Not saying I believe this, but it is interesting.
(Image courtesy of mythology.net.)
Slightly more likely, IMHO, than the existence of "big foot/sasquatch" who (by now) would have certainly had scat or a bone recovered from the woods by now:
https://globalwarming-arclein.blogspot.com/2019/06/giant-bird-sightings-in-midwest.html
Lots of similarities in these stories.
Personally, this is my favorite thunderbird: