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7[[quoteright:350:[[VideoGame/ShadowOfTheColossus https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/shadow_of_the_colossus_-_13_phalanx_5917.jpg]]]]
8[[caption-width-right:350:Just ''how'' are you going to [[ColossusClimb climb]] ''that'' mountain, hmm?]]
9
10->''"... it was a winged creature: if bird, then greater than all other birds, and it was naked, and neither quill nor feather did it bear, and its vast pinions were as webs of hide between horned fingers; and it stank. A creature of an older world, maybe it was..."''
11-->-- ''[[Literature/TheLordOfTheRings The Return of the King]]''
12
13Large flying creatures are a staple of [[SpeculativeFiction Fantastic Fiction]]. This trope comes in a few distinct flavors:
14
15* '''Large Flying Predators''': Many Giant Flyers are simply large aerial predators who [[KidnappingBirdOfPrey swoop down on unlucky characters from above]] and carry them off to their dooms. Generally, the Flying Predator version isn't outright evil.
16
17* '''Leathery Winged Avians''': (Never mind the fact that many of them are [[GoodWingsEvilWings feathery winged]] instead.) These Giant Flyers will act much like the first type, but will do so on the local BigBad's account, and will often look uglier or more monstrous than the "natural" kind to reflect this. They may either attack the heroes on their lonesome, serve as steeds for the Big Bad's servants, or both. The name was coined by Creator/DianaWynneJones in ''Literature/TheToughGuideToFantasyland''.
18
19* '''Deus Ex Machina Airlines''': Giant Flyers as BigDamnHeroes. As mentioned in HorseOfADifferentColor, an animal that can fly ''and'' be ridden on is probably the most-desired fantasy mount. Where such Giant Flyers appear, expect there to be at least one scene where they must [[CatchAFallingStar swoop down to rescue a non-flying character]] who has fallen from a great height. Such scenes in ''Literature/TheLordOfTheRings'' earned this subtype the name "DeusExMachina Airlines" from the Harvard Lampoon parody ''Literature/BoredOfTheRings''.
20
21Note that Giant Flyers can be either literally gigantic or just relatively large compared to the other characters. Compare OurDragonsAreDifferent, DragonRider, FeatheredFiend, EldritchAbomination, TerrorDactyl, RocBirds, {{Thunderbird}}, SpaceWhale, LivingGasbag, LivingShip and WingedHumanoid. By default, any {{Kaiju}} that takes to the air is one of these. See also SeaMonster.
22
23In RealLife, the largest flying birds are limited by the manner in which avian flight feathers grow, and historically have never been much bigger than even modern condors and albatrosses (wingspan about 3.5m/11.4ft) with the exception of the condor-like ''Argentavis'' and the seagoing ''Pelagornis sandersi'' (both with wingspans perhaps up to 7m/23ft). Pterosaurs evolved to be much larger, but then anything bigger than a ''Quetzalcoatlus'' (wingspan about 10m/32ft) is running up against the SquareCubeLaw -- it gets ''really'' difficult to take off, since the wings become too heavy to overcome their own weight, let alone the rest of the body. The largest bird species generally spend most of their flight time gliding rather than flying, and prefer to land on a high point rather than the ground, as they tend to need a downward dive at the beginning of a flight to build up momentum. In fiction, if any effort is made at all to explain why an overly large flying creature can exist, the go-to explanations are low-gravity planets and [[HandWave magic]].
24
25Not to be confused with large airplanes and airships; for those, see CoolPlane, CoolAirship, and UsefulNotes/PlaneSpotting. Also not to be confused with the paper type of flyer.
26----
27[[foldercontrol]]
28
29!!Examples of Large Flying Predators:
30
31[[folder:Anime & Manga]]
32* ''Franchise/{{Digimon}}'': Lots of these. Often times it's someone's partner Digimon (such as [=ShineGreymon=]), though there are a few notable exceptions (such as Azulongmon).
33* In ''The Dragon Dentist'', the dragon of the title is an extremely giant flying beast slowly undulating through the sky, with a village perched like cliff-dwellings on it to house the dentists, also of the title. A predator in the sense that it can be employed in war.
34* In ''Anime/GreatMazinger'' -- one of the ''Anime/MazingerZ'' sequels -- an entire division of the army of {{Robeast}}s were giant birds.
35* These exist in ''Manga/HunterXHunter''. There a scene in both Anime and Manga where it cuts to Ging, sitting on the back of giant frog. It pans out, and it shows that giant frog is on the back of a giant dragon, which takes off and flies off into the distance.
36* ''Manga/MissKobayashisDragonMaid'': When Lucoa's dragon form is revealed, it stretches far off into the distance, wrapping behind a mountain on the horizon (and that's less than half of what's visible). Her eyes alone are larger than Tohru's entire dragon body. She so big she gets hay-fever from entire ''trees''.
37* In ''Manga/{{Naruto}}'', there is Chōmei the Seven-Tails, one of the Tailed Beasts, an armored rhinoceros beetle.
38* Several types of insects from ''Manga/NausicaaOfTheValleyOfTheWind''.
39* The Mass-Production [=EVAs=] from ''[[Anime/NeonGenesisEvangelion End Of Evangelion]]''. Picture a bone-white humanoid vulture with a ''200-foot'' wingspan, [[EyelessFace no eyes]], a permanently-grinning mouth with incongruous red lips and bad teeth, and you may end up like [[HeroicBSOD Shinji]] or [[EatenAlive Asuka]].
40* Flying-type Franchise/{{Pokemon}} that can evolve will usually end up being (relatively) large in their final stages. Even non-evolving ones can be this, including [[FeatheredFiend Skarmory]] and any [[OlympusMons flying Legendary]] -- in the latter category, special mention goes to [[AnIcePerson Articuno]], [[ShockAndAwe Zapdos]], [[PlayingWithFire Moltres]] and [[BlowYouAway Rayquaza]].
41* ''Manga/QueenMillennia'': Nunas are dinosaur-looking creatures who take Hajime from the caveship back to Earth.
42* ''Manga/ShadowStar'': Grown up shadow dragons.
43* ''Franchise/YuGiOh'': Slifer The Sky Dragon, The Winged Dragon of Ra, and many others.
44[[/folder]]
45
46[[folder:Card Games]]
47* ''TabletopGame/MagicTheGathering'':
48** With the largest one so far being the [[http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?multiverseid=121155 Marit Lage,]] a SealedEvilInACan EldritchAbomination capable of killing a player in a single hit.
49** Second prize is EldritchAbomination [[http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?multiverseid=193452 Emrakul, the Aeons Torn,]] which is known as the "Flying Spaghetti Monster" and has a habit of ending games the second it appears.
50** In both cases the limitation of fliers are ignored due to both being EldritchAbomination, with the latter even being able to warp reality around itself (and destroy it in the process).
51[[/folder]]
52
53[[folder:Comic Books]]
54* ''ComicBook/{{Amulet}}'': The eternally-storming Golbez Cycle contains Sky Eels, docile creatures with impossibly long wingspans.
55* ''ComicBook/{{Arawn}}'': Siahm traveled to her son Math's castle when she felt the end of his reign was near on a giant eagle. It was killed right when she arrived by a hail of arrows.
56* ''ComicBook/{{Superman}}'':
57** ''ComicBook/Supergirl1972'': In "The Sinister Snowman", ComicBook/{{Supergirl}} and ComicBook/{{Zatanna}} fight an ice eagle that is several times larger than a man.
58** ''ComicBook/TheUnknownSupergirl'': Martian Angarks are weird, purple-feathered, snail-eyed birds of prey. They are large and strong enough to catch and lift ''tanks''.
59** At the start of ''ComicBook/SupermansReturnToKrypton'', Superman chases a planet-sized, balloon-shaped, dragon-like flying monster.
60** ''ComicBook/TheHuntForReactron'': When Kara and Thara went on a hike to the Fire Falls, they were accosted by a larger-than-a-human man-eating bird of prey which vaguely resembled a giant black crow with a serrated beak and lizard tail.
61** ''ComicBook/SupermanSupergirlMaelstrom'': When Supergirl climbs a mountain in an alien world, she is attacked by a massive, floating squid-like monster.
62** ''ComicBook/TheLegionOfSuperHeroes'': The Neptunian invisible eagle is a man-sized bird of prey which ComicBook/{{Superboy}} must find and catch.
63* ''ComicBook/WonderWoman'':
64** ''ComicBook/WonderWoman1942'': Queen Clea's forces ride giant pterodactyl-like mounts with sharp teeth.
65** ''ComicBook/ComicCavalcade'': Vulture King at first seems to be a human wearing a poor vulture outfit who uses devices to control gigantic vultures, but his thralls turn out to be humans forced into very strange flying devices disguised as vultures.
66* ''ComicBook/YokoTsuno'': Oversized pteranodons show up in ''The Morning of the World''.
67[[/folder]]
68
69[[folder:Fairy Tales]]
70* ''Literature/TheThousandAndOneNights'': The {{Roc|Birds}} doesn't menace the hero of the story, but she is big enough to carry off an elephant.
71[[/folder]]
72
73[[folder:Fan Works]]
74* The Geeky Zoologist's [[Fanfic/JurassicWorldTheGeekyZoologist reimagining of Jurassic World]] has ''Quetzalcoatlus'', the largest pterosaur species. ''Geosternbergia'' also appears briefly towards the end.
75* ''Fanfic/TheLifeAndTimesOfAWinningPony'' has rocs, birds that resemble an eagle twenty times larger than normal and fully capable of carrying off a grown pony in their talons.
76* ''Fanfic/ThePalaververse'': Rocs, enormous birds made of stone. Some tribes of Diamond Jackals hollow them out into living, flying fortresses.
77* ''Art/RealisticPokemon'': Many flying types are shown to be this, but Rayquaza and Yveltal take the cake. Subverted with Lugia, which is seen as one of these, but turns out to simply levitate with psychic abilities.
78* ''Fanfic/VowOfNudity'': In one story, a massive "skyswimmer" (a giant flying wormlike monster covered in tendris) assaults a zeppelin Haara is stowing away on.
79[[/folder]]
80
81[[folder:Films -- Animation]]
82* One of the things ''WesternAnimation/Cinderella3D'', the MockBuster of ''WesternAnimation/{{Rango}}'', takes from the film is the riding of birds, though they did change them to vultures instead of roadrunners.
83* ''Franchise/HowToTrainYourDragon'': The majority of the [[OurDragonsAreDifferent different dragon species]] are bigger than humans and have large wingspans to match. The [[AttackOfTheFiftyFootWhatever Red Death]] from the first film takes the cake as the second largest species of dragon in the franchise [[note]] beaten only by the Bewilderbeast [[/note]]and the largest that is capable of flying.
84* ''WesternAnimation/TheRescuersDownUnder'': In a case of ArtisticLicenseOrnithology, Marahute the Great Golden Eagle is ''enormous'', significantly bigger than any eagle in real life, golden or otherwise. She is large enough to effortlessly carry a 10 year old boy on her back, ''comfortably'', and still fly gracefully through the air. She dwarfs ''any'' living real life bird whether or not they can fly, and even dwarfs most extinct birds that were capable of flight. [[note]]Such as the Haast's eagle, Argentavis, the pelagornithids, etc[[/note]] Only a handful of truly-gigantic extinct flightless birds would be bigger.
85[[/folder]]
86
87[[folder:Films -- Live-Action]]
88* ''Film/TheAdventuresOfBaronMunchausen'': The vindictive King of the Moon (who is a giant) attempts to kill and feed the Baron, Sally and Berthold to the three-headed monstrous bird he's riding named "[[FluffyTheTerrible Sybil]]", who reveals to be a ClockworkCreature when the heroes split up and each head attempts to follow them separately tearing up its own body.
89* As mentioned [[TerrorDactyl elsewhere]], large Pterosaurs fill this role in damn near every movie they appear in:
90** In Creator/PeterJackson's ''Film/KingKong2005'', this is filled by bat-like creatures which ''[[AllThereInTheManual A Natural History of Skull Island]]'' describes as ''rodents'' which have separately evolved wings.
