HOME | DD

Description
Species: Prehistoric Thunderbird (Ancient Thunderbird)

Genus: Thunderbirdia

Clade: Dromaeosauridae, Dinosauria

Timeline: 69-66 million years B.C

Fossil Bed: Hell Creek Formation (Montana)

Habitat: Wetlands, Forests, Mountains

Status: Extinct

Diet: Carnivore

Prey: Juvenile Prehistoric Thunderbirds, Triceratops, Edmontosaurus, Juvenile Tyrannosaurus Rex, Juvenile Dakotaraptor, Ankylosaurus, Pachycephalosaurus, Struthiomimus, Orinithomimus, Anzu,

Enemies: Adult Tyrannosaurus Rex, Adult Dakotaraptor, Rival Male Prehistoric Thunderbirds

Height: 5.7 Ft

Weight: 660 – 2,200 lbs

Length: 30. Ft

Bio: This species of thunderbird is the most recognized out of the genus aside from the Modern Thunderbird

Living from 69 to 66 million years ago in the Maastrichtian during the Late Cretaceous Period

This species of thunderbird ruled the skies alongside Pterosaurs and birds, and might’ve been the areal equivalent to Tyrannosaurus Rex

And was slightly larger than its distant cousin Utahraptor but had hollow bones similar to modern flying birds

Showing paleontologists that this was the largest non-pterosaur flying animal to ever fly the earth

Which scientists believe is the reason why it got bigger than Utahraptor since the prehistoric thunderbird could fly to cover large and long distances to find food

water, or a suitable habitat to raise its own young

Thunderbirds are a monogamous species mating for life, which these bonds can last for 70 years if the male survives continuously territorial disputes with rival males

Female Thunderbirds similar to Lionesses in Africa today usually hunt for food to feed themselves, their offspring and their mate

While the male constantly patrols his territory looking out for rival males or predators that could harm its offspring

Which for Juvenile Thunderbirds are extremely vulnerable to until they can fly on their own

A female Prehistoric Thunderbird usually lays a clutch of 1 to 12 eggs

However only 1-3 babies will survive the incubation process as the other eggs are mostly used as a sacrifice for any predators that will raid the nest

Similar behavior is seen in ostriches today

When they hatch baby prehistoric thunderbirds are usually born blind for a few hours before they fully open their eyes completely

Thunderbird babies stay within the safety of their nest for at least 5 years, during those five years

One parent usually stays to guard the nest while the other patrols the territory and hunts for food

However this all changes when they turn 6 years old they start to fledge their downy fluff for adult flight feathers

Which lasts for 7 months leaving them extremely vulnerable to predators and for juvenile thunderbirds encountering a Dakotaraptor can mean life or death

As Dakotaraptors usually target them for food and if a parent spots the predator they will try everything to drive it away from their territory

However these fights are a 50/50 as some times the Dakotaraptor usually successfully kills a juvenile and takes its carcass out of the territory before

The mother or father spot it

Other times the parents spot it and the Dakotaraptor usually runs off however if a Dakotaraptor is really desperate for food, it’ll fight the parents to the death

If the babies survive long enough they stay with their parents until they are 15 years old in which the males are driven from their territory by their father

Who unfortunately no longer sees them as his chicks, while females stay within their territory for at least a few more years

As the mother teaches them how to care for their own young from another batch of baby prehistoric thunderbirds

After the females turn 20-25 years old the parents say goodbye to their female offspring by nuzzling them and the females are off to fend for themselves

in which male Prehistoric Thunderbirds are usually stragglers until they are 26-35 years of age usually forming Mob’s and Gangs as a way to get enough food and to avoid predators

which by this point in their lives they’ve already learned how to fly but are still nonetheless vulnerable to predation

once a male Thunderbird reaches sexual maturity which is 26-35 years of age they go off on their own to find a territory and fight the territory’s resident male in a dogfight usually to the death

now the Prehistoric Thunderbird evolved a special ability……breathing electricity which is formed in two glands located on the top and bottom of the mouth an electrical charge made of their own bio electric energy in their bodies

and can shoot out bolts of lighting which can stun their prey or kill rival males or predators as a last resort

and to get a female……. Male Prehistoric Thunderbird become extremely colorful with the males feet being a mixture of a Blue Footed Bobbie and an Okapi in pattern

the males at a glance seem like gigantic mallard ducks with teeth and claws while females are usually duller in culler now both sex’s have a stripped pattern on their jaws this is one way to tell the difference between a male prehistoric thunderbird and a female prehistoric thunderbird

males are usually Blue to Red and Purple to Black, Females are Orange to Yellow, and Green to Violet in color and females feet are usually yellow while males have blue feet with yellow stripes on them

another way is that males have a feather crest and a waddle similar to turkeys while females lack them completely

and Prehistoric Thunderbirds like Modern Thunderbirds might’ve done a courtship ritual similar to Eagles today although there’s no evidence for it at the moment

while it may seemed that the Prehistoric Thunderbird was going to rule the skies forever Unfortunately this was not to last

For 66 million years ago the Prehistoric Thunderbird would go extinct alongside all other Non-Avian dinosaurs in the KPG Mass Extinction event

However the Thunderbird family as a whole would prevail and survive the mass extinction with the Aquaraptor which all Cenozoic Thunderbird species descended from

The Prehistoric Thunderbird is considered because of this the distant cousin to Cenozoic Thunderbirds and holds the record for being the largest species

Second place goes to the Modern Thunderbird which is the size of Utahraptor

Description
Species: Prehistoric Thunderbird (Ancient Thunderbird)

Genus: Thunderbirdia

Clade: Dromaeosauridae, Dinosauria

Timeline: 69-66 million years B.C

Fossil Bed: Hell Creek Formation (Montana)

Habitat: Wetlands, Forests, Mountains

Status: Extinct

Diet: Carnivore

Prey: Juvenile Prehistoric Thunderbirds, Triceratops, Edmontosaurus, Juvenile Tyrannosaurus Rex, Juvenile Dakotaraptor, Ankylosaurus, Pachycephalosaurus, Struthiomimus, Orinithomimus, Anzu,

Enemies: Adult Tyrannosaurus Rex, Adult Dakotaraptor, Rival Male Prehistoric Thunderbirds

Height: 5.7 Ft

Weight: 660 – 2,200 lbs

Length: 30. Ft

Bio: This species of thunderbird is the most recognized out of the genus aside from the Modern Thunderbird

Living from 69 to 66 million years ago in the Maastrichtian during the Late Cretaceous Period

This species of thunderbird ruled the skies alongside Pterosaurs and birds, and might’ve been the areal equivalent to Tyrannosaurus Rex

And was slightly larger than its distant cousin Utahraptor but had hollow bones similar to modern flying birds

Showing paleontologists that this was the largest non-pterosaur flying animal to ever fly the earth

Which scientists believe is the reason why it got bigger than Utahraptor since the prehistoric thunderbird could fly to cover large and long distances to find food

water, or a suitable habitat to raise its own young

Thunderbirds are a monogamous species mating for life, which these bonds can last for 70 years if the male survives continuously territorial disputes with rival males

Female Thunderbirds similar to Lionesses in Africa today usually hunt for food to feed themselves, their offspring and their mate

While the male constantly patrols his territory looking out for rival males or predators that could harm its offspring

Which for Juvenile Thunderbirds are extremely vulnerable to until they can fly on their own

A female Prehistoric Thunderbird usually lays a clutch of 1 to 12 eggs

However only 1-3 babies will survive the incubation process as the other eggs are mostly used as a sacrifice for any predators that will raid the nest

Similar behavior is seen in ostriches today

When they hatch baby prehistoric thunderbirds are usually born blind for a few hours before they fully open their eyes completely

Thunderbird babies stay within the safety of their nest for at least 5 years, during those five years

One parent usually stays to guard the nest while the other patrols the territory and hunts for food

However this all changes when they turn 6 years old they start to fledge their downy fluff for adult flight feathers

Which lasts for 7 months leaving them extremely vulnerable to predators and for juvenile thunderbirds encountering a Dakotaraptor can mean life or death

As Dakotaraptors usually target them for food and if a parent spots the predator they will try everything to drive it away from their territory

However these fights are a 50/50 as some times the Dakotaraptor usually successfully kills a juvenile and takes its carcass out of the territory before

The mother or father spot it

Other times the parents spot it and the Dakotaraptor usually runs off however if a Dakotaraptor is really desperate for food, it’ll fight the parents to the death

If the babies survive long enough they stay with their parents until they are 15 years old in which the males are driven from their territory by their father

Who unfortunately no longer sees them as his chicks, while females stay within their territory for at least a few more years

As the mother teaches them how to care for their own young from another batch of baby prehistoric thunderbirds

After the females turn 20-25 years old the parents say goodbye to their female offspring by nuzzling them and the females are off to fend for themselves

in which male Prehistoric Thunderbirds are usually stragglers until they are 26-35 years of age usually forming Mob’s and Gangs as a way to get enough food and to avoid predators

which by this point in their lives they’ve already learned how to fly but are still nonetheless vulnerable to predation

once a male Thunderbird reaches sexual maturity which is 26-35 years of age they go off on their own to find a territory and fight the territory’s resident male in a dogfight usually to the death

now the Prehistoric Thunderbird evolved a special ability……breathing electricity which is formed in two glands located on the top and bottom of the mouth an electrical charge made of their own bio electric energy in their bodies

and can shoot out bolts of lighting which can stun their prey or kill rival males or predators as a last resort

and to get a female……. Male Prehistoric Thunderbird become extremely colorful with the males feet being a mixture of a Blue Footed Bobbie and an Okapi in pattern

the males at a glance seem like gigantic mallard ducks with teeth and claws while females are usually duller in culler now both sex’s have a stripped pattern on their jaws this is one way to tell the difference between a male prehistoric thunderbird and a female prehistoric thunderbird

males are usually Blue to Red and Purple to Black, Females are Orange to Yellow, and Green to Violet in color and females feet are usually yellow while males have blue feet with yellow stripes on them

another way is that males have a feather crest and a waddle similar to turkeys while females lack them completely

and Prehistoric Thunderbirds like Modern Thunderbirds might’ve done a courtship ritual similar to Eagles today although there’s no evidence for it at the moment

while it may seemed that the Prehistoric Thunderbird was going to rule the skies forever Unfortunately this was not to last

For 66 million years ago the Prehistoric Thunderbird would go extinct alongside all other Non-Avian dinosaurs in the KPG Mass Extinction event

However the Thunderbird family as a whole would prevail and survive the mass extinction with the Aquaraptor which all Cenozoic Thunderbird species descended from

The Prehistoric Thunderbird is considered because of this the distant cousin to Cenozoic Thunderbirds and holds the record for being the largest species

Second place goes to the Modern Thunderbird which is the size of Utahraptor