I found this on Cryptozoology.com. I think it is a model or something. The caption is "Argentavis mageficens scale size".

It seems a little 2D. The bird does not have much body structure... looks flat to me. If You look closely at the outline, there does not seem to be much thickness. More like a big flat model of a bird.. if it were stuffed, then it would appear to have more dimension.. the shadows say a bit. Or.. it is hard to tell.. considering its all pitch black..

i heard from somewhere that's the model of what some prehistoric bird looked like...

I'm going with a model. If it was an actual stuffed bird, there'd be no mystery as to whether they existed.

This page has a link to it ...

http://p216.ezboard.com/fwampumchroniclesa...picID=419.topic

scroll down to 'look at this big sucker!!!'.

Here's more info on giant birds.
http://sped2work.tripod.com/evidence.html

Isn't this in the UM gallery? It's probably just a model...I mean it looks 2-D, doesnt seem to have actual feathers...it looks cardboardish.

I have seen this image before, and yeah it is on the UM pic gallery. There were a few foot bones discovered, and this model is supposed to represent what the full specimen would look like. It is a theoretical model.

Aye, as said above it is nothing more than a mere model. Theoretical as well to show what it could possibly look like to 100% scale. It is quite a nice model though.

this is not a thunderbird. it's a model of an ancient species of bird at a museum. thunderbirds are belived to have white necks and tips as well.

"Argentavis magnificens is an extinct bird from the late Miocene (23 - 5 million years before present) of South America. It is the largest flying bird ever discovered, and is sometimes known as the Giant Teratorn.

Physical characteristics

* wingspan: 8 m
* wing load: 1E2 Pa (estimated)
* length: 3.5 m
* height: 2 m
* weight: 80-100 kg (estimated)

For comparison, the living bird with the largest wingspan is the Wandering Albatross (Diomedea exulans), and it reaches 3.5 m. Since A. magnificens was believed to be a land bird, another good point of comparison is the Andean Condor, Vultur gryphus, which some believe is a relative of Argentavis. This bird has a wingspan of about 3 m and is among the largest land birds.

The heaviest extant flying bird is not heavier than 20 kg (several contenders, among which the European Bustard Otis tarda and the African Kori Bustard (Ardeotis kori))."
www.wikipedia.org / www.answers.com

They alledgedly found some bones of this bird and put the pieces together, and then made this model out of it. Its supposed to show how the animal looked like.

For those that saw the Animal X dealing with Mothman, what were your opinions of the Thunderbird videos that they had on there? I am sure that it has been discussed elsewhere, but I am far to lazy to search for it, so why not bring it up in a Thunderbird thread?
Here in Maine, we do have numerous turkey vultures, so I do know what they look like. Though the video was grainy, I do not think that is what they were. They were definitely larger than any bird that I have seen. And wasn't that footage shot in Ohio or Indiana? That would rule out condors or any oceanic bird, correct?
[about the video] In my opinion, it could have been any number of known species, right down to the common crow. Just a really large one. I am not ready to rule out an unknown species however; just that I don't think a bird like in the picture above could possibly exist anymore without someone taking notice, unless it was specifically high altitude and nocturnal. Heck, I know that owls exist, yet have never seen one live, so I cannot rule anything out. Especially if it is awake while I am asleep!

looks fake, if it were real the news pepole would be all over it,they always need something too talk about!

As far as the video goes on the Animal X episode, I believe it was nothing more than a common species of bird as well. The completely exaggerated "18 foot wingspan" was complete nonsense. If you compare the actual wingspan of the bird to the distances between branches in the trees, the bird would likely have a span of about four to five feet. That is even being generous. Bad video, bad assumption.

no, i know this pic is legit.

The photo is a depiction of size rather than the actual creature. It is 2D.

The idea that the "thunderbirds" of native american legend were simply giant eagle-like birds is an incorrect, modern "anglo" concept. The feathered/flying serpent myths of the Aztecs and Maya were just as prevelant with the natives of North America. The most detailed rock art depictions of these creatures throughout the Americas portrays them not as a traditional bird but reptile-like creatures with membrane wings, and lizard tails. Some of these creatures, like the "Piasa bird" are virtually identical to the "dragons" of Europe and Western Asia and natives were still terrified of them when first contact was made with European explorers. No mere wild beasts, legends say they were intelligent creatures capable of human speech, and formed alliances with some tribes in wars against others, in battle, strategically snatching up the chiefs of the opposing tribes. Perhaps they are all legends, but it is curious that these same intelligent, flying reptiles appear in virtually all of the world's cultures.

ALLLLIIIEEEEENNNNSSSS

i think it's fake. what's holding it any ways?

As much as I'd love to see a living creature that's "extinct", I gotta say it's a fake. It just doesn't look right.

It looks like its made from cardboard. You could put a rope on it and use it as a kite!