91** ''One-Million B.C.''
92** ''Film/TheValleyOfGwangi''
93** ''Film/JurassicParkIII''
94** ''Film/JurassicWorld''. They can even [[ShownTheirWork swim]].
95** ''Film/JurassicWorldDominion'' with a ''Quetzalcoatlus'' as big as a medium-sized cargo plane.
96** And the inevitable [[Creator/{{Syfy}} Sci-Fi Channel]] [[Film/SyfyChannelOriginalMovie original movie]], ''Pterodactyl!''
97** The generic Azhdarchids from the 2014 film adaptation of ''Film/WalkingWithDinosaurs''. They're a much more accurate example, though.
98* Creator/JamesCameron's ''Film/{{Avatar}}'' has two main kinds of giant flying predator: the Banshees (or ''Ikran''), which are dragon-like, four-eyed and four-winged blue creatures often mounted by the Na'vi; and the very rare Great Leonopteryx (or ''Toruk''), a similar species, only even bigger and [[LawOfChromaticSuperiority red]], that only the most badass Na'vi (and the odd MightyWhitey Bodysurfing in a Na'vi-human hybrid body) have ever been able to ride.
99** More specifically, banshees have a wingspan of 13.9 meters while the "Leo" is at least 25 meters. The size of those creatures is deceptive because the Na'vi riding them are 3 meters tall.
100* ''Film/TheGiantClaw'', as big as a battleship!
101--> "[[PhraseCatcher It's a flying battleship!]]"
102* ''Franchise/{{Godzilla}}'':
103** Film/{{Rodan}} is a bit of an odd duck here as he's just as likely to fit into any one of the other categories, depending on the director's mood. More often than not, he's a good monster.
104** Film/{{Mothra}} and [[Film/GodzillaAndMothraTheBattleForEarth Battra]] are butterflies with wingspans larger than most airplanes'. [[DependingOnTheWriter Depending on the continuity]], the former’s wingspan can reach up to 250 meters (820 feet).
105** There are quite a few of these like King Ghidorah, [[Film/GodzillaVsDestoroyah Destoroyah]], [[Film/GodzillaVsHedorah Hedorah]] among others.
106** ''Film/Godzilla2014'': The male Muto has a pair of enormous wings in place of one set of legs.
107%%* Creator/RayHarryhausen was a big fan of this trope. (How's that for an animation challenge?) In addition to the Pterosaurs mentioned above:
108%%** ''Film/The7thVoyageOfSinbad'': The two-headed {{Roc|Birds}}.
109%%** ''Film/JasonAndTheArgonauts'': The {{harpi|ngOnAboutHarpies}}es.
110%%** ''Film/ClashOfTheTitans1981'': The one-headed {{Roc|Birds}}.
111* ''Film/TheHobbit'': It's unclear yet exactly ''how'' big he is due to limited points of comparison, but Smaug is ''enormous''. To put it into perspective, the Fell Beasts in ''Film/TheLordOfTheRings'' already have a wingspan as big as or bigger than a 747 jumbo jet. Smaug ''utterly dwarfs'' them.
112* ''Film/PacificRim'': [[spoiler:Otachi is a massive {{kaiju}} with wings that can fly. And it doesn't reveal these wings until it decides the only way to beat Gypsy would be to simply drop it from 50000 feet. Nice plan, but Gypsy had [[RetractableWeapon a sword.]]]]
113%%* ''Film/GappaTheTriphibianMonster'':
114%%* ''Film/ReignOfFire'': The dragons, especially the male.
115* ''Film/StarshipTroopers'' had a scene where a scout was grabbed by a flying bug, until Rasczak uses a sniper rifle to kill his own man instead of shooting the bug.
116[[/folder]]
117
118[[folder:Literature]]
119* ''Literature/{{Animorphs}}'': Many of Visser Three's giant morphs fall into this category.
120* ''Literature/TheChroniclesOfNarnia'': Lots of flying creatures, including winged horses, dragons, and owls big enough for humans to ride on.
121* Wayne Barlowe's ''Literature/{{Expedition}}'', and the SpeculativeDocumentary based on it, ''Alien Planet'', feature the jet-propelled, lance-headed Skewer, which has a 60-foot wingspan. The book also mentions the Ebony Blisterwing, which is said to have a wingspan of up to 1000 feet.
122* ''Literature/TheFold'' has the alpha predator, a predator with a thousand-foot wingspan and tentacle appendages that drag along the ground.
123* Blood Hawks in the Creator/RobertAHeinlein novel ''Literature/GloryRoad''.
124* The tarns of ''Literature/{{Gor}}'' are a well thought out example. Despite having a 30 foot (9 meter) wing span they are so light that two strong men can easily lift one above their heads.
125* Creator/MercedesLackey's [[OurGryphonsAreDifferent Gryphons]], who are fully intelligent characters on par with humans, from her ''Literature/HeraldsOfValdemar'' books.
126* ''Literature/TheHorrorOfTheHeights'', by Sir Creator/ArthurConanDoyle, features similar problems with pioneering flight; in an altitude band too high for humans to see (somehow) there is an ecosystem of terribly dangerous organisms, including lighter-than-air jellies and rays that fly like birds of prey.
127* ''Literature/{{Icebones}}'' is a novel that follows the journey of a herd of Mammoths on Mars (just follow along), and at one point their youngest member is menaced by a giant seabird.
128* ''Literature/InheritanceCycle'': Dragons literally never stop growing. They're typically born from eggs roughly a foot long and within a few weeks are large enough to ride, and nothing is ever said to indicate that that remarkable growth rate declines. As of ''[[Literature/InheritanceCycle Brisingr]]'', less than two years after she hatched, Saphira was so large that jumping down from her back when she is standing up is a long enough drop to either sprain or break bones, and particularly old dragons (before they were wiped out) were said to be mistaken for hills at a distance.
129* The ''Literature/KnownSpace'' story "Safe at Any Speed" features the {{Roc|Birds}}, a gigantic alien bird large enough to swallow a car.
130* Worsel the Velantian in Creator/EEDocSmith's ''Literature/{{Lensman}} Galactic Patrol''. The heroes are being dragged by savage other-wordly beasts to a cave in which they will meet their doom when Worsel, a thirty-foot-long sentient flying reptile, drops from the sky and scatters the beasts in a shower of body parts.
131* ''Literature/MalazanBookOfTheFallen'':
132** The dragons of the series are immense. Most natural dragons have already died out by the time of the main story, but [[VoluntaryShapeshifting Eleint Soletaken]] still have the ability to transform into the massive beasts. It is noted that the Soletaken often rely on sorcery to remain airborne, especially if their wings are damaged.
133** The assassins, know as the Shi'Gal, of the [[LizardFolk K'Chain Che'Malle]] are giant even for the race of sentient would-be ''T. rexes'' whose normal size puts their hips at a man's eye level. The Shi'Gal are double that height again and Shi'Gal Gu'Rull grows wings in order to better be able to accomplish his mission in the last two books of the series. He has no problem to lift a carriage, including the horses, into the air and throw it around.
134* Geryon, a massive demon of fraud and keeper of the "Malebolge," flies the heroes of ''Literature/TheDivineComedy'' into the deepest parts of Hell. He's described as a devil [[MixAndMatchCritters with the face of a honest man, body of a multicolored serpent, hairy wings, and a scorpion's]].
135* ''Literature/TheNeverendingStory'': Falkor is a large, serpent-like white dragon.
136* ''[[Literature/TheAdversaryCycle Nightworld]]''. Portals to AnotherDimension have opened sending nightmare creatures swarming across the Earth. To defeat them the protagonists must go on a FetchQuest. Literature/RepairmanJack is flying through an ash cloud over the Pacific Ocean when he suddenly thinks they're flying too close to the ground, only to see a GiantEyeOfDoom staring back at him from a titanic flying leviathan several miles in diameter. Another protagonist heading over the Atlantic has a leviathan swoop down on their jet, [[spoiler:which escapes by flying close to the water then banking hard at the last second. The creature's huge wingspan causes it to clip the water and crash as it tries to follow.]]
137* ''Literature/OlogySeries'': ''Dragonology'' and ''Monsterology'', respectively, have wyverns and rocs as flying creatures of tremendous size, both quite capable of grabbing elephants in their talons and flying off with their catch.
138* In ''Literature/{{Railsea}}'', the one rule of exploratory flying is "don't", for just this reason. Some airborne monsters are simply giant birds, some [[FlyingSeafoodSpecial cephalopoid]], and some more Lovecraftian things. Some of things can even set traps for unwary trains.
139* A mother {{Roc|Birds}} and her chick appear in the short story "Selim, Shadows, and the Sea" by Pamela Love.
140* ''Literature/ASongOfIceAndFire'': Dragons never stop growing after they hatch and have an incredibly long natural lifespan. Daenerys' dragons grow from tiny hatchlings to being large enough to ride in the space of only a couple of years. In the backstory, Balerion, the century-old dragon ridden by Aegon the Conqueror, was said to be massive enough to have entire towns fall under his shadow when he flew overhead, and had a jaw large enough to swallow a mammoth whole.
141* In ''Franchise/StarWars'' there are the thranta of Alderaan and the aiwha of Kamino, which both look somewhat like flying whales.
142* The Red Dragons in the ''Literature/SwordOfTruth'' series.
143* ''Literature/TheSurprisingAdventuresOfBaronMunchausen'': In one island, Munchausen stumbles upon a church-sized nest built by a giant kingfisher. Its hatchlings are only "considerably larger than twenty full-grown vultures".
144* In ''Literature/TheVoyageOfStBrendan'', St. Brendan and his shipmatess encounter both a "gryphon" and an enormous bird who fights and kills the gryphon.
145* ''Literature/ThankYouForTakingCareOfOurHauntedAndEnchantedCastle'' features giant crows which are used to flee the castle. They apparently like Cheetos.
146* The Seanchan of ''Literature/TheWheelOfTime'': The Seanchan have scouts that ride giant winged creatures called ''raken'' and even larger ''to'raken'' as mounts.To'raken even carry boxes of ten or twenty elite soldiers called Fists of Heaven, which they use for aerial assaults. If they put damane (slave mages) in the transport boxes, they can even be aerial artillery.
147[[/folder]]
148
149[[folder:Live-Action TV]]
150* ''Series/AlienWorlds2020'': The skygrazers are huge, whale-like organisms which graze on clouds of aeroplankton. Their existence is justified by the thicker atmosphere of Atlas being able to hold them up, but their size also means they can never land as adults, because they're too heavy to get airborne again.
151* ''Series/DoctorWho'':
152** "[[Recap/DoctorWhoS27E8FathersDay Father's Day]]" has the Reapers, immense flying ClockRoaches.
153** "[[Recap/DoctorWhoS30E7TheUnicornAndTheWasp The Unicorn and the Wasp]]" has [[BigCreepyCrawlies a wasp the size of a cart horse]].
154* ''Series/Extraterrestrial2005'': The blue moon's dense atmosphere and high oxygen allows it to support immense flying creatures, many of which never land, including skywhales with ten-meter wingspans and kite-like creatures five meters across.
155* ''Series/GameOfThrones'': Daenerys Targaryen's three dragons grow exponentially throughout the series. As of the fifth season, they tower over humans, and can eat them whole. By the seventh season, their size is comparable to a jet airliner.
156* ''Series/HouseOfTheDragon'' continues its parent series' tradition by introducing many more humongous-sized dragons. For instance, when Daemon is standing beside his dragon, Caraxes, he's dwarfed by just the creature's head. The queen of them all is Vhagar, a nearly two centuries-old dragon who is essentially a winged {{Kaiju}}. According to the WordOfGod, she is 150 meters long.
157* In the OpeningMonologue of ''Series/TheLordOfTheRingsTheRingsOfPower'', which shows several sequences from the War of Wrath, a Fellbeast can be seen battleing and killing a Great Eagle.
