I know that keeping track of all the alleged Mothman sightings can be challenging. So, I decided to compile all these encounters and create an up-to-date Mothman sighting map.
I think it’s the most extensive Mothman sighting map to date, allowing you to explore these eerie events in an interactive format. Feel free to use my Mothman sighting map to track patterns, locate hotspots, and uncover connections between famous incidents—from the first sightings in West Virginia to international encounters at Chernobyl and Fukushima.
To make things easier, I’ve also documented a complete list of sightings organized by year. However, remember that while some sightings are better documented, others primarily rely on vague descriptions and rumors.
In this article:
Mothman Sighting Map
Here is the most up-to-date Mothman sighting map. The interactive map below contains all the documented sightings from 1966 until 2024.
To access the interactive Mothman sighting map below, tap the “Play” button:
1966 Mothman Sightings Map
Date: November 12th
Location: Clendenin, West Virginia
Description: “Grave diggers in Clendenin, West Virginia.”
The earliest documented entry on this Mothman sighting map. Five men digging a grave in Clendenin, WV, reported seeing a man-like figure with wings fly silently overhead. The encounter marked the beginning of the Mothman legend.
Date: November 15th
Location: Point Pleasant, West Virginia
Description: “Chased by Mothman near Point Pleasant.”
Two couples driving through the TNT area near Point Pleasant encountered a winged creature with glowing red eyes. It chased their car at high speeds and emitted a high-pitched screech.
Date: November 16th
Location: Point Pleasant, West Virginia
Description: “Volunteer firemen spot enormous bird.”
Two firemen saw a large bird-like creature with red eyes and a wingspan of 10 feet near the TNT area. The beast let out an unearthly screech.
Date: November 17th
Location: Salem, West Virginia
Description: “Mothman encounter outside Salem.”
Newell Partridge, a contractor in Salem, WV, witnessed glowing red eyes outside his home after hearing strange noises. His dog ran towards the eyes and disappeared, never to be found.
2017 Mothman Sighting Map
As you can see on the Mothman sighting map, 2017 was a pretty “busy” year, with most reported encounters around the Chicago area.
Date: Late summer
Location: Rockford, IL area
Description: “Winged humanoid in Rockford.”
Date: August 21st
Location: Chicago, IL (Lincoln Park area)
Description: “Second flying humanoid encounter on the day of the solar eclipse.”
Date: August 22nd
Location: Chicago, IL (Brighton Park area)
Description: “Flying Mothman seen over South Pulaski Road in Chicago”
Date: August 27th
Location: Near Cicero/Berwyn, IL
Description: “Flying humanoid sighting.”
Date: August 28th
Location: Near McCook, Chicago, IL (southwestern suburb)
Description: “Bat-like flying humanoid seen over McCook.”
Date: August. 29th
Location: Near Cicero/Berwyn, IL
Description: “Huge flying shadow seen by Bird Watcher in the Western suburb of Chicago.”
Date: September 7th
Location: Chicago, IL (Lincoln Park Zoo area)
Description: “Zoo sighting.”
Date: September 9th
Location: Chicago, IL (Little Village)
Description: No additional description provided.
Date: September 10th
Location: Chicago, IL (Kenwood)
Description: “Witness shaken by huge bat-like being over Kenwood in Chicago.”
Date: September 10th
Location: Chicago, IL (Near Woodlawn/Jackson Park)
Description: No additional description provided.
Date: September 10th
Location: Chicago, IL (Near South Side)
Description: No additional description provided.
Date: September 12th
Location: Chicago, IL (Little Village)
Description: “Black devil seen in Chicago’s Little Village.”
Date: September 16th
Location: Chicago, IL (Little Village)
Description: “Multiple bat-like flying humanoid sightings from Chicago’s Little Village.”
Date: September 16th
Location: Near Lansing, MI
Description: “Neighbor’s rooftop.”
Date: September 23rd
Location: Chicago, IL (Downtown, near DuSable Harbor)
Description: “Large bird-like entity seen over Chicago’s DuSable Harbor.”
Date: September 24th
Location: Chicago, IL (Little Village)
Description: “Red-eyed, winged goblin seen in Chicago’s Little Village Radiated Evil.”
Date: September 26th
Location: Chicago, IL (Lakeview area)
Description: “Man-bat with the face of a gargoyle seen in Chicago’s West Lakeview.”
Date: September 27th
Location: Chicago, IL (Little Village)
Description: “Sketch of Chicago’s flying humanoid released.”
Date: October 27th
Location: Chicago, IL (Little Village area)
Description: “Flying humanoid attacks car in Chicago’s Piotrowski Park.”
2018 Mothman Sighting Map
The 2018 Mothman sighting map (green markers) shows similar patterns to what happened in 2017. However, there were fewer encounters.
Date: January 28th
Location: Near Sandwich, IL (far western suburbs)
Description: No additional description provided.
Date: February 2nd
Location: West side of Chicago/Cicero area
Description: No additional description provided.
Date: February 15th
Location: Near Gurnee, IL (Lake County)
Description: “Giant, skinny man.”
A strange, skinny man with a large pair of wings and red eyes was reported at the TA Truck Stop Near the WI/IL Border.
Date: March 29th
Location: Near Aurora/Oswego, IL
Description: “Multiple witnesses near Aurora/Oswego.”
Multiple reports of a large, winged figure circling the outskirts of town. The area, with its mix of open land and suburban development, has seen sporadic cryptid sightings in the past, connecting it to regional folklore.
Date: April 4th
Location: Wheeling/Prospect Heights, IