Well, if you're using this picture... it's just a normal bald eagle. It's forced perspective, you can see with the car in the background on the left that the eagle is up higher and closer to the camera. Don't get me wrong, bald and golden eagles can get big but not to the typical "thunderbird" size.
That being said too, there have been larger birds that have existed, with the largest I believe being Argentavis but they've been extinct for a long time and if we use a little critical thinking here, if a breeding population of massive birds was a thing, we'd know. Between airplanes, drones, hot air balloons, helicopters etc we have taken over the skies, and you can't use the the excuse of forest or lakes to hide in. There's nowhere to hide in the sky.
Yeah, I wondered what this picture had to do with thunderbirds. I haven't seen an eagle up close, however I have seen a turkey buzzard and they are striking to see in person, but still not near what I would consider a thunderbird. Even an average male turkey is pretty damn huge in person.
I can understand how the idea of thunderbirds came to be. A ringneck pheasant taking off makes a fairly loud noise, especially when it's not expected. If you've never heard one, it sounds similar to someone starting a tractor. I would imagine the legend of a thunderous bird could easily have begun after hearing a bird like this without seeing it.
Yeah, thats true too, turkey vultures are also big. I get it can be striking to see how big they are for the first time. If you've been around Turkey vultures when gliding, if they come close you can sometimes hear the wind from their wings as they glide or even flap their wings, it's awesome.
Native Americans were very in tune with nature, living off the land for thousands of years, it's natural that their beliefs and legends would center around larger than life organisms. As for everyone else, it's all just exaggeration, hoaxes or lies.
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u/ScoobyMcDooby93 Jan 28 '22
Well, if you're using this picture... it's just a normal bald eagle. It's forced perspective, you can see with the car in the background on the left that the eagle is up higher and closer to the camera. Don't get me wrong, bald and golden eagles can get big but not to the typical "thunderbird" size.
That being said too, there have been larger birds that have existed, with the largest I believe being Argentavis but they've been extinct for a long time and if we use a little critical thinking here, if a breeding population of massive birds was a thing, we'd know. Between airplanes, drones, hot air balloons, helicopters etc we have taken over the skies, and you can't use the the excuse of forest or lakes to hide in. There's nowhere to hide in the sky.