158* ''Series/MightyMorphinPowerRangers'': The Red Dragon Thunderzord and platform in season two. Besides the Fire Bird Thunderzord (which, as a fairly traditional aircraft doesn't count for this trope), the rest of Thunderzords could at least hover.
159* ''Series/MonsterWarriors'': The Warriors battle monstrous pterodactyls in "Pterodactyl Terror" and "The Secrets of the Lost Canyon". The inaccuracies are {{Justified|Trope}} is this case these are not supposed to be real pterodactyls, but creatures conjured out of an old monster movie by the series' BigBad.
160* ''Series/TheOuterLimits1995'': In "[[Recap/TheOuterLimits1995S3E9Tempests Tempests]]", the atmosphere of the gas giant Leviathan harbors two giant flyers: "pteranodons", gigantic winged predators that are been seen on "deep radar" (the characters encounter a skeleton) and "baleens", kilometer-sized jellyfish-blobs that float through the clouds and have dog-sized {{Giant Spider}}s living in their guts.
161* ''Series/{{Primeval}}'': In [[Recap/PrimevalS1E5 S1E5]], a large ''Pteranodon'' comes through a time rift. It's originally thought to be the MonsterOfTheWeek responsible for some recent killings, but it's then explicitly stated to be a fish-eater and achieves no casualties other than an accidental injury. The actual culprit is a swarm of smaller, flying pterosaurs who prefer DeathOfAThousandCuts to carrying the food off.
162* ''Series/{{Torchwood}}'' has its own pet pterosaur cum watch-flyer called Myfanwy.
163* ''Franchise/UltraSeries'': Bird {{kaiju}} are popular in the franchise. Examples include:
164** ''Series/ReturnOfUltraman''s Bemstar is an extraterrestrial bird-like creature with a BellyMouth that allows it to eat the energy-based {{Finishing Move}}s of Ultra heroes, making it another super-iconic and frequently recurring member of the RoguesGallery.
165** ''Series/{{Ultraman}} has [[NonIndicativeName Hydra]], an ''archaeopteryx''-griffin kaiju made up by an animal-loving boy. But when the kid is killed in a vehicle accident, his ghost brings his creation to life to destroy all motorists in Japan!
166** ''Series/UltramanCosmos'': Lidorias is a GentleGiant phoenix-like kaiju, and occasionally assist Cosmos or Musashi in some of his battles against [[BigBad Chaos Header]].
167** ''Series/UltramanOrb'' gives us Maga-Basser, a dragon-eagle creature and the [[ElementalEmbodiment King Demon Beast of Wind]]. It possesses the ability to manipulate atmospheric conditions to create multiple massive tornadoes in a concentrated area.
168** ''Series/UltramanTaro'': Birdon is a prehistoric rooster-like monster entombed in a volcano for millions of years. He's well-known among fans as [[HeroKiller having killed Ultraman Taro and Zoffy]] by brutally stabbing the heroes to death with his beak, making Birdon a popular choice for when the producers want to bring back a monster.
169** ''Series/UltraQ'': Litra is one of the first two kaiju in the franchise, being a benevolent prehistoric phoenix-like creature awoken to defeat the violent Gomess. She also appears in ''Series/UltraGalaxyMegaMonsterBattle'' as a PintSizedPowerhouse and one of the [[{{Mons}} main heroic kaiju]] of the show.
170* ''Series/WalkingWithDinosaurs'': Several of the pterosaurs. One episode focused entirely on an ''Ornithocheirus'' that has a forty-foot wingspan.
171[[/folder]]
172
173[[folder:Myths & Religion]]
174* More than a few flying [[OurDragonsAreDifferent dragons]] get cast in this role; wyverns, in particular, swoop down on many a hero in folklore.
175* Griffins in general, [[OlderThanFeudalism going back]] to Myth/ClassicalMythology.
176* The {{Thunderbird}}s and Piasa of Myth/NativeAmericanMythology, although the Piasa wasn't always this.
177* The legend of the {{Roc|Birds}} (a bird of prey big enough to carry elephants) might have been inspired by ostriches, since being huge and flightless they were thought to be the roc's chicks; a similar theory proposes the giant -- and extinct since the beginning of the second millennium -- elephant birds of Madagascar instead, formerly some of the biggest living birds on Earth and situated just at the edge of the known world of the Arabs.
178* Jewish folklore mentions the ziz, the aerial counterpart to the terrestrial behemoth and the marine leviathan. Supposedly, it's so big than an object dropped in water that's only ankle-deep to it will sink for over a week before hitting the bottom.
179* Garuda, the king of birds in Myth/HinduMythology and mount of Vishnu, is so large its wings can stop the spin of heaven.
180* The Peng in Chinese folklore; its wings in flight are said to look like clouds descending from heaven. It is also said to be transformed from the equally gigantic Kun, a SeaMonster.
181[[/folder]]
182
183[[folder:Pinball]]
184* ''Pinball/{{Avatar}}'': The Banshee, as part of the "Ride the Banshee" mode. The Limited Edition game also has one on the playfield.
185[[/folder]]
186
187[[folder:Podcasts]]
188* ''Podcast/CoolKidsTable'': At the end of the game ''Small Magic'''s first arc, [[spoiler: Byrb the blue jay]] becomes one thanks to the Tenshi's magic.
189[[/folder]]
190
191[[folder:Tabletop Games]]
192* ''TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons'': {{Thunderbird}}s are immense, capable of reaching thirty feet from head to tail and to have fifty-foot wingspans, and can easily carry animals as large as an orca away into the sky.
193[[/folder]]
194
195[[folder:Video Games]]
196* ''VideoGame/AngryBirds'': The Mighty Eagle, which will wipe out all the pigs in a level.
197* ''VideoGame/BreathOfFireIV'' has a flying whale-dragon-god, whom the party has to visit.
198* ''VideoGame/CastlevaniaLordsOfShadow'' has, as it's penultimate level and also the final [[ColossusClimb Titan Battle]] a fight against an utterly enormous frickin' [[{{Dracolich}} UNDEAD DRAGON]] that you fight on top of a giant pillar of stone in the [[HellOnEarth LAND OF THE DEAD]].
199* The [[OurAngelsAreDifferent angels]] of ''VideoGame/{{Darksiders}}'' apparently use [[OurGryphonsAreDifferent griffins]] as mounts and military animals, because at one point you [[UnexpectedShmupLevel steal one and ride on it.]]
200* ''VideoGame/DemonsSouls'' features the Storm King as the boss at the Isle of the Shadowmen. A huge leathery-winged thing the size of Texas. It also comes accompanied by a fleet of Storm Beasts, smaller versions of itself that are more than twice as big as the player-character.
201* The Suckers from ''VideoGame/DiabloII'' are small compared to some of the entries on this page... but are still weird mosquito-things as big as a large man.
202* ''VideoGame/DragonAgeOrigins'' contains a really nasty High Dragon that a group of people have decide is the reincarnation of [[CrystalDragonJesus the Prophetess Andraste]]. Her[[note]]High Dragons are AlwaysFemale[[/note]] wingspan is roughly on par with a medium-sized airplane. You don't ''[[OptionalBoss have]]'' to fight her, but defeating her awards an achievement and is necessary to forge one of the best armors in the game.
203** The Archdemon. This presents a bit of a problem for the heroes, as the Blight can only be ended with the Archdemon's death, but it's ability to fly allows it to easily stay out of the Gray Warden's reach. Luckily, Riordan manages to sneak up on it and force it to land by slicing one of its wings open.
204* ''VideoGame/DragonAgeII'' has another High Dragon as an OptionalBoss near the end. This one just wandered into an inhabited area, no crazy dragon-worshiping cults this time around.
205* ''VideoGame/DragonAgeInquisition'' upped the ante significantly with a grand total of ''ten'' High Dragons (the current era is called "Dragon Age" for a reason) that set up shop all over the game world. They're also {{Optional Boss}}es, but unlike the ones from ''DA:O'' and ''DA II'' they actually fly around to strafe your party with powerful elemental attacks, although thankfully they spend just as much time on the ground to give you a reasonable chance to defeat them. Also unlike the earlier examples, each dragon is a specimen of its own subspecies with considerably varying looks, weaknesses and elemental affiliation.
206* ''VideoGame/DwarfFortress'' has too many examples to list, typically from applying the "giant" template to normal flying creatures. Most such creatures are content to leave dwarves alone, providing only atmosphere and the occasional hunting spoils, but a few are of note:
207** The flying standard megabeasts, rocs and dragons. A newly-hatched {{roc|Birds}} is as big as a grizzly bear, and they eventually become as large as a whale shark. Dragons are even larger, growing to the same size as a sperm whale.
208** Flight-capable procedurally generated megabeasts and Hidden Fun Stuff are usually not quite as large, but still far larger ([[OurMonstersAreWeird and weirder]]) than most natural creatures.
209** Like ordinary keas, giant keas are curious creatures that travel in flocks and like to [[BanditMook steal shiny things]]. These shiny things may include ''anvils''. Giant keas are "only" somewhat larger than an adult grizzly bear, but their combination of thievery, aggression towards dwarves that try to stop them, and numbers make them a serious threat to any fortress they're in.
210* ''VideoGame/EagleIsland'': Armaura, the BigBad, is a giant eagle deity.
211* ''VideoGame/TheElderScrollsVSkyrim'': The main antagonists are large, ''angry'' dragons. Much of the time spent fighting them will be trying to get away from them when they're in the air raining fire down on all the things.
212* ''Franchise/FinalFantasy'': The Zu. Lampshaded in ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyX'' by Tidus if he encounters on in the desert around Home.
213-->"How can a bird grow so big?"
214* ''VideoGame/GoldenSunDarkDawn'': The Mountain {{Roc|Birds}}, which is a) large enough to carry off human prey when Amiti recalls indirectly encountering it as a child, b) large enough that the nation of Morgal worships it as a god, c) large enough to force the camera to zoom out during your boss fight against the damn thing (and you still don't get the whole thing on your screen), and d) large enough that its gizzard acts as a WombLevel, albeit a short one.
215* ''VideoGame/HorizonZeroDawn'' has the Stormbird, a machine that looks like a giant, mechanical eagle. Its size is at least vaguely justified since it has engines mounted on its wings, giving it the power needed to fly despite being the size of a small house. Also, its size may have had an in-universe purpose as well due to its original role in [[spoiler: detoxifying the Earth's atmosphere after the Faro plague -- there's likely all sorts of air-purification equipment in there]]. For Aloy though, its size and weaponry make it a boss fight by itself.
216* ''VideoGame/KaijuWars'' has Pterus Ignis, a flying kaiju resembling a winged serpent made of fire. Like the game's other kaiju, it's out to wreck the player's city and is big enough to treat squadrons of tanks and fighter jets as flies to be swatted.
217* ''Franchise/KingdomHearts'':
218** ''VideoGame/KingdomHeartsI'': The Wyvern Heartless.
219** The Dustflier from ''VideoGame/KingdomHearts358DaysOver2'' is basically an upgraded, [[ThatOneBoss really hard]] version. And it's even bigger. There are also some other varients of the Wyvenn in that game.
220** The Storm Rider in ''VideoGame/KingdomHeartsII'' is big enough for your whole party to stand on its back.
221* The Twilit Dragon Argorok, boss of the City in the Sky, in ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaTwilightPrincess''.
222* ''VideoGame/MonsterHunter'':
223** A huge number of the monsters in the series are of this nature, the two most recognizable ones being the [[OurDragonsAreDifferent Rathalos]] and [[DistaffCounterpart Rathian]]. They seldom spend much time flying at a height where you can't reach them, generally only doing it when they're moving between areas or for specific attacks. Otherwise, they're usually seen moving about on foot or with a low hover.
224** The Elder Dragons take it to another level, being much larger than the common monster species and sometimes having a special ability to account for how they stay in the air. Notable examples who don't abide to the traditional winged approach include Valstrax of ''Monster Hunter Generations Ultimate'' who basically has a natural jet-propulsion system and ''Portable 3rd''[='=]'s Amatsu using its control over wind to hover and remain high in the clouds.
