At the beginning of the 21st Century monsters still roam the remote, and sometimes not so remote, corners of our planet. It is our job to search for them. The Centre for Fortean Zoology [CFZ] is - we believe - the largest professional, scientific and full-time organisation in the world dedicated to cryptozoology - the study of unknown animals. Since 1992 the CFZ has carried out an unparalleled programme of research and investigation all over the world. Since 2009 we have been running the increasingly popular CFZ Blog Network, and although there has been an American branch of the CFZ for over ten years now, it is only now that it has a dedicated blog.
WHAT ARE THE LIVER BIRDS?
The city of Liverpool has two symbolic birds which are called the Liver Birds. There is a carving of one of the birds on each of the two towers of the Liver Building. It is said if they fly away, the River Mersey will flood Liverpool. But what exactly are they?
The first mention we have of the Liver Bird is in 1668. The College of Arms gave Liverpool its coat of arms in 1797 with the birds on it. The College proclaimed it was a cormorant. But was it?
Liverpool received its charter in 1207, granted by King John. His seal on the document was an eagle, but this may have grown into the mysterious birds.
The Liverpool Mercury in 1824 said a man had entered their office carrying a stuffed liver bird and that experts had denied what he had was a cormorant, but an ornithologist from Ormskirk proclaimed that is just what it was. The owner of the creature took it away, so we cannot hope to examine it.
The identity of the Liver Birds remains an enigma. By the way, it is said one of the bird statues will flap its wings if a virgin passes by. So far it has not been observed to do so.
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| Liverpool Coat of Arms |
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