The Lawndale Thunderbirds
In a small Illinois town, a family said two huge birds swooped down, and one lifted their ten-year-old off the ground.
What was reported
On the evening of 25 July 1977, in Lawndale, Illinois, several people said they saw two enormous black birds with white rings around their necks fly low over a garden. They said one of them grabbed 10-year-old Marlon Lowe by the shirt and lifted him a short way off the ground as he screamed, before dropping him. He was frightened but not seriously hurt.
His parents and neighbours described the birds' wingspan as around three metres. The story recalled Native American legends of the thunderbird.
Explanations offered
No known North American bird can lift a child of that size. Wildlife experts suggested the birds were turkey vultures, which are large but much too weak to lift a child, and that the boy may have been knocked over or tugged rather than carried. The family stood by their account.
- When
- 25 July 1977
- Where
- Lawndale, Illinois, USA
- Witnesses
- A family and neighbours
- Status
- Disputed
Famous cases are real, widely reported events. Each file sets out what witnesses said and the explanations that have been offered, without taking a side.