The Thunderbird is the legendary bird associated with thunder and lightning in many Native American traditions.
Thunderbird traditions occur across a wide range of Indigenous cultures, especially in the Pacific Northwest, Great Lakes, Great Plains, and parts of the Northeast. The beings are not identical everywhere, and each nation has its own stories, names, imagery, and teachings. In many accounts, however, Thunderbirds are immense supernatural powers connected with storms and the upper world.
Some Algonquian traditions say that thunder comes from the beating of the Thunderbird’s wings, while lightning is produced by flashes from its eyes or by bolts it hurls. Thunderbirds may also act as protectors, enforce moral order, or battle dangerous underwater beings such as horned serpents or underwater panthers.
An eagle can appear in related symbolism, and some cultures use other thunder or rain birds, but “Thunderbird” is the broad, conventional answer to this question. Phoenix and harpy belong to different mythological traditions and are not the standard Native American storm bird.