American giant birds

In this article, we'll examine a fascinating photograph that may shed new light on legends surrounding giant birds in America. Found in an old, paranormal edition, the image depicts Civil War soldiers surrounded by a mysterious creature resembling a pterodactyl. The author explores the authenticity of the photograph and the historical context in which it may have been taken. The article also discusses accounts of similar birds that have circulated in American culture and their connections to cryptozoology. Is it possible that species existed in the past that we would now consider only legends?

This photograph was tucked between the pages of a cheesy paranormal book from the 1970s that I found in my thrift stash. If it's real, it raises an interesting question. Did soldiers kill (or find) what appears to be a pterodactyl during the Civil War?

I call it a pterodactyl and say these are Civil War soldiers because that's what it looks like to me, I don't want to jump to any conclusions.

I've looked at some photos from the Civil War, and they look very similar to this one. The rifles appear to be of the old-fashioned type, and the headgear most people wore at the time. The blue uniforms led me to believe they were Commonwealth soldiers. The photo is printed on photocopy paper, but it could also be a copy of the original.

So let's assume this is a real photograph of Commonwealth troops during the Civil War.

The next questions should concern the giant bird the soldiers are standing around. I can't find any record of the military encountering a bird of this size during the Civil War. If this is a hoax from that era, why would they fake a pterodactyl? Could a creature of that size exist? The largest bird found in North America is the California condor, which has a wingspan of over 330 cm, but the creature in the photograph doesn't resemble a California condor. The head is too large, not to mention the lack of feathers.

Does this bird belong to the gray area of animal science called cryptozoology? In the 1940s, writer Robert Lyman reported seeing a bird with a wingspan of at least 20 feet flying toward the forests of Pennsylvania. He believed it was a juvenile Thunderbird, which, according to Native American legend, was responsible for bringing thunder and lightning.

Western American historian Mari Sandoz wrote about a "flying serpent" sighted over Missouri by steamboat passengers in the 1850s. Also in 1976, a description of a giant bird soaring over parts of the Rio Grande became national news. It stood 4 feet (about 1.3 meters) tall and had black feathers, a long beak, and glowing red eyes. Newspapers immediately dubbed it "the big bird," after the "Sesame Street" character.

So reports of large birds have been circulating for years. Maybe, just maybe, they're real. I'll leave the judgment to my readers.