", Argentavis, the largest flying bird, was a master glider, "Physical limits of flight performance in the heaviest soaring bird", "Palaeoenvironmental and faunal inferences based on the avian fossil record of Patagonia and Pampa: what works and what does not", BBC News: Ancient American bird was glider, Secret of flight for world's largest bird revealed, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Argentavis&oldid=1132779797, Wikipedia articles needing page number citations from July 2020, Taxonbars with multiple manual Wikidata items, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, Height: 1.5 to 1.8m (4ft 11in to 5ft 11in), This page was last edited on 10 January 2023, at 15:01. We both lived REALLY close to it. We couldnt see its face, though. Scientific Name Teratornis merriami Description A large, extinct bird of prey with a wingspan between 11-12 feet. Powered by Invision Community. Back about six, maybe seven years ago, when Hale-Bopp was making its appearance, I saw another bird that was way out of normal size proportions. It's worth noting that the species could very well have had a much larger range than is currently known. Phorusrhacids were probably the most formidable rivals that Argentavis faced, with the largest species weighing about three times as much as the teratorn. Saw it in Edna!" [3][14], "Flight performance of the largest volant bird", "Biggest Flying Seabird Had 21-Foot Wingspan, Scientists Say", "On the Size and Flight Diversity of Giant Pterosaurs, the Use of Birds as Pterosaur Analogues and Comments on Pterosaur Flightlessness", "Ecological and reproductive constraints of body size in the gigantic, "Hay un lmite para el tamao corporal en las aves voladoras? With wingspans of greater than twenty feet, the Thunderbird is larger than any avian that has existed for 10,000 years. St. James Hotel, 617 S Collison Ave, Cimarron, NM 87714, USA. Giant birds called teratorns (or wonder birds) once flew over New Mexico. I shot at it with a 22 rifle. Thank you! ABC 13's chief meteorologist Travis Herzog also received reports of the sighting and asked his followers on Facebook to share footage they captured of the unusually bright meteor and submit their first-person accounts to the AMS. Its wing span was huge and it stood about four feet tall. The furor faded when sightings ceased. American Museum of Natural History", "Size and Locomotion in Teratorns (Aves: Teratornithidae)", A New Teratorn (Aves: Teratornithidae) from the Upper Pleistocene of Oregon, USA, "Locomotion in the Fossil Vulture Teratornis", Size and Locomotion in Teratorns (Aves: Teratornithidae), "Shape Similarities and Differences in the Skulls of Scavenging Raptors", "Visual Adaptations in Predatory and Scavenging Diurnal Raptors", "Ecomorphological indicators of feeding behavior in Recent and fossil raptors", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Teratornis&oldid=1133855295, This page was last edited on 15 January 2023, at 21:12. It may have flown and lived much like the modern Andean condor, scanning large areas of land from aloft for carrion. I looked through my binoculars and, after a few moments, nearly dropped them at what I saw. Vinegaroons (also called whip scorpions) got their common name because of the vinegar-smelling acid they emit when attacked. The Cinco Ranch gator isn't alone when it comes to recent sightings. Descriptions of the monster vary and range from some sort of wild dog-like animal to a hunched, walking reptile. After a night of kicking back at my friends house my sister and I were walking to the car and my sister emphasized to get in the car fast. I dont relish being thought of as a liar or being prone to exaggeration, but it was BIG. THANK YOU!!! So they got some chairs and were sitting on the porch when the thing flew by again! It look like it slowed down and dove in the front yard. Condors fly by means of soaring on rising up-currents, generally weak currents that are subject to sudden changes in direction or strength. They would disperse to somewhere (?) Two Missouri City residents found alligators on their porches in the past several weeks. January 1: Tracey Lawson and Cousin Jackie Davies were playing outside when they saw the creature. Canceled | Southwest apologized for ruining Christmas. . It's the stuff of story but mixed with a bit of fact. A few seconds after is passed, our power went off shortly!" Most witnesses described this unknown mysterious animal, UMA, as about five feet tall, featherless and having a long beak, bat-like wings and a simian face. Comparison with extant birds suggests it laid one or two eggs with a mass of somewhat over 1 kg somewhat smaller than an ostrich egg every two years. . About 20-30 miles from San Antonio in northern Atascosa County. Well, theyre mythical for a reason, right? Its wingspan was bigger than I dare to report to you. You will find stories about these beasts all around the world. Teratorns are members of Teratornithidae, a highly diversified guild of large carnivorous flying birds that lived between 25 million and 12,000 years ago. then it flapped its wings. Ah, the goat sucker. I came looking for this bird, and found this article, after sighting a huge bird in 2020 at dusk, flying over the trees of my property. Well, theyre mythical for a reason, right? we knew it was quite far away, but it was as big as a regular bird would appear up close. [16] Argentavis may have used mountain slopes and headwinds to take off, and probably could manage to do so from even gently sloping terrain with little effort. [3] However, skeletal evidence suggests that its breast muscles were not powerful enough for wing flapping for extended periods. There is a lot of area in the Texas hill country around San Antonio like the Devil's Backbone up by San Marcos ,Enchanted Rock State Natural Area and other places for a large bird