225** ''VideoGame/MonsterHunterRise'' also introduced Ibushi and Narwa, two enormous Elder Dragons who use special organs to generate strong wind currents (for Ibushi) or electromagnetic fields (for Narwa), allowing the two to remain airborne and effortlessly move through the sky when their massive sizes would otherwise make it impossible. Both spend their entire fights hovering in the air and only fall down temporarily after their elemental organs are damaged.
226* ''VideoGame/OriAndTheBlindForest'''s BigBad is Kuro, a giant black owl who stole Sein from the Spirit Tree and killed off the Spirit Guardians in revenge for the AccidentalMurder of her offspring [[WeakenedByTheLight by the Tree's light]], and is now after Ori as well.
227* ''VideoGame/OriAndTheWillOfTheWisps'', the BigBad Shriek is a giant [[AnimalisticAbomination demonic owl]] who was deformed by and lost her parents to [[TheCorruption the Decay]] that arose in the wake of [[FisherKing the Spirit Willow]]'s [[PlotTriggeringDeath passing]], and was [[AllOfTheOtherReindeer rejected by the other owls]] due to her twisted appearance, leading her to shun the light and embrace the darkness.
228* ''VideoGame/PokemonRubyAndSapphire'' introduces Raquayza, based on the Ziz, a giant bird from Jewish folktales. There are other examples thought the game such as [[VideoGame/PokemonGoldAndSilver Lugia]] and [[VideoGame/PokemonXAndY Yveltal]]
229* ''VideoGame/ShadowOfTheColossus'': One Colossus resembles a gigantic bird, and actively attacks you once you shoot at it with arrows, whereas the flying serpent simply flies around -- thank goodness, as by WordOfGod in the artbook, it's the longest colossus at 200 meters (656 ft.) long.
230* ''VideoGame/SkiesOfArcadia'' has several, with most of them serving as ship bosses. Four of the six biological superweapons known as Gigas can fly (with the most physically imposing [[spoiler:but [[TheUnfought never fought]]]] being an colossal whale), and you can also optionally fight a Roc, a flying kraken, a giant... flying... spider thing, and an enormous [[MetalSlime Looper]].
231* ''VideoGame/SkyChildrenOfTheLight'': The Krill are giant, insectoid abominations that float through the final areas of the game, hunting down the player with their spotlight-esque EyeBeams.
232* ''VideoGame/SkySerpents'' is based around fighting giant flying serpents, hence the name.
233* ''Franchise/StarCraft'':
234** The overlord and guardian in [[VideoGame/StarCraftI the first game]].
235** The campaign mode of [[VideoGame/StarCraftII the sequel]] has the Leviathan, which is somewhere between thirty to fifty times the size of a battlecruiser. Even though the game's units [[UnitsNotToScale aren't to scale]], it's clearly meant to be ''enormous''.
236* World 5-SHIP: Eagle Path in ''VideoGame/SuperMarioFusionRevival''. Based on the 4th stage of Golden Axe, "The Fiends' Path", this level takes place on the back of a giant eagle. Dangers include homing feathers, large Mana Beasts, and unstable platforms.
237* ''VideoGame/XenobladeChroniclesX'': Planet Mira has a lot of extremely large giant flying creatures, with the man-sized jellyfish things being the ''smallest'' examples by far. The largest fliers could probably make a nest out of a football field. Interestingly, most of them won't attack you: you're way too small to be considered a meal or a threat, so unless you attack them, they'll ignore you. Until you get your HumongousMecha. ''Then'' they'll take notice.
238[[/folder]]
239
240[[folder:Web Animation]]
241* ''WebAnimation/{{RWBY}}'' has a class of Grimm known as a [[Creator/EdgarAllanPoe Nevermore]], which is of course, [[CreepyCrows a gigantic crow]]. These are big birds, and are pretty dangerous, usually requiring multiple hunters to take down. Or a Gatling gun.
242[[/folder]]
243
244[[folder:Webcomics]]
245* ''Webcomic/ABeginnersGuideToTheEndOfTheUniverse'': While most of the flying [[AlwaysChaoticEvil void beasts]] are about the same size as the animals they were based on, there's [[HeelFaceTurn Chairman Jack]] -- a sparrow about as tall as a dog -- and void pigeons with the wingspans of hang gliders, which stand around twice as tall as the Everyman.
246* ''Webcomic/AnsemRetort'': "Ride, my [[VideoGame/FinalFantasyX world-killing god whale!]] Ride into battle!"
247[[/folder]]
248
249[[folder:Web Original]]
250* A giant winged bull shows up in ''Literature/VoidDomain'' to wreck havoc.
251[[/folder]]
252
253[[folder:Western Animation]]
254* In ''WesternAnimation/HeManAndTheMastersOfTheUniverse2021'', a dragonfly is accidentally mutated by the power of Havoc into a giant insect named Gary. He's a nice enough guy, but is driven by hunger that only ended when he ate an ArtifactOfDoom running on Havoc energy. The same artifact the Masters of the Universe and the Dark Masters are fighting each other over.
255* On ''WesternAnimation/JimmyTwoShoes'', these are a common site in [[CrapsackWorld Miseryville]]. At different points, they've snatched up Beezy, Lucius, and Samy.
256* Parodied hilariously in ''WesternAnimation/KorgothOfBarbaria'', where the giant fearsome flying predators are... pigeons. Granted, they are [[AttackOfTheFiftyFootWhatever pigeons the size of a T. rex]] but still... A similar joke was used by a [=FedEx=] ad campaign.
257* ''WesternAnimation/TheMagicKey'': The space storks from “Lug And The Giant Storks” are decently larger than a human, but somehow still able to fly.
258* Flying [[PlantAliens plant creatures]](!) called "Swoopers" in the ''WesternAnimation/StarTrekTheAnimatedSeries'' episode "The Infinite Vulcan". There are also Flyers in other episodes (such as "The Eye of the Beholder") who are said to be different species but use the same character models.
259* ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic'':
260** Adult dragons are colossal, easily as big as a large house, and tend to be ferociously predatory.
261** In "[[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS8E11MoltDown Molt Down]]", Spike is hunted and neatly eaten by a roc, an eagle-like bird of prey the size of a full-grown dragon, attracted to the smell he starts emitting during his molt. It's stated that rocs, alongside hydras and [[SandWorm tatzlwurms]], are the biggest danger faced by young, molting dragons newly kicked out of their homes, tracking them down through the smell they produce and stopping at nearly nothing to devour them.
262[[/folder]]
263
264!!Examples of Leathery Winged Avians
265
266[[folder:Comic Books]]
267* The "Birds of the Master" in the ''Valerian'' album named after them.
268* Pterodelph (or whatever this big white thing is called) from Arzak.
269[[/folder]]
270
271[[folder:Fan Works]]
272%%* ''Transcendence: Digital Curse'': Abyssgreymon is a Super Ultimate digimon who is about the same size as a Sovereign. He is forced into servitude by the first villain of the series.%%So does he fly, or what?
273* ''Fanfic/AGrowingAffection'': The Shadow {{Roc|Birds}}, which is similar to the Tailed Beasts, allied with Orochimaru to gain control of his Jinchuriki. The Roc is described as being weaker than Shukaku, but so large all nine Beasts could ride on its back and have space between them.
274* ''Roleplay/LordsAmongTheAshes'': [[http://i.imgur.com/Xu27n1y.jpg Bahamut]] is an incredibly powerful [[{{Kaiju}} Titan]] that swims through the sky of [[DeathWorld the Dark Continent]] and, like the [[WebAnimaiton/{{RWBY}} Grimm]], [[KillAllHumans lusts for the death of all humans]].
275[[/folder]]
276
277[[folder:Films -- Animation]]
278* The aptly-named Winged Beast from ''WesternAnimation/{{Nine}}'' is a mix of this and Giant-Only-In-Comparison; a vaguely draconic ScavengedPunk MechanicalMonster and minion of the BigBad, but since the heroes are all roughly six inches tall, it's probably about the size of a condor.
279* ''WesternAnimation/TheBlackCauldron'': The Horned King keeps two Gwythaints, which he sends to kidnap the prophetic pig Hen Wen. They're portrayed as a sort of mix between a wyvern and a pterosaur, in a departure from the original book series where they're described as large vulture-like birds.
280* ''WesternAnimation/HeavyMetal:'' Taarna's heroic mount is winged and featherless, but is much more benign-looking than a traditional pterosaur.
281[[/folder]]
282
283[[folder:Films -- Live-Action]]
284* The Leviathans from ''Film/{{The Avengers|2012}}'' are flying, armor-plated whale monsters used by the Chitauri as a combination of siege engines and war animals in the invasion of New York.
285* Gyaos of the ''Film/{{Gamera}}'' series.
286* The Fell Beasts used as mounts by the Ringwraiths in ''Film/TheLordOfTheRings''. While they are more vaguely described in the books, here they are portrayed as large, leathery-winged and scaled, with two legs, long necks and blunt, snakelike heads. They are used by the Ringwaiths almost like reconnaissance planes while patrolling the lands around Mordor, but are taken directly into battle at Osgiliath, Minas Tirith, and the Black Gate.
287* Otachi from ''Film/PacificRim'' resembles a giant reptilian bat capable [[spoiler:of lifting a giant robot of equivalent size]], and like all Kaiju exists for the purpose of [[spoiler:destroying human civilization so that the civilization that made it can take over the Earth]]. Its ability to fly also more or less invalidates any use the wall system can have of keeping Kaiju confined.
288[[/folder]]
289
290[[folder:Gamebooks]]
291* ''Literature/LoneWolf''.
292** The Zlanbeasts and Kraan; ugly reptilian creatures with leathery wings serving the [[EvilOverlord Darklords]] as flying mounts from them and their various troops.
293** The Grand Master series also features the Lavas, dragon-like monsters in direct service of [[BigBad the god Naar]].
294[[/folder]]
295
296[[folder:Literature]]
297* Many of Visser Three's giant morphs in ''Literature/{{Animorphs}}'' fall into this category.
298* ''Literature/BoredOfTheRings'' parodies this trope, and its use in''Literature/TheLordOfTheRings'', by having the Black Riders fly killer pelicans.
299* The original Gwythaints of ''Literature/TheChroniclesOfPrydain'' are almost a subversion. They ''used'' to be good; they were peaceful flying creatures akin to real-life condors. Somehow, they were corrupted by [[BigBad Arawn]] -- [[spoiler:but there is still good in them. Taran rescues a young Gwythaint who later [[AndroclesLion goes on to rescue him.]]]]
300* The Rooks controlled by the Dark in ''Literature/TheDarkIsRising'' straddle the line between this and the flying predator subtrope.
301* In the book ''Literature/DarkLordOfDerkholm'' by Creator/DianaWynneJones, the titular character (and protagonist) is supposed to have a supply of Leathery Winged Avians on hand. What he actually ends up using are a flock of rather snarky intelligent geese.
302* ''Literature/TheDeathGateCycle'': The Labyrinth, the deadly and [[GeniusLoci aware]] prison-world where the Sartan sealed the Patryn, is home to several dangerous flying creatures, designed physically and behaviorally to maximize the torment of their victims. These are directed by there Labyrinth to torment and harry its prisoners, and are later recruited into the dragon-snakes' army when they enter the Labyrinth themselves. These include very literal Leathery-Winged Avians who prefer to go after their prey's {{eyes|cream}}, blinding them and leaving them helpless before the avians swoop in for the kill, and the blood dragons, evil, cruel monsters that are some of Labyrinth's deadliest minions.
303* The Ak-Baba from ''Literature/DeltoraQuest'' were monstrous flying servants to the BigBad. They scattered the jewels of Deltora across the land and terrorized the heroes on more than one occasion.
304* There's also meet night-gaunts in Creator/NeilGaiman's ''Literature/TheGraveyardBook'', and they're actually [[DarkIsNotEvil pretty nice]].
