Giant Killer Birds that Devour Man!

Giant flying monsters in Illinois may be connected to an ancient Indian legend:

       

"Indians in Illinois connect Thunderbirds with their legend of a creature called the Piasa. The creatures name means “bird that devours man.” They said Piasas would eat villagers.

According to Illini legend, the Piasa lived in a cave in a bluff. It coexisted with the Illini at first, but during one battle, it took a man from each tribe and ate him, and developed a liking for human flesh. After that, the Illini lived in fear of the creature, until brave Massatoga came up with a plan. He stood out in the open and chanted, as bait for the Piasa, while 20 warriors hid in ambush. The Piasa came, and all the warriors shot their arrows. Massatoga’s plan worked, and the Piasa was killed." 

"The Thunderbird and Piasa legends may not talk about the same creature at all, but something that looks like a huge bird is still seen around the U.S. I think Thunderbirds are more rare than Bigfoot and creatures like it, and that is why they are not seen as frequently. If the species is ever proven to be real, and to be a new species, they should be put on the endangered species list, because they may already be facing extinction."

Piasa, the Devourer of the Indians

Piasa on the Cartoon Network show The Secret Saturdays

This post was excerpted from my book Cryptid U.S.: Tales of Bigfoot, Lake Monsters, and More From Across America. I am still working on publishing the book, hopefully it will be out by the end of the year!

The Thunderbird & Piasa legends may be related,
and may talk about the same creature