Who is this mythological and legendary creature from various indigenous cultures in the United States?

The thunderbird is a legendary creature in certain North American indigenous peoples’ history and culture, often portrayed and considered a supernatural being of power and strength.

Depicted in art, songs, and oral histories of indigenous cultures, a thunderbird is found in various forms among some peoples of the Pacific Northwest Coast, American Southwest, East Coast of the United States, the Great Lakes Region, and the Great Plains.

Among select indigenous groups the thunderbird is said to create thunder by flapping its wings and lightning by flashing its eyes among select indigenous groups.

American science historian and folklorist Adrienne Mayor (born 1946) and British historian Tom Holland (born 1958), author of best-selling books on classical and medieval history, have both suggested that indigenous stories about the thunderbird, are based on discoveries of pterosaur (winged lizard) fossils by Native Americans.

Today, thunderbird often appears atop of a totem pole, a wooden structure that includes multiple characters and images of animals and legendary animal representatives.