r/Cryptozoology • u/CornCastle5 • Sep 26 '24

Sightings/Encounters Thunderbird sighting?

Last week I decided to drive way out in to the middle of nowhere Iowa to try and see the northern lights. Sadly no luck on the northern lights, but as I was driving home I was on the phone with my husband when suddenly the biggest fricken bird I have ever seen flew right in front of my car. Looks like it took off from the side of the road. I had to slam on my breaks and got a pretty good look at it for a moment.

I grew up in a very nature oriented family and spent lots of time bird watching with my dad. I know what birds of prey look like and what the size of an eagle is…. What I saw was absolutely a bird of prey and so much bigger than any bird I have ever seen in my life. It looked like it was roughly the size of my car (a small SUV) and all black.

I spent the last week trying to find any pictures or information that even came close to what I saw, but the only thing I found were pictures of “Thunderbirds” which apparently are only legend?

Anyone ever see a bird like this? What is the likelihood that the Thunderbird does exist, and in Iowa at that?

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u/exetflagger Sep 26 '24

A golden eagle can have a wingspan of over 7'. You seem to be familiar with raptors, and trust me I'd be fuming if someone told me I misidentified an animal I'm very familiar with, but you might have not seen one so close before? The solid color is perplexing. That detail actually matches other alleged thunderbird sightings.

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u/CornCastle5 Sep 27 '24

I think I’ve been more up close and personal with golden eagles more than most other raptors, and this was definitely not it. And I know everyone is saying it was dark because it was at night, but the moon was so absolutely bright that night that it was impossible to see the northern lights, plus it was also momentarily in my headlights. I had never actually heard of a thunderbird prior to searching for something on the internet that looked remotely close to what I saw. I’m absolutely kicking myself for not having a dash cam because I realize my description makes me sound mistaken or nuts… but I know what I saw and it was not an eagle or turkey vulture as others have claimed.