305* In ''Literature/GuardsGuards'', mention is made several times of the fact that 'noble' (ie, giant and mythical) dragons are, intrinsically, ''wrong''; nothing that big with that wingspan should ever be able to fly -- Sybil even mentions the thing about how you can't just scale something up and expect it to work. The only way they can survive in the real world is by, essentially, feeding on magic. Lots of it. And that doesn't go so well once the magic starts running out.
306* ''Literature/InheritanceCycle'': The Lethrblaka ("leather-flapper" in the Ancient Language), monstrous, man-eating creatures resembling draconic pterosaurs with arms as well as legs and wings. The Ra'zac use them as transportation when going around doing King Galbatorix's business. ([[spoiler:They're also the adult form of the Ra'zac]]).
307* The Fell Beasts of ''Literature/TheLordOfTheRings'', vaguely-described creatures with vast, leathery wings used by the Ringwraiths as flying mounts. There are also the the winged dragons such as Smaug, some of [[{{Satan}} Morgoth]]'s most terrible minions. Particular mention should be made of Ancalagon the Black, the greatest of all the dragons of Middle-earth. He was so large that he could blot out the light of the sun even from a great distance, and when he was slain and thrown down ''his body utterly smashed'' the three peaks of Thangorodrim (three ''very'' large volcanoes).
308* Creator/HPLovecraft:
309** The byakhee from "The Festival".
310** The night-gaunts from ''Literature/TheDreamQuestOfUnknownKadath''.
311* The ''Literature/{{Pellucidar}}'' novels by Creator/EdgarRiceBurroughs just cut to the chase and make the winged Mahar the BigBad; they further feature the savage Thipdars.
312* In ''Literature/StarWarsKenobi'', Jabba's thugs keep flying reptilian Kaven whistlers in the ceiling of his townhouse, and feed delinquent debtors to them.
313* Flying monkeys from ''Literature/TheWonderfulWizardOfOz''. Though it should be mentioned that, in the book, the Monkeys are merely flying predators who were enslaved by the Wicked Witch of the West via a magic hat which may be used to summon the monkeys three times. [[spoiler:Dorothy gains the rights to this hat after killing the Witch, and the Monkeys aid her and her friends three times. Dorothy then handed the hat off to the Good Witch of the South, who declared she would use her three to get Dorothy's friends back home. She then gives the hat to the King of the Monkeys so no one else could use it, effectively freeing the monkeys.]]
314[[/folder]]
315
316[[folder:Live-Action TV]]
317* The series finale of ''Series/{{Angel}}'' had Angel going to fight a large dragon once the city goes to hell. By the beginning of After the Fall he has become Angel's ally.
318* ''Series/StargateSG1'' once faced a dragon, in their final season. Vala named it Darryl.
319[[/folder]]
320
321[[folder:Myth and Religion]]
322* Myth/ClassicalMythology:
323** The [[HarpingOnAboutHarpies harpies]] could be seen as the trope makers for the Leathery Winged Avian variant, though downplayed as they're on the low end of "Giant".
324** The Caucasian Eagle, the monstrous bird that ate the eternally regenerating liver of Prometheus. Big enough to devour the liver of a titan and in many versions, the offspring of Greek Mythology's BigBad, Typhon.
325[[/folder]]
326
327[[folder:Tabletop Games]]
328* In ''TabletopGame/DragonDice'', all races have access to the eponymous dragons by summoning them through magic. Most races have some form of flying cavalry or monster in addition to having access to dragons.
329* In the ''TabletopGame/IronKingdoms'' world, any of the spawn of [[OurDragonsAreDifferent Ever blight]] that happen to have wings. They all have chitinous plates where their eyes should be, but make up for it by having an prodigious number of sharp teeth, as well as a variety of other natural weapons such as claws and blight-breath. The Angelius has itself no less than six wings. And then they are further topped by Archangels.
330* ''TabletopGame/Warhammer40000'':
331** The Tyranids have a large number of flying monsters in their army. The Harridan is a huge winged monstrosity with razor sharp claws, pointy teeth and acid-shooting "bio cannons". Often carries around flocks of Gargoyles, smaller flying Tyranids. Harpies act as living bombers with a screech that can rupture eardrums. Hive Crones will wrestle enemy aircraft out of the skies before strafing ground forces with their stomach acids. Sky Slashers are nothing so much as fanged maws with bat wings that attack in huge swarms. Finally, Shrikes act as synapse creatures, keeping the other dying units connected to the HiveMind.
332** The daemons of Tzeentch, the Chaos God of sorcery and manipulation, have a distinct avian theme, and many are capable of flight.
333* Many ''TabletopGame/{{Warhammer}}'' armies have access to giant flying monsters as mounts for characters, mostly classic mythological monsters such as Dragons, Griffons, Pegasi, Wyverns and Manticores, although there are also stranger creatures like the dragon-sized zombie bat known as a Terrorgheist. The closest to the classic ''Lord of the Rings'' type is probably the Wyvern, available to Orc warbosses and great shamans.
334[[/folder]]
335
336[[folder:Video Games]]
337* The giant ''Pteranodon'' in ''VideoGame/EccoTheDolphin'', the garage-sized flying jellyfish in ''The Tides of Time'', and a helpful giant bird in the Dolphin's Nightmare levels in ''Defender of the Future''.
338* ''Franchise/{{Metroid}}'':
339** Ridley, although he's not really a servant of the Mother Brain, as he's the leader of the Space Pirate army who ally with her.
340** ''VideoGame/MetroidPrime2Echoes'' also features the giant moth Chykka.
341* ''Franchise/{{Pokemon}}'': Yveltal, a massive bird-like Pokémon and also a god of death. If it dies, it can rebirth itself in a dark reflection of a phoenix, sucking the life out of everything for miles around.
342* Yehat in ''VideoGame/StarControl'' and their wingless offshot the Pkunk are an intelligent version.
343[[/folder]]
344
345[[folder:Webcomics]]
346* ''Webcomic/ABeginnersGuideToTheEndOfTheUniverse'': The flying void beasts sent agains the Everyman include some impressively large specimens, such as a bat the size of a hang glider, a pigeon the height of an elephant, and a wasp several times larger than a tank. The members of the flock that attacks the Everyman and Snuffy in the courtyard are smaller, but most are still easily as large as or larger than the Everyman -- notably, while the ones based on large birds such as condors and albatrosses aren't larger than their real-life counterparts, the ones based on small perching birds are colossal.
347* ''Webcomic/ElGoonishShive'' has the Bulldog Dragon, a creature summoned at one point against the heroes. It's basically what you'd get if you combined a bulldog, a bat, and a goat while making it the size of a small car and reptilian.
348* ''Webcomic/LovelyLovecraft'': Night Gaunts in the Dreamlands are roughly nine feet tall.
349[[/folder]]
350
351[[folder:Western Animation]]
352* In ''WesternAnimation/CodeLyoko'', the Frelions and flying Mantas are XANA's aerial fight force. The Frelions are GoddamnedBats of the swarm kind, and the Mantas are occasionally used as steeds (most notably William's Black Manta).
353[[/folder]]
354
355!!Examples of Deus Ex Machina Airlines
356
357[[folder:Anime and Manga]]
358* Birdramon from ''Anime/DigimonAdventure'' was ridiculously large compared to the rest of the cast; large enough that several of the chosen could ride ''on her feet''. Other Giant Flyers include Zhuqiaomon from ''Anime/DigimonTamers'', Qinglongmon from ''Anime/DigimonAventure02'', and Imperialdramon. Imperialdramon, furthermore, had two different forms: one was [[AnthropomorphicShift humanoid]] and used mainly for combat (called "Fighter Mode"), while the other was a quadruped with a domed glass-like shield on its back which it could carry passengers in.
359* One application of [[YaoiFangirl Haruna's]] ability in ''Manga/NegimaMagisterNegiMagi'' involves her [[ArtInitiatesLife sketching]] different kinds of giant flyers to be used for quick transport.
360* ''[[Anime/YesPrettyCure5 Yes! Pretty Cure 5GoGo!]]'''s Syrup, when he isn't busy being a cute little boy or cuter [[NonHumanSidekick penguin]], can also become what's been described as a "birdplane."
361* Kohaku in ''Anime/SpiritedAway''.
362* Many (if not all) of the dragonets that appear in the manga and anime of ''Manga/ShadowStar'' can fly and carry their owners with (or even ''inside'') them.
363[[/folder]]
364
365[[folder:Comic Books]]
366* Several comic book characters ride flying horses; Valkyrie, ComicBook/{{Amethyst|PrincessOfGemworld}}, Black Knight, Dreadknight, Shining Knight, basically a lot of knights.
367* The giant hawks flown by the Chosen Eight in ''ComicBook/ElfQuest''.
368* ComicBook/WonderWoman not only rides a winged horse -- sometimes the original {{Pegasus}} herself and sometimes one named [[ComicBook/WonderWomanAndTheStarRiders Cloudancer]] -- but Pegasus' very first appearance in ''ComicBook/WonderWoman1987'' involved the horse coming out of nowhere to the rescue when Medusa's sisters tried to attack a weakened and wounded Wonder Woman.
369[[/folder]]
370
371[[folder:Fan Works]]
372* ''Fanfic/DragonsofIceandFire'': Sonagon the ice dragon, even compared to the three dragons Dany has. ''Especially'' compared to the three dragons Dany has. He's described as a "flying mountain" more than once, and Jon can bring 20-30 men with him when they go flying.
373* ''Fanfic/WithStringsAttached'':
374** George [[VoluntaryShapeshifting turns into a pegasus and a dragon]], always acting as a Deus Ex Machina Airline for Ringo and, usually, someone else (As'taris and the Hunter). Of course, he becomes many smaller kinds of flyers as well.
375** He continues this trend in ''Fanfic/TheKeysStandAlone: The Soft World'', though he's too prudent to fly as a dragon where anyone might see him (and take a shot at him). Twice he becomes a giant eagle to carry one of the others when riding isn't an option; Ringo ''hates'' this, since it makes him feel like George's dinner!
376* [[spoiler:Sacredgreymon]] drives Abyssgreymon from Digital City near the end of ''Transcendence: Digital Curse''.
377[[/folder]]
378
379[[folder:Films -- Animation]]
380* ''WesternAnimation/TheLandBeforeTimeVIITheStoneOfColdFire'' features a Giant Flyer (really as that's what Pterosaurs are called in this verse) who was able to transport ''all of the characters'' off the top of a volcano just before it erupts. Certainly, there were some impressive Pterosaurs in real life. Not so sure if one would give a young sauropod a ride.
381%%* Marahute in ''WesternAnimation/TheRescuersDownUnder''.
382%%* Dragon in ''WesternAnimation/Shrek1''.
383[[/folder]]
384
385[[folder:Films -- Live-Action]]
386* In ''Film/AfterEarth'', a giant eagle saves Kitai from freezing to death by covering him with its wings. Previously, Kitai defended the eagle's nest from a pack of big cats.
387* Pegasus in ''Film/ClashOfTheTitans1981''.
388* Once again, more than a few dragons:
389** Falkor in ''Film/TheNeverendingStory''.
390** Draco in ''Film/{{Dragonheart}}''.
391* In ''Film/LadyInTheWater'', the Great Eathlon is a giant eagle-like creature who takes Story away in the end.
392* H'Raka, Jor-El's Kryptonian dragon in ''Film/ManOfSteel''.
393* ''Film/MirrorMask'': "Bob! [[PlanetOfSteves Bob!]] [[MixAndMatchCritters Malcolm!"]]
394* ''Franchise/StarWars: Film/AttackOfTheClones'' features the [[SpaceWhale giant winged cetaceans]] called [[http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Aiwha Aiwha]], used by the Kaminoans as transport.
395* In ''Film/YamatoTakeru'', Amano Shiratori, the White Bird of Heaven, is a giant metallic swan-like being sent by Amaterasu first to save the infant Prince Ousu from being killed and returning years later [[spoiler:in time for the final battle with the Yamata no Orochi where it serves as a mount, then becomes part of Yamato Takeru's Utsuno Ikusagami form, and finally carries the heroes back to Earth]].
