Nicknamed the Hurley Bird, a giant falcon with a 16-foot wingspan was seen flying around the island on Lost, but where did this mysterious animal come from? The bird, which only appeared twice, was one of the strangest things ever encountered by the survivors of Oceanic Flight 815.
In the Lost season 1 finale, Jack (Matthew Fox), Locke (Terry O’Quinn), Kate (Evangeline Lilly), and Hurley (Jorge Garcia) are traveling through the Dark Territory when they see a giant bird fly away. The bird isn’t spotted again until the season 2 finale, when the survivors head off into the jungle to face the Others, knowing that they’re being led into a trap by Michael (Harold Perrineau). Suddenly, the bird flies out in front of them, giving viewers their first close look at the animal, which appears to be a giant green falcon. After it flies away, Hurley says that he believes the bird said his name. For this reason, fans have given the bird the name, Hurley Bird.
The bird is never seen again after the Lost season 2 finale, leaving the mystery of the bird’s abnormal size without an answer for years. Lost doesn’t offer an explanation for the bird until after the series finale. Later, a six-minute epilogue, “The New Man in Charge”, was released with the Lost season 6 DVD set. The epilogue tied up a few loose ends, and provided answers to some of the show’s lingering mysteries, such as the polar bear. One of the mysteries solved by “The New Man in Charge” is the giant bird, which is revealed to be a creation of the Dharma Initiative.
According to Dr. Chang (François Chau), the birds are actually called “hy-birds”. They were created through genetic engineering by the scientists at the Dharma Initiative and released into the wild for a very specific purpose. The Dharma Initiative wanted to know how the birds would react to the unique properties of the island.
Originally, the green falcon made it appear that Lost was bringing some fantasy elements to the show, partially because it resembled one of the forms of Horus from Egyptian mythology. There’s also Hurley’s theory about it saying his name. This idea was reinforced by the fact that subtitles on the DVD even interpreted its cry as “Hurley”. Regardless, the Lost epilogue makes it clear that this was never the case. Rather than being some sort of mystical beast, the bird was simply a product of science.
More: “Not Penny’s Boat” Is Lost’s Biggest Moment (Not “We Have To Go Back”)
