Giant bird observed over the Mon River

February 19, 2012

Monessen, Westmoreland County, PA

Two people riding in a car were traveling on Route 906 towards Monessen along the Monongahela River. It was late afternoon when they saw what they thought was a small aircraft about 1,000 feet up in the sky moving at an odd angle. They were startled when the wings flapped twice and moved off into the distance over a hill. It was estimated from the distance and altitude observed, that this bird appeared to have a wingspan of 15-20 feet across. The bird was a dark brown color, and the wings seemed much thinner than that of a normal bird.