Thunderbird
The Thunderbird has been reported all throughout America since the earliest historic record. It has been reported by Native Americans and people from all walks of life as an enormous bird, larger than any known species, but similar in appearance to a condor. Native American legends say the Thunderbird is an enormous flying creature with a wingspan of 12 to 20 feet. According to myths from Pacific Northwest, Plains and Northeastern tribes, the Thunderbird was actually a god in animal form, and the thunderous sound of its flapping wings was meant to scare humans away from its territory. There are a few theories as to what the Thunderbird may be, but the most likely zoological candidates would be the teratorns. The teratorns were large predatory birds from the Pleistocene that exhibited wingspans of upwards of 25 feet. Although they are thought to be extinct, their general presumed appearance is that of a giant condor-like species, similar in appearence to the Thunderbird.
