Image of supposed 'Birdman' has circulated for years, not tied to eclipse | Fact check
The claim: A 'Birdman' was seen days before the solar eclipse
[En Espa?ol: Foto de supuesto ‘Hombre Pájaro’ ha circulado por a?os, no está relacionada con el eclipse]
A March 28 Facebook post (direct link, archive link) shows a black-and-white photo of a flying figure with a human shape and bird-like wings.
“Alleged SIGHTING of the 'Birdman’ generates FEAR a few days before the SOLAR ECLIPSE,” the post’s caption says in Spanish.
Other versions of the claim were shared more than 200 times on Facebook and X, formerly Twitter.
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Our rating: False
The photo of a silhouette in the sky has circulated online since at least November 2016 and is unrelated to the April 2024 solar eclipse. Experts say the concept of a "Birdman" as shown is logically impossible because the wings wouldn't support the weight.
Photo in the post is from 2016, not 2024
The same photo of a winged silhouette was published in November 2016 by WCHS, a local TV station in Charleston, West Virginia. Although the Spanish-language post refers to a supposed “Birdman,” the story refers only to a "Mothman."
The story said the photo resembled the "legendary 'Mothman' of Point Pleasant," West Virginia. Unsubstantiated claims of the supposed "Mothman" date back to at least 1966, according to the Smithsonian Center for Folklife & Culture Heritage.
Fact check: Earth, moon and sun will align for April 8 eclipse; it's not 'manufactured'
Kevin J. McGowan, a biologist and instructor at the Bird Academy at Cornell University, told USA TODAY that a winged creature as seen in the picture is not viable.
“No, a Mothman or Birdman cannot exist,” McGowan said. “Flight is a very difficult thing to achieve, and there are reasons birds look like birds and not like people. If that was a person, those wings would be far too small to keep it up in the air.”
USA TODAY also debunked a false claim attempting to connect a supposed "Mothman" image to the Baltimore bridge collapse.
USA TODAY reached out to the user who shared the post for comment but did not immediately receive a response.
Our fact-check sources:
WCHS, Nov. 23, 2016, Man photographs creature that resembles legendary ''Mothman" of Point Pleasant
Smithsonian Center for Folklife & Culture Heritage, June 7, 2021, An Ode to a Hometown Creature: Mothman of Point Pleasant, West Virginia
Kevin J. McGowan, April 4, Email exchange with USA TODAY
Joe Nickell, April 4, Phone interview with USA TODAY
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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: 'Birdman' image is years old, not linked to solar eclipse | Fact check