It's Just A Bird....Right?

            

Professors at the neighboring West Virginia University presented the theory that the Mothman could indeed be the Sandhill Crane, a bird that is commonly three feet tall with an average wingspan of five feet, that has a distinctive patch of red coloring on its head. They “suggested that maybe the “thing”, crane or whatever the people reported seeing, wasn’t as large as they thought it was during their excitement.”(Herald-Dispatch) Witnesses feel insulted when they’re presented with these ‘sandhill crane’ explanations, as Chad Lambert, author of “Return to Point Pleasant,” notes that the town is full of avid hunters and outdoorsmen who know what birds look like. None of the witnesses equate what they saw with the sandhill crane theory. (Lambert, Eyes of the Mothman, 1:15:00) Jeff McKee, professor of Anthropology at Ohio State University describes how birds of prey were known to attack cavemen and small animals, as well as reports of eagles attacking infants. He states that the amount of known species of animal documented thus far pales in comparison to the unknown amount of species that have yet to be discovered. (McKee, Eyes of the Mothman 1:20:00) One variation of the sandhill crane theory is the possibility of a mutated bird from the neighboring Wildlife preserve, due to the heavy level of contamination from the TNT plant over the years. Professor of Environmental Science at Marshall University, Scott Sinanton states that, “Chemicals we find here and assume were here fifty years ago could definitely possesses mutagenic effects, the extent to which is unknown.”(Sinanton, Eyes of the Mothman 1:22:00)

The Sandhill crane has a patch of red on its face that could have been mistaken for red eyes.

Here is a discussion about the Mothman and its correlations to animal species facilitated by Robert A. Goerman.