to live,with only catlle ranchers or sheep and goat ranches around but few homes. While this bird, sighted in the Rio Grande Valley in the 1970s, left no evidence behind other than sightings and one attack over a brief time period, there are theories. In an update posted to Twitter, Norvell said the gator had been safely caught and relocated to Gator Country near Beaumont. My father didnt go that time, because he was sick with the flu. Although the Native American legend of the Thunderbird is sometimes mentioned as an aside to the sightings, very few of the eyewitness accounts make any supernatural claims; they are describing birds engaging in ordinary birdlike behavior, unremarkable but for their incredibly large size. Thunderbirds exist in many cultures and myths, and sometimes, New Mexico natives swear they still see this supposedly extinct creature from time to time in the Doa Ana Mountains near Las Cruces. Alternative viewpoints note that many old world vultures possess large bills, and a longer bill is a common feature among scavenging raptors, as this allow them to probe deeper into large carcasses - larger than those fed upon by active-hunting raptors. I agree that the man may have exaggerated his story after seeing something like a condor or vulture. A jabiru, large stork native to Latin America, with a wingspan of up to 9 feet wide, was captured. With lots of local lore come lots of potential cryptid sightings, and honestly, were here for it. Now you have! my mother spoke up and asked if it was a big bird. bingo she was with the wife of the chief of police and their friends. Subsequently, they made the public aware that all birds were protected by state and/or federal law. Is it a monster or myth? "We were afraid that it would come at us. When roosting, it stood over 2.5 feet tall and weighed roughly 33 pounds. Daily updates on UFO sightings, ghost encounters, conspiracies, mysterious phenomena and everything crazy and weird. Its a little late. The big bird. [14][19] When hunting actively, A. magnificens would probably have swooped from high above onto their prey, which they usually would have been able to grab prey by its bill, kill, and swallow without landing. he said he had seen something weird and was afraid to guess what it was. It was somewhat larger than the extant Andean condor, and by calculating the area of the organism's sternum and synsacrum, Teratornis was estimated to weigh about 22.5kg (50lb), which was nearly double the weight of an average Californian condor. Since A. magnificens is known to have been a land bird, another good point of comparison is the Andean Condor, which is not too distantly related to Argentavis. It was the subject of jokes and concern. Argentavis magnificens, sometimes called the Giant Teratorn, is an extinct species known from three sites in the Epecun and Andalhual Formations in central and northwestern Argentina dating to the Late Miocene ( Huayquerian ), where a good sample of fossils has been obtained. The true warrior enters the arena with all his powers at the ready. Scientists are watching them die out and believe there to only be 30 or so left in the wild, but like the Spix, several breeding pairs are in captivity. [3], On the other hand, their flight was similar to that of condors. Okay, so I was looking through the page and I saw a story about someone who saw a really big bird and I remembered about something I saw once. Loch Ness has its monster. I remember trying to research the phenomenon at the time I originally received the stories, and not finding much. . This bird, sometimes called the Giant Teratorn, is an extinct species known (as of 2006) from three sites from the late Miocene (6 million years before present) of central and northwestern Argentina, where a good sample of fossils has been obtained. The AMS received video . Till this day I still dont know what it was but I sure would like to find out! The Wampanoag of Massachusetts' legend is of the Pukwudgie. Teratorns are members of Teratornithidae, a highly diversified guild of large carnivorous flying birds that lived between 25 million and 12,000 years ago. Wish I had more to give you than my honor and this report. There are also undescribed fossils from southwestern Ecuador, but apart from these forms, teratorns were restricted to North America.[6]. she didnt say anything until later that evening at v.f.w. Small rain chances followed by elevated fire danger. Your email address will not be published. [12] Taking into account the strong legs, stout claws, and a gripping power not quite as developed as in eagles, it is rather likely that Merriam's Teratorn would have hunted for aquatic prey in the manner of an osprey, which also provides a reasonable explanation of how such large numbers of powerful, well-flying birds could have become stuck in the asphalt. Skull structure suggests that it ate most of its prey whole rather than tearing off pieces of flesh. Only the last species lives in the United States; other large U.S. birds include bald eagles and golden eagles. Six million years ago, the skies of Argentina were home to fearsome predator - Argentavis magnificens, the largest bird to ever take to the air. UM-Bot, They needed large open area suchs as the Great Plains or the Argentine Pampas to navigate and hunt." "The loss of the Buffalo would have a devastating effect on the migratory habits of a bird of such size." Birds with larger wingspans, such as the astonishing 23 foot wide Giant Teratorn, are extinct. The family dog stayed inside of its doghouse, leaving only to go into the house for dinner, then had to be forced back outside. In the third edition of mynonfiction book Live Pterosaurs in America,an encounter in theChesapeake area, near the border between Maryland and Virginia, may relate to other sighting reports that I have received from Virginia: I was twenty years old, taking a camping trip with my boss and his friends, and I believe it was near the Maryland-Virginia line in the Chesapeake area. With luck, we may get some photos soon. Argentavis magnificens (literally magnificent Argentine bird) is the largest flying bird ever discovered. However, skeletal evidence suggests that its breast muscles were not powerful enough for wing flapping for extended periods. Coincidentally a song called Fire in the Sky was playing. Mortality must have been very low; to maintain a viable population less than about 2% of birds may have died each year. I was only 17 at the time. commented Jessica Coleman. Spotted owls will likely never be reintroduced in the wild there isn't room for them. wrote Sarah Jane Zamora-Rivera from Gonzales, Texas. 5 feet. [6][7] Argentavis had an estimated height when standing on the ground that was roughly equivalent to that of a person, at 1.5 to 1.8m (4ft 11in to 5ft 11in), furthermore its total length (from bill tip to tail tip) was approximately 3.5m (11ft 6in). Anyone with questions or comments feel free to email me at hedorah_85@yahoo.com. They said they found it while hiking in the woods in northern Georgia. "Caught it on my dash cam while traveling north on Interstate 37. Well, I was sitting in the deer blind for about an hour, and had yet to see anything. BELTON, Texas The American Meteor Society (AMS) says it began receiving reports of fireball sightings across Texas and Oklahoma on Tuesday, Jan. 10 around 6:45 p.m. The group of stories I received during the year 2006 would seem to bear this out. Norvell tweeted with a photo of the gator tied up in the bed of a truck. From: Jusluckytoo@cs.comTo: obiwan@ghosts.orgSubject: HUGE Birds Flocking of appx. Some Giant Bird sightings were revealed as hoaxes or misunderstandings. It was a very well lit area and it just landed and it looked like its head was turned like an owls. Southwest apologized for ruining Christmas. It may never be known what this strange flying creature was because it seemed to have completely disappeared. The avian emitted a shrill screech. I had just about convinced myself it was in my head till I read this. The humerus (upper arm bone) of Argentavis is somewhat damaged. They seemed to be just having a meeting. All Rights Reserved. It appears likely, therefore, that the average and maximum age reached by these creatures was fairly large possibly some 50-100 years; compare with ostrich at perhaps 60-70, and parrots at perhaps 80-120 at most if they were to mature and reproduce and replace members that had died young for whatever reason. A trapper caught up to him about 60 yards north of Buffalo Bayou, according to Norvell. Physical characteristics Currently accepted estimates: Wingspan: 5.8-8 m (19 - 26 ft) Wing area: nearly 7 m (75 square ft) Wing loading: c. 11.5 kg/m Length: 3.5 m (11.5 ft) Height: 1.7-2 m (5.6-6.5 ft) Weight: 60-80 kg (140-180 lb) For comparison, the living bird with the largest wingspan is the Wandering Albatross (3.63 m). Might scientists find previously unknown species of birds? If the thunderbird were the giant extinct teratorn Argentavis, this is how it would compare in size with a human [with illustration], Legal terms and conditions for using this site, Why a pterodactyl sighting should be reported. One of the gators was wrangled single-handedly by a local restaurant owner after he dropped his kids off at school. It probably doesnt sound too scary, but trust me if you would have seen this thing you wouldve been scared too! Initially, Big Bird was the target of jokes, including those said by Johnny Carson on his national television show. . Have you ever seen a gator be lifted off the ground by a tow truck? Their fossil record is limited exclusively to North and South America. The largest land predators in Miocene South America were the giant, ground-dwelling "terror birds", the phorusrhacids. Theories range from relict animals (species believed to be extinct but perhaps still living) to simple optical illusion, causing large birds to look even larger in the eye of the beholder due to lack of perspective or landmarks against which to compare. Unlike extant condors and vultures, the other species of teratorns generally had long, eagle-like beaks and are believed to have been active predators, being less ponderous than Argentavis. I've made several posts about Thunderbirds on this forum and live in San Antonio and have never heard of any recent sightings. The teratorns were a family of giant birds (now extinct) that lived in many parts of the world, but especially in the Americas. The first time was like in 2001. I wonder what side of town the thing was spotted in. Sometimes there seems to be so much talk, that at least. Other clips were sent in from Marble Falls, Grand Prairie, Spring, and Burleson. I would not have believed it unless I saw it. It is a modern, real-life enactment of a kind of episode portrayed in folklore all over the world: the attempted abduction of a child by a Thunderbird. megafauna) and that the species have limped along after food became more scarce. . Anyways, my father and I fish and hunt all the time. It was cloudy and the sky was all orange so all I saw was the shape, but it was the same size because the wing span was about my height. It was gliding, with an occasional slow, smooth flap. Alverico Guajardo spotted the creature and described it as looking like a bat. "My husband was in the garage when he saw it zip by. Its believed it got lost during migratory flight. Other huge birds include storks, pelicans, the Andean condor, with a wingspan up to 10 feet, and the endangered California condor, which tops out at 9.5 feet across. The species would've required about 2.5 to 5kg (5.5 to 11.0lb) of meat each day. Additionally, it might have been the color of ashes. 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