396[[/folder]]
397
398[[folder:Gamebooks]]
399* ''Literature/LoneWolf'':
400** The Itikars, giant birds used as steeds by the Vassagonians. Lone Wolf gets to ride one in book 5.
401** Lone Wolf also "borrows" a Zlanbeast on a few occasions to travel through enemy territory.
402[[/folder]]
403
404[[folder:Literature]]
405* Tobias has been this in ''Literature/{{Animorphs}}'' when the others are in insect morph. Other times they just morph birds themselves.
406* The Roving Reptilian Rescuers in ''The 13 1/2 Lives of Captain Bluebear'', including the aptly named Deus X (Mac) Machina.
407* Gwahno in ''Literature/BoredOfTheRings'' is the Sub-TropeNamer.
408* In ''Literature/TheDarkangelTrilogy'', many of the [[SapientSteed guardian beasts]] [[spoiler:ridden by Irrylath's brothers in the final battle]] fall under this category: specifically, the [[WingedUnicorn starhorse]] Avarclon, the [[BasiliskAndCockatrice cockatrice]] Elverlon, the [[MixAndMatchCritters newt-ape-bat-creature]] Ranilon, the [[OurGriffinsAreDifferent gryphon]] Terralon, and the [[PantheraAwesome four-winged leopard]] Zambulon.
409* The Skybax in ''Literature/{{Dinotopia}}'' are a rare example of friendly large pterosaurs.
410* Of course, the ''Literature/DragonridersOfPern''.
411* The Caterbird from ''Literature/TheEdgeChronicles'' always shows up at the exact right time. In fact, it promises to do so as soon as it's introduced.
412* The ''Literature/GaeaTrilogy'' features sentient blimps. A species of symbiotes lives inside their "stomachs" and helps them out by bringing in vegetable matter for the blimps to digest. Blimps are pretty laid-back and it's possible to convince one to give you a ride, as long as you're not carrying fire or any means of making fire, which they're scared to death of for good reason... they get around the square-cube law by internally producing hydrogen so they're lighter than air (but also rather explosively flammable).
413* The night-gaunts in Creator/BrianLumley's ''Hero of Dreams'' series. Yep, they've switched sides since Lovecraft's day (see above).
414%%* Dragons in the ''Literature/InheritanceCycle''.
415* The Dirigible Behemothaurs from [[Creator/IainBanks Iain M. Banks]]'s ''Look to Windward'' are giant flyers of a sort, though very large (large enough to provide living space for dozens of human-shaped creatures in their various nooks and crannies) and rather slow and inscrutable. You generally wouldn't chat to them, certainly.
416* Gwaihir and the other Eagles in ''Literature/TheLordOfTheRings''.
417%%* Falkor the luckdragon in ''Literature/TheNeverendingStory''.
418* In ''Literature/IveBeenKillingSlimesFor300YearsAndMaxedOutMyLevel'', leviathans look like flying whales so massive that they can carry small towns on their backs, although most of the time they appear in their humanoid forms.
419* In the Conan story ''Literature/TheScarletCitadel'', the Necromancer Pelias summons some kind of beast with a 40-foot wingspan to get Conan back to Aquilonia, described vaguely as merely "neither bat nor bird." Conan, still reeling from all the crazy things he's experienced in Tsotha's dungeons, tries not to think about it too much as he climbs on its back and flies home.
420* Another Garth Nix example: in ''Literature/ShadesChildren'', "Wingers" are leather-winged flying beasts. Technically, that would put them in the category directly above, but as Shade notes, the normal laws physics makes it impossible for them to fly, but the [[AppliedPhlebotinum Change Reactors]] make it possible.
421* And his predecessor Thorondor in ''Literature/TheSilmarillion''.
422* ''Franchise/StarWarsLegends'': Among the many species that went extinct when Alderaan exploded were a number of massive flying creatures called thrantas, used as beasts of burden and steeds. The largest species could carry passenger vessels the size of ships. Fortunately, before this happened, one species was exported to the gas giant Bespin, which has an entire airborne ecosystem.
423* The Gars in ''[[Literature/SwordOfTruth The Sword of Truth]]'' series. They're only about man-sized, and can only seem to carry skinny teenage girls, or wizards using magic to make themselves lighter.
424[[/folder]]
425
426[[folder:Live-Action TV]]
427* Kilgharrah in the Series 2 finale of ''Series/{{Merlin|2008}}'' carries Merlin back to Camelot.
428[[/folder]]
429
430[[folder:Myths & Religion]]
431* Pegasus, the flying horse tamed by the hero Bellerophon and that served as his steed when he vanquished the Chimera, may be the UrExample.
432[[/folder]]
433
434[[folder:Radio]]
435* A Brontitall rescues Arthur in a self-aware example (naturally) from the second season of the original ''[[Radio/TheHitchhikersGuideToTheGalaxy1978 Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy]]'' radio series.
436[[/folder]]
437
438[[folder:Video Games]]
439* The giant ''Pteranodon'' in ''VideoGame/EccoTheDolphin''.
440* Parodied in ''Literature/TheHalfbloodChronicles''. One of the heroic Dragons gives a ride to a character who has just joined with the heroes. They both come away from the experience saying that it had to be the most uncomfortable way to travel imaginable.
441* In ''VideoGame/Haven2020'', Yu and Kay meet a Katefulai, an insectoid flyer, that they name Birble and can use for [[WarpWhistle fast travel to previously cleared Islets]]. Shortly afterwards, they discover another individual of the same species who transports them to an otherwise inaccessible set of islets in the swamp region of Source.
442* Act II of ''VideoGame/KentuckyRouteZero'' features Julian, a bald eagle large enough to carry away houses. The cast uses him for long-distance transportation over swamps.
443* In ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaSkywardSword'', Link and his Red Loftwing pull the CatchAFallingStar gambit as a matter of ''routine''. He comes from a FloatingContinent, where leaping to your doom and whistling for a nearby bird to rescue you is just how people get around.
444* The dragon/pterodactyl at the end of ''[[VideoGame/AnotherWorld Out of this World]]''.
445* ''Franchise/{{Pokemon}}'' has an amusing application of this trope in the form of the teachable move "Fly". Any Pokémon who can learn it effectively becomes your Deus Ex Machina Airline. (In practice, this means you are able to revisit important locations within the game.) The list of characters who can carry you while flying includes everything from creatures who fit the Giant Flyer trope, like the big, badass dragon Salamence. But it also hilariously includes tiny little [[GoddamnBats Zubat]] and (possibly the most amusing) [[http://img217.imageshack.us/img217/8254/comic188.png Doduo]], a two-headed flightless bird thing ''without wings''. Generally the entire evolutionary lines of common bird Pokémon (Pidgey, Hoothoot, etc.) can learn Fly even in their small initial forms (for one thing, Pidgey's Pokédex entry calls it a Tiny Bird Pokémon). Natu stands out as a rare example of a common bird Pokémon that ''can't'' (like Pidgey, it is also described as a Tiny Bird Pokémon), though its evolved form, Xatu, can.
446** Much more amusing than Doduo is Smeargle. It's not bird-like or winged at all (it's a vaguely dog-like CartoonCreature with a paintbrush tail), but that doesn't stop it from [[PowerCopying sketching]] and using Fly.
447** Best of all for a Deus Ex Machina Airline? A [[OlympusMons Legendary Pokémon]] like Rayquaza, Moltres, or Ho-Oh. You are riding a friggin' phoenix, or the Ziz itself.
448** This is even funnier if you have a Golurk and teach it Fly. It's a possessed golem about twice the size of the player, and many fans depict it with a [[RuleOfCool built-in jetpack]]. Which is how the anime ended up depicting it, too.
449** ''[[VideoGame/PokemonSunAndMoon Sun and Moon]]'' replace Fly, along with most of the out-of-battle moves, with the Ride Pager, which allows you to call up certain Pokémon to where you are to perform those tasks. Fly's role is done by Charizard, allowing you to fly around the Alolan islands as you please on the back of a dragon.
450* ''VideoGame/RuneFactoryFrontier'' has a whale shaped island that you can use a beanstalk to climb onto. This island is intelligent and needs your help to defeat the infestation of monsters inhabiting the very large dungeon inside of itself.
451* ''VideoGame/{{Shantae}}'': In the cancelled game for the UsefulNotes/GameBoyAdvance, ''[[http://www.twitch.tv/wayforwardtv/b/467113071 Risky Revolution]]'', Sky's bird, Wrench, was going to be revealed as having grown really big in the period after the first game, and would have served as the GlobalAirship for Shantae. Played straight in ''Half-Genie Hero,'' where Wrench serves as Shantae's transport between levels.
452* ''VideoGame/{{Solatorobo}}'' has [[SpaceWhale the Master of the Clouds]], who is used to travel from the Shepherd Republic to [[spoiler:Earth]].
453* Fluzzard from ''VideoGame/SuperMarioGalaxy2'', which is a giant parrot in which Mario must ride on in the "Wild Glide" and "Fleet Glide Galaxies" to obtain their Power Stars, and later on he must use him to race a team of hummingbirds.
454* Ba'ul from ''VideoGame/TalesOfVesperia'' becomes the party's GlobalAirship once he evolves into [[SpaceWhale a more mature form]], being able to easily carry their boat around once they tie it to him.
455* In ''VideoGame/{{Wardner}}'', a certain enemy in Stage 3 will drop an ocarina that summons a giant phoenix that can carry the player over most of the stage.
456* Flammie, from the ''VideoGame/WorldOfMana'' series, a giant... [[OurDragonsAreDifferent dragony-thing]] the heroes used as [[GlobalAirship transportation]].
457[[/folder]]
458
459[[folder:Webcomics]]
460* The giant birds in ''[[http://www.alpha-shade.com/ Alpha Shade]]''.
461* One of Aylee's many forms in ''Webcomic/SluggyFreelance'' is a fifty-foot tall flying dragon.
462[[/folder]]
463
464[[folder:Western Animation]]
465* Appa the flying bison from ''WesternAnimation/AvatarTheLastAirbender'' serves as the heroes' main mode of transportation.
466* ''WesternAnimation/DinosaurTrain'': The mother and father of the ''Pteranodon'' family seem to be in competition as to who has given their adopted son Buddy ([[TRexpy a theropod of the non-flying persuasion]]) the most rides.
467* Many an episode of ''WesternAnimation/TheFlintstones'' has the characters flying on airplanes mounted on giant pterodactyls, as well as planes with smaller pterodactyls as engines.
468* Sky Lynx on ''Franchise/TransformersGeneration1'' qualifies as this (on top of being a BigDamnHero).
469[[/folder]]
470
471!!Examples of Normal-Sized Flyers (that appear giant due to the scale of the other characters)
472
473[[folder:Films -- Animation]]
474* The bird from ''WesternAnimation/ABugsLife''.
475* ''WesternAnimation/Epic2013'': ALL birds from Leafman perspective, but in particular the hummingbirds and crows which are actually used as mounts.
476* The hawk from ''WesternAnimation/{{Rango}}''.
477* Orville and Wilbur in ''WesternAnimation/TheRescuers''. Then again, they are albatroses for better or worse. Orville has to fall almost the entire height of the UN Building to accelerate beyond stall speed, and when Wilbur approaches the RAS outpost in the Australian outback, he is described as a "jumbo", and the rooftop airfield isn't designed to accommodate a bird of his ginormous size.
478* Jeremy in ''WesternAnimation/TheSecretOfNIMH''.
479[[/folder]]
480
481[[folder:Literature]]
482* ''Literature/{{Discworld}}'':
483** Constable Buggy Swires of the City Watch; a gnome who maintains a squad of (semi)trained pigeons -and a turkey vulture in ''Literature/MonstrousRegiment''.
484** Predating Buggy Swires is The Death of Rats riding Quoth the Raven and the (semi)trained pigeons (see ''Literature/SoulMusic'' which happens two years before ''Literature/{{Jingo}}'').
485** One of the Nac Mac Feegle in ''Literature/TheWeeFreeMen'' has a trained Sparrowhawk whom he rides around on. This is probably a direct parody of...
486* ''The Fledgling'' [[JustifiedTrope justifies]] this by hinting that there's [[WaifProphet something up with the heroine]] that allows her to ride upon the Goose Prince [[spoiler:and that allows her to fly on her own]].
487* Gnomes in the ''Gnomes'' and ''Secrets of the Gnomes'' illustrated books hopped a lift on large birds quite often. One slightly {{Narm}}y illustration shows a pair of gnome newlyweds being carried off to their honeymoon by a swan.
488* Woe betide the person who says it's cute how the [[ProudWarriorRaceGuy Gallivespians]] of ''Literature/HisDarkMaterials'' ride around on dragonflies... Though, no matter how small the Gallivespians are, it was mentioned (or at least implied) that the dragonflies were bigger than modern-day ones, perhaps at [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meganeura Meganeura]] size.
489* The titular characters in ''The Minnipins'' are tiny gnomes who ride upon birds. Of course, they happen to know a huge Mute Swan who can carry their new human friend.
490* Long before he wrote it into ''Literature/{{Discworld}}'', Creator/TerryPratchett gave geese to the Floridian Nomes in ''Wings'', the last part of the ''Literature/NomesTrilogy''.
491* Normal-sized owls, crows, hawks -- and Kehaar the gull -- in ''Literature/WatershipDown'', since the heroes are rabbits.
492* ''Literature/TheWonderfulAdventuresOfNils'': A boy gets shrunken and ends up traveling with a flock of geese by riding on one's back.
493[[/folder]]
494
495!!Other Examples
496
497[[folder:Anime and Manga]]
498* The Fly Card of ''Manga/CardcaptorSakura'', which took the form of a giant bird before Sakura sealed it in the first episode.
499* One episode/chapter of ''Manga/FlyingWitch'' features a magical flying whale large enough to have ''trees'' and ''ruins'', including a large temple, on it's back. Apparently people lived on it's back many years ago, but have long since abandoned it.
500* ''Franchise/LyricalNanoha'':
501** Jiraiyo, the giant flying beetles that Lutecia [[SummonMagic summons]] in ''Anime/MagicalGirlLyricalNanohaStrikers''.
502** You also catch a glimpse of a giant bird [[MonsterOfTheWeek Jewel Seed monster]] in the [[Anime/MagicalGirlLyricalNanoha first season]], during the period where the [[TheFederation Time-Space Administration Bureau]] was already helping Nanoha.
503* The adult dragons from ''Manga/ShadowStar''. They can also be as [[OurDragonsAreDifferent bizarre]] as the flying colossus in the example picture above.
504[[/folder]]
505
506[[folder:Fan Works]]
507* ''Fanfic/ChristianHumberReloaded'': Season-Bringer is a particularly extreme example. He's a flying dragon that's 120,000 feet long, 18,000 feet wide, and weighs ''900 quadrillion tons''.
508* ''Fanfic/KaijuRevolution'': Several kaiju are capable of flight including Rodan, Mothra, Jyarumu, Kamacuras and [[spoiler:King Ghidorah]]. An explanation is actually given on how the first and last are able to achieve this. With Rodan, his respiratory system has evolved into a biological turbine engine that forces air out from openings in his body. As for [[spoiler:Ghidorah, he uses his electromagnetic powers to repel himself from the earth's core and effectively hover in the air]].
509* ''Fanfic/LastChildOfKrypton'': When [[EldritchAbomination Shamshel]] attacks, several characters note that it's a skyscraper-sized flying creature.
510[[/folder]]
511
512[[folder:Films -- Animation]]
513* The Flying Whales in ''WesternAnimation/BattleForTerra''.
514* The biomechanical 200-tonne dew collector in the animated adaptation of ''Literature/TheLostThing''.
515[[/folder]]
516
517[[folder:Literature]]
518* ''Literature/DaybreakOnHyperion'' has sky whales. Tame ones are used as a mass transportation or shock troops in battle. Pods of wild ones are a major danger for large herds of animals, both wild and domesticated.
519* In Stephen Baxter's book ''Literature/{{Evolution}}'', he invents a species of pterosaur dubbed the "air whale" with wings a hundred metres across. Living off tiny creatures in the stratosphere, it had paper thin hollow bones. They mated on the highest mountain peaks and it is suggested there are very few of them due to the lack of food. Able to circumnavigate the globe with the aid of wind currents, it need never touch the ground.
520* Various species of alien fauna from Wayne Barlowe's classic SpeculativeDocumentary sci-fi book ''Expedition'', including the fierce "[[http://www.waynebarlowe.com/expedition_pages/exped_skewer.htm Skewer]]" (essentially a ''Killer'' [[SpaceWhale Air Whale]]) and the bizarre "[[http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/2/2e/Expedition_cover.jpg Rugose Floater]]" (seen on the cover).
521* The titular creature in ''Literature/{{Leviathan}}'' fits the other trope name: AirWhale.
522* Creator/TamoraPierce can go here because hers are varied and hard to categorize. She has traditional dragons and griffins; kudarung, which are traditional winged horses except that they come in widely varied sizes, making some of them Pocket-sized Flyers; hurroks, clawed, predatory "horse-hawks" with batlike wings; and Stormwings, which are [[WingedHumanoid half human, half giant sharp-metal-feathered bird]], and aren't evil but do take natural pleasure in human suffering. They're all immortal unless killed (except possibly the kudarung, which aren't specifically identified as immortals and might not be, since they didn't enter the human world under the same circumstances as the immortals the readers know).
523* In ''Literature/TheStormlightArchive'', the SpiritWorld of the Cognitive Realm has "mandras", colossal flatworm-like flying creatures with multiple sets of legs and manta-like wings. Although their body shape could never fly normally, as spren, they're spiritual beings who aren't quite bound by normal physics. They're also quite useful for pulling ships.
524* In ''Literature/ThisImmortal'', [[MixAndMatchCritters spiderbats]] can grow large enough to catch and carry off a man.
525* In the medieval Irish romance ''Literature/TheVoyageOfMaelDuin'', Máel Dúin and his crew encounter a bird so large they initially think it is a cloud, and which carries in its beak a twig as large as an oak tree. It turns out to be completely harmless.
526[[/folder]]
527
528[[folder:Myths & Religion]]
529* [[FeatheredSerpent Quetzalcoatl]] from Myth/AztecMythology was such a giant flyer that he became the namesake for a real life one, the below mentioned ''Quetzalcoatlus''. There is some debate on whether or not he actually had wings (he's frequently depicted as a feathered snake in every sense of the word, including being limbless), but almost every version of his feathered serpent form is a huge flying creature.
530* On the cryptozoology side of things, so-called [[LivingGasbag "Atmospheric Beasts"]] are often this. Their sizes vary, but the largest are often said to be over a hundred feet in length.
531[[/folder]]
532
533[[folder:Tabletop Games]]
534* ''TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons'':
535** In the ''AD&D'' edition of ''TabletopGame/DarkSun'' campaing setting, "Cloud Rays" akin to enormous flying manta rays appear as an extremely dangerous monster.
536** And of course, in most settings you have [[LongList dragons, wyverns, rocs, manticores, chimeras, sphinxes...]]
537** In sizes, the largest ''AD&D'' dragons were described in the Monster Manual as being up to 350 feet long. While unlike in the "Draconomicon" in 3.5 wingspan was not given scaling the one in the latter to the former would give them ones of ''several hundred feet''
538* ''TabletopGame/FantasyFliers'' is a free set of rules for playing fantasy air combat in miniature, allowing the use of a wide variety of technological and magical constructs, standard fantasy flying beasts such as dragons and pegasus, various sizes of bugs, bats, and [[FlyingSeafoodSpecial sea creatures]]. Since they are often used as mounts, but can fly alone, acting as predators, prey, and enemy troops, this game could fit all the above categories.
539* A design mechanic in ''TabletopGame/MagicTheGathering'' gives all colors an iconic species as a large, dramatic, expensive creature, and all except Green[[note]]Who gets Hydras, and has [[AntiAir a dislike of flying]] as a game mechanic anyway[[/note]] have flying. White gets Angels, Blue gets Sphinxes[[note]]Although this role is sometimes filled by the usually -- [[FlyingSeafoodSpecial usually]] -- non-flying Leviathans[[/note]], Black gets Demons (or sometimes just large Vampires), and Red gets Dragons.
540[[/folder]]
541
542[[folder:Toys]]
543* ''Toys/{{Bionicle}}'':
544** Gukko and Nivawk, both giant cyborg birds used as transport.
545** Plus the Nui-Rama, giant cyborg insects.
546[[/folder]]
547
548[[folder:Video Games]]
549* In the skies of the [[DarkWorld Shadow World]] of ''VideoGame/AgeOfWonders: Shadow Magic'' swim whale-like Skwahl. They aren't present (at least in the official ruleset), but the description of floating [[http://aow2.heavengames.com/aowsm/gameinfo/units/syrons.shtml#forceship Forceship]] unit says Syron make them from hollowed carcasses of old Skwahl.
550* The titular ''VideoGame/{{Ashen}}'' is depicted in the opening as a massive raven of light large enough to perch on the branches of the [[WorldTree tree of worlds]]. Its feathers alone are about as large as the player character. The Diasora, a giant furry whale-like creature the size of a small fortress also counts.
551* Another giant bird, this time from ''VideoGame/BravelyDefault'': the [[CoolPlane Hre]][[Myth/NorseMythology sve]][[BlowYouAway lgr]] summon.
552* When [=McQueen=] visits the DarkWorld in ''VideoGame/TheDarksideDetective'', an enormous flying ... thing ... can be seen swooping through the AlienSky. [=McQueen=] doesn't get a good look at it, nor stick around long enough to find out which subcategory it fits into.
553* ''VideoGame/DevilSurvivor2'' gives us an EldritchAbomination Alioth's warship, which is so big that it is the only EldritchAbomination in the game which can be seen in a satellite photo. It pretty much levels Sapporo when it's shot down. The UpdatedRerelease's new campaign has Denebola, which while not nearly as massive as Alioth is still huge enough to dwarf the Tokyo Skytree, the tallest tower in the world.
554* ''Franchise/TheElderScrolls'' series' lore tells of werevultures native to the forests of Valenwood, a form of [[OurWerebeastsAreDifferent were-creature]] who transform into giant carrion birds. They've yet to make an in-game appearance, however.
555* ''VideoGame/GoblinSword'' has birds just bigger than [[PlayerCharacter the swordsman]] as an [[FeatheredFiend enemy]].
556* ''VideoGame/HalfLife1'' has huge manta ray-like alien fliers who at some points in the game drop alien grunts. In ''[[VideoGame/HalfLifeOpposingForce Opposing Force]]'', they appear right at the beginning when they start shooting down Osprey troop carriers with their lightning rays.
557* The Wind Fish in ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaLinksAwakening''. Made sillier by its absurdly tiny wings.
558** ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaSkywardSword'' has Levias, a giant [[SpaceWhale whale]] who flies around in the Thunderhead [[spoiler:and is initially possessed by [[BodyHorror Bilocyte]]]].
559* In ''VideoGame/{{Minecraft}}'', there are the [[OurDragonsAreDifferent Ender Dragon]], which is one of largest mobs in the game, as well as the [[EldritchAbomination Ghast]], and arguably the [[EldritchAbomination Wither]]. All three are, at least partially, Justified. The Ender Dragon inhabits a separate dimension, where the laws of physics might very well be entirely different. The Ghasts are implied to be [[OurGhostsAreDifferent undead]], and the Wither is a magical construct, which presumably flies as part of that magic.
560* ''VideoGame/QuakeII'' has the Hornet (aka Flying Guardian), a hovering insectoid cyborg thing.
561* The flying Colossi from ''VideoGame/ShadowOfTheColossus'', Avion and Phalanx. Phalanx (pictured) takes the cake as the single largest Colossus in the game (it's twice as long as the final Colossus is tall). Interestingly, neither are hostile: Avion needs to be provoked into fighting you, and Phalanx mostly ''ignores you'' for the entire "fight", only trying to shake you off if stabbed.
