Piasa Bird

The Piasa Bird is a fearsome winged creature depicted on limestone bluffs overlooking the Mississippi River near Alton, Illinois. First recorded by European explorers in the 17th century but rooted in older indigenous lore, it’s described as a hybrid beast with horns, a lion-like body, scales, and a serpent’s tail. The Illini people spoke of it as a man-eater, eventually slain by warriors led by Chief Ouatoga. The original cliff painting faded long ago, but modern restorations keep the legend alive. While scientists see it as a symbolic guardian or mythic warning rather than a literal cryptid, the Piasa Bird endures as a striking emblem of the Mississippi Valley’s deep, layered storytelling — a monster etched into both stone and cultural memory.