Giant birds with 20-foot wingspans once ruled North American skies – and may hold the secret behind Native American Thunderbird legends

Before there were even cities all over North America, massive birds flew over a terrain where mammoths, ground sloths, and early humans walked side by side. The largest of them had a wingspan of up to 20 feet, making them one of the most incredible creatures ever to fly—their extinction resulted in fossil evidence that reveals something about their vanished world.

However, the connection between these birds may even extend as far as the spiritual figure of the Thunderbird, a spirit for many Native American communities.

As has been noted in various BBC articles regarding ancient predators, the role of these ancient birds within the ecosystem is very hard to comprehend.


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Some were able to feed on other animals, and some were scavengers. Being large birds, their presence in the sky would be very distinctive and noticeable.

The question of whether these ancient birds played any role in the origin of stories about the Thunderbird remains open to debate.

Nonetheless, their coexistence with the early humans leaves us to wonder about the effects these encounters had on storytelling.

The giant birds that once dominated North American skies

The prehistoric era boasted some truly impressive fliers. Among these are the teratorns – a family of now extinct birds that were ecologically similar to the condor and vulture. Fossils found in various parts of North America demonstrate that these birds existed in an environment that is very much unlike our own.

According to the National Park Service, Teratornis merriami was a bird with a wingspan of about 11-12 feet (3.4-3.7 metres). Also mentioned by the NPS is Argentavis magnificens – a relative from South America that belongs to some of the largest flying birds and that had a wingspan of 20 feet (6 metres).

The BBC also has its own take on prehistoric giant birds and their evolution after the extinction of the dinosaurs.

These animals were more than just oversized versions of the modern-day eagles. Their body structures were adapted for flying over vast distances as well as for searching for food on the ground. The information about their diet shows that teratorns ate carcasses of mammals of considerable size but hunted smaller vertebrates as well.

They lived in such places as California, Nevada, Oregon, Arizona, and Florida. It can be concluded that prehistoric giant birds inhabited a fairly vast area on the territory of the continent.

It is especially remarkable what period they lived in.

Several North American teratorns survived until the late Pleistocene, which was the time when there were already some people in the Americas. It does not prove the meeting of ancient people with every species, but it makes it much more realistic.

Could the Thunderbird legend have a prehistoric connection?

The Thunderbird holds a prominent place in the lore of many Native Americans throughout North America.

The attributes vary from one culture to another, yet one common element in all cultures is the portrayal of the Thunderbird as a mighty creature linked with the powers of nature, especially thunder and lightning.

In certain stories, the flapping of the Thunderbird’s wings causes thunder and lightning to come from its eyes or from the way it moves. In other cases, it appears as a protector or a mighty force that can confront the evil spirits.

Given the variety of such tales, it becomes hard to put forward one definition for the Thunderbird. They were created by different cultures that had different histories and views on nature.

However, the fact of the presence of very large prehistoric birds has sparked speculation about whether the encounter with such creatures may be behind the legends of gigantic birds. The animal with a wingspan many times larger than those of many known birds would be quite a remarkable view, especially in an environment full of dangerous predators.

This has been considered while researching the origin of the Thunderbird.

For example, the organisation BirdNote has discussed the possibility of a connection between the legend and Teratornis merriami because this bird existed at the time when the first Indigenous populations lived in North America.

This, however, does not make the theory scientific. It is still not known how the legend originated, and the explanation cannot be found only in fossil records.

As one can see from the reports of the BBC on prehistoric fauna, nature has seen many creatures which would be absolutely unbelievable if it were not for the fossil remains. Whether their presence impacted some specific traditions or not – it is another question.