562* The [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roc_(mythology) Rukhs]] in ''VideoGame/SonicAndTheSecretRings'' are, like the legend they're based on, enormous flying creatures. In this game, they double as TurtleIsland in that a civilization had been built on the backs of a flock of them in the past, each of them carrying roughly a city block's worth. Appropriately, they are found only in the stage known as [[LevelsTakeFlight Levitated]] [[RuinsForRuinsSake Ruin]].
563* All of the above are very, very possible in ''VideoGame/{{Spore}}'', due to the existence of Epic Creatures. Flying epic creatures in particular are somewhat more deadly than regular ones, especially ones with higher levels of flight, because they can move much more silently and quickly than normal ones.
564* The Sand Bird from ''VideoGame/SuperMarioSunshine'' is literally a sand bird and fully capable of flight.
565* ''VideoGame/TotalWarWarhammer'': Flying units are a fairly large part of the game, adding a new dimension to battlefield tactics from previous Total War titles, although they're not present to the same degree in all armies.
566** For the Empire, Emperor Karl Franz can unlock his massive griffin, Deathclaw, as a mount. Generals of the Empire can also ride smaller griffins, while Imperial Amber Wizards can ride green-feathered jade griffins.
567** Similarly, Orc heroes can come mounted on wyverns.
568** The Vampire Counts have access to a large number of flying units, most notably Vargheists, vampires that have been driven insane by centuries of imprisonment and mutated into giant batlike monsters. In addition, they can raise Terrogheists, the reanimated husks of bats the size of dragons, as well as actual zombie dragons.
569** The Warriors of Chaos can unlock a two-headed chaos dragon as a mount for their lords.
570** The Wood Elves are also a fairly aerial faction. They get a unit of missile cavalry mounted on giant hawks, and in addition get giant eagles and forest dragons as both mounts for their hero units and as individual monstrous units.
571* ''VideoGame/TriangleStrategy'' has greathawks. They're [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin giant hawks]] used as mounts in place of horses, mostly in Aesfrost and occasionally Glenbrook, and can easily carry an adult rider. (Though Hughette can note that ''two'' riders are usually too much for a greathawk to handle.)
572* [[OurDragonsAreDifferent Dragons]] in ''VideoGame/WorldOfWarcraft'' get to be pretty massive, though special mention goes to [[BigBad Deathwing,]] who's been described as "airliner-big." [[WordOfGod According to the artists for the Cataclysm cinematic]] his wingspan is ''1,200 feet'' from wingtip to wingtip.
573[[/folder]]
574
575[[folder:Webcomics]]
576* ''Webcomic/GeorgeTheDragon'' features a large green dragon who has the habit of swooping down from the sky to humiliate humans in sadistic games of tag.
577* ''Webcomic/GirlGenius'': [[http://www.girlgeniusonline.com/comic.php?date=20121130 Add the Heterodynes' Franz]] to the list. He admits to cheating a bit.
578* In ''Webcomic/{{Godslave}}'', the second ''ba'' takes the form of a giant, bird-shaped tree. Which, in violation of all rules of physics and then some, can actually fly.
579* Hibachi the [[DinosaursAreDragons Dragon]] in the webcomic ''Webcomic/TheInexplicableAdventuresOfBob''.
580* Perca (Priscila S. Piccin) uses large flying creatures in multiple of her comics including a giant space whale in [[http://perca.deviantart.com/art/KOM-round-3-76895404 Killer of Monsters]], a flying Whale in the [[http://perca.deviantart.com/art/OCBZ-Highway-Round-1-116834645 OCBZ Highway]] with a man riding it called pedro, and a similar whale (plus pedro) in [[http://boobtrap.smackjeeves.com/comics/483268/chapter-1-pg-4/ Boobtrap]].
581* Lampshaded in ''Webcomic/TheOrderOfTheStick'' [[http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0754.html #754]]. When the large-bellied, small-winged dragon ruler of The Empire of Blood decides to ''fly'' to a royal parade, a dumbstruck Vaarsuvius remarkes that they should avoid casting magic for the rest of the day, "if only to give the laws of physics time to cry alone in the corner."
582* The flying whales and White Steel Eels from ''Webcomic/TowerOfGod''.
583* ''Webcomic/TuesdayTitans'': The one type of [[{{Kaiju}} Titan]] shown to be capable of flight are (relatively) small, bat-like creatures. Despite being some of the smallest Titans shown, they are still nearly fifty meters tall with well over 100-meter wingspans.
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585
586[[folder:Web Original]]
587* The alien [[http://davesrightmind.deviantart.com/art/Cloud-Grazer-157715056 Cloud Grazers]], giant creatures that feed on clouds in the skies of another world.
588* ''Argentavis'' is #5 on ''Website/{{Cracked}}'''s [[http://www.cracked.com/article_18445_7-thankfully-extinct-giant-versions-modern-animals.html 7 (Thankfully) Extinct Giant Versions of Modern Animals]].
589* The ornimorphs of ''Website/{{Serina}}'' can have wingspans of thirty feet or more. The archangel family in particular reaches the size of a small plane.
590* In ''Roleplay/ThereIsNoGATEWeDidNotFightThere'', the titular King of the Sky from the interlude "The Myth, the Legend, the King of the Sky" is an enormous {{Thunderbird}} composed of storm channels, blotting out the entire sky. Kytheus compares its size to that of the earth dragon his grandfather had slain before his birth, and whose bones have the ''main city of the Rhavenfell built into them.''
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592
593[[folder:Western Animation]]
594* ''WesternAnimation/TheHerculoids''. Zok the dragon, who can fire [[EnergyWeapon laser beams]] [[EyeBeams from its eyes]] and tail.
595* [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin ''Skywhales'' features skywhales]]. [[CallASmeerpARabbit Though they look more like long-necked manta rays.]] [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zVmKhNG6S3o Youtube]]
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597
598[[folder:Real Life]]
599* The genus of pterosaur known as ''[[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quetzalcoatlus_northropi Quetzalcoatlus]]'' (where "quetzalcoatl" is Aztec for "feathered snake" and was the name of a major god) had a wingspan of 10-11 metres (32-35 feet) and was as tall as a giraffe.
600** ''Quetzalcoatlus'' has a Romanian cousin named ''Hatzegopteryx'', which may have been even ''bigger'' than its American counterpart; one of the most common estimates is that the creature had a whopping 12-metre (38 feet) wingspan. That said, some have theorized that ''Hatzegopteryx'' and ''Quetzalcoatlus'' were actually the same species, although later findings suggest that this isn't the case (the two animals had a lot in common, but there are enough differences between them to suggest that they're separate species). These differences include the fact the European version had a much shorter, much thicker neck and was built to kill much larger prey (namely cow-sized dwarf sauropods), being the unrivalled apex predator of the area.
601* The most commonly depicted pterosaur in popular culture, ''Pteranodon'', was pretty large as well, with an average wingspan of 4-6 metres (13-19 feet). In fact, before the discoveries of ''Hatzegopteryx'' and ''Quetzalcoatlus'', it was considered the largest flying animal to have existed.[[note]]Fun fact: ''Pteranodon'' was so large that, before ''Quetzalcoatlus'' was discovered, it was believed that if a flying animal got any bigger than ''Pteranodon'' it would be physically unable to fly at all.[[/note]]
602* The South American ''[[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tropeognathus Tropeognathus]]'' (more popularly known by its former name ''Ornithocheirus'') was another pretty gigantic pterosaur. One former estimate predicted its wingspan could've been as much as 39 feet (12 metres) across, which would've been the largest of any known flying animal. While this is now considered very unlikely, even the comparatively tamer modern estimates of 27 feet (8 metres) still make it slightly bigger than ''Pteranodon'' and by far one of the largest pterosaurs known from the Southern hemisphere.
603* Though it was a sparrow compared to the above mentioned pterodactyloid pterosaurs, ''[[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harpactognathus Harpactognathus]]'' is the largest known rhamphorhynchoid pterosaur, with an estimated wingspan of 8 feet (2.5 meters). It's also thought to have acted something like a large bird of prey, making it similar in both size and behavior to a modern eagle. Its recently discovered relative ''Dearc'' was even larger, with a possible wingspan of more than 12 feet (3.7 meters).
604* The extinct bird species, ''[[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Argentavis Argentavis]]'', had a wingspan of up to 5-6 meters (16-19 feet), and for a while it was considered the largest flying bird of all time. That record was broken with the discovery of another extinct bird, ''[[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pelagornis Pelagornis]]'', which had a wingspan of about 6-7 meters (19-22 feet).
605** Similarly, there were the little-known pelagornithids (or pseudotooth birds), seabirds on steroids that had tooth-like bony projections on their beaks. They appeared soon after the K-T event (filling the ecological space vacated by the extinction of large, fish-eating pterosaurs) and persisted until around 2.5 million years ago; the largest, ''[[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Osteodontornis Osteodontornis]]'', had a wingspan of 20 feet (6 meters). Scientists speculate that it behaved like a modern-day frigatebird (basically the meanest bird on the open seas) and had a throat pouch like a pelican (basically the meanest bird on the beach). Now imagine a beach full of those things. Happy picnicking!
606* For a more recently extinct animal, one that humans probably did interact with, there's always the [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Haast%27s_Eagle Haast's Eagle]] of New Zealand, at about 3 meters (10 feet). They hunted moa, which ranged up to 15 times their weight (and are also ''bigger than humans''), and lived up until a few hundred years ago.
607** It has been noted that, based on puncture marks found on moa pelvises, the Haast's Eagle was probably a fairly specialized hunter of the same. Moa were big, feathered bipeds. The earliest Maori colonists were most likely wearing feather cloaks same as they do now. This might have caused... issues. In the end, human overhunting of its food supply drove the eagle into extinction.
608* Not as well known as Haast's Eagle, but equally big (similar wingspan, lighter body) is [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Woodward%27s_eagle Woodward's Eagle]], which has been found in the La Brea Tar Pits. Some experts think the Thunderbird legend was inspired by encounters with it by early Native Americans.
609* Rounding out the extinct animals, we have ''[[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meganeura Meganeura]]''. With a wingspan of about 70 centimeters (27 inches), it sounds puny compared to most of the animals listed here, until you find out that it was a ''[[DreadfulDragonfly Giant Dragonfly]]'' that existed in the Carboniferous period and was one of the largest flying insects to ever exist.
610* There are multiple species of still living birds with large wingspans including: the [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wandering_albatross Snowy Albatross]] (3.6 metres/11.5 feet),[[note]] Formerly known as the Wandering Albatross. Has since been reclassified[[/note]] the [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steller%27s_sea_eagle Stellar's Sea Eagle]] (2.7 meters/8.6 feet), the [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/California_condor California Condor]] (2.8 meters/8.9 feet), the [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cinereous_vulture Cinereous Vulture]] (3.1 meters/9.9 feet), the [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andean_condor Andean Condor]] (3.3 meters/10.5 feet), the [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marabou_stork Marabou Stork]] (3.7 meters/12 feet), the [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_white_pelican Great White Pelican]] (3.5 meters/11 feet), the [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Southern_royal_albatross Southern Royal Albatross]] (3.6 meters/11.5 feet), and the [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jabiru Jabiru Stork]] (2.8 meters/9.2 feet).
611* Due to their lack of hollow bones and air sacs, bats are more limited in size than birds and pterosaurs. However, some species of bats can get pretty big, which is why they are commonly known as Megabats. The largest Megabats are those belonging to the genus, ''Pteropus'', which are commonly referred to as flying foxes due to the shape of their heads resembling that of a fox. A good example is the ''[[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grey-headed_flying_fox Grey-Headed Flying Fox]]'' native to Australia that has a wingspan of about 3.3 feet (1 meter). The largest extant bat in the world is the [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Giant_golden-crowned_flying_fox Golden-Crowned Flying Fox]] native to the Philippines which can reach wingspans of up to 5.5 feet (1.7 meters).
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