through the air by flapping their wings, and lightning by closing their eyes. Nevertheless, the distinction between the stories of the Native Americans and people of today are not too far apart. Modern reports of Thunderbirds arise from various locations in North America, with a large occurrence from Pennsylvania to the Central states. Mark A. Hall, one of the foremost investigators of the Thunderbird story, gives the following description of the avian cryptid drawn from numerous sightings:
"The bird is distinguished by its size and lifting capabilities exceeding those of any known bird living today anywhere in the world. Wingspan estimates are necessarily all guesswork. But observers sometimes have had the benefit of a measurable object for comparison or the benefit of time to observe a resting bird. The results most often provide sizes of 15 to 20 feet. The bird at rest or on the ground appears to be four to eight feet tall. Typically the coloring of the birds overall is dark.."
Remarkably, a bird of 15 feet in size would be the largest bird known in the world today. The largest wingspan known on a living bird is that of the wandering albatross (diomedea exulans) with a wingspan to 12 feet, and while not a predatory bird, it still boasts an impressive span. The Andean condor (Vultur gryphus) and the California condor (Gymnogyps californianus) are among the largest predatory birds in the world, with the Andean condor reaching a wingspan of 10.5 feet and the California condor (the largest North American predatory bird) reaches a wingspan of up to 10 feet. These are all truly marvelous birds and respectable in their majesty.

www.cryptozoology.com...

Also, check out the image section. Theres some T-Bird pics.

Hope that helps Gaz.

and special thanks to cassini...

That is indeed the pic I was talking about...

Hmm not sure if it's real or fake... would say fake because I think it's body would've been preserved and stuck in the Smithsonian.

When I first saw the pic, it was an extremely good one (didn't have the graphics on that site, and was much larger and more detailed). Even equipment, etc. was authentic, and it doesn't look like they posed for anything else and then photoshopped it, etc. Not that I fully believe it either, but there certainly is more than a shadow of doubt.... Still a cool pic though.

"and special thanks to cassini...

That is indeed the pic I was talking about..."

No probs, I did n`t think that was the one becuase I`m pretty sure those pics have been enhanced and the one I saw was much more convincing.

I`ve been trying to chase this up but there have been some fairly recent sightings in the Americas (north and/or south, more likely south if memory serves me which it normally does n`t). If anyone comes across any recent stories I`d be interested, meanwhile its back to the search engines.

As pictured above, look for the pigeon feces and you'll find this old bird. As soon as you taste this swill, it will be obvious that its makers cut every corner possible in its production to make it cheap. Self-proclaimed as "The American Classic," Thuderbird is Vinted and bottled by E&J Gallo Winery, in in Modesto, CA. Disguised like Night Train, the label says that it is made by "Thunderbird, Ltd." Anyways, if your taste buds are shot, and you need to get trashed with a quickness, then "T-bird" is the drink for you. Or, if you like to smell your hand after pumping gas, look no further than Thunderbird. As you drink on, the bird soars higher while you sink lower. The undisputed leader of the five in foulness of flavor, we highly discourage driking this ghastly mixture of unknown chemicals unless you really are a bum. A convenience store clerk in Show Low, AZ once told me that only the oldest of stumbling indian drunks from the reservation buy Thunderbird. Avaliable in 750 mL and a devastating 50 oz jug.

The history of Thunderbird is as interesting as the drunken effects the one experiences from the wine. When Prohibition ended, Ernest Gallo and his brothers Julio and Joe wanted to corner the young wine market. Earnest wanted the company to become "the Campbell Soup company of the wine industry" so he started selling Thunderbird in the ghettos around the country. Their radio adds featured a song that sang, "What's the word? / Thunderbird / How's it sold? / Good and cold / What's the jive? / Bird's alive / What's the price? / Thirty twice." It is said that Ernest once drove through a tough, inner city neighborhood and pulled over when he saw a bum. When Gallo rolled down his window and called out, "What's the word?" the immediate answer from the bum was, "Thunderbird."

btw, this lil sh it is freaky, wtf is he suppose to be?





[Edited on 30-4-2003 by Lysergic]

as I mentioned, the one I saw was simply a better image than the collage one on that particular site, but it is the same photo... I too have had trouble searching for it, and usually I'm pretty good at finding anything thru searches....

www.geocities.com...


But it seems to be a hoax....

www.lorencoleman.com...

As it turned out this photograph was a promotional tool of Orlando, Florida's Haxan Production (producers of "The Blair Witch Project"), to develop interest in their forthcoming fictional program, "Freaky Links." The series, first broadcast on Fox TV, finally in 2000, involved the character "Derek Barnes," an investigator of the unknown.

The picture was a hoax and the pterodactyl was a prop created exclusively for two episodes of Freaky Links. Fox is done with the prop, however, and this intriguing pseudo-cryptid was acquired by Loren Coleman, and is now part of the collection of the Museum--that is all 22 feet by 11 feet of it.


Bummer....


[Edited on 30-4-2003 by Gazrok]

damn, no roasted dinosaur for me!

Havent there been a lot of cases of a giant bird swooping down and gpicking up small children?

Also there was that case of a giant bird over alaska, remember that.

XAOS

"thunderbirds" in general are hoaxes...just that one picture...

In France in the 1800's they found a pterodon while blasting through a mountain to build a railroad... the miners quicly killed it

I've heard of another giant bird that lives in south-east Asia. I think it was called the "Roc" and it could pick up baby Asian elephants with its talons. Those Cival War-era pics were very intersesting.

is certainly a beast in Mythology. They've learned that giant birds were pretty much the top predators when the reign of the dinos ended...so who knows?

Can you be more specific in the context of where you saw this pic? What year did you see it? Was it in a textbook, or on the web? Just a little more detail for those who would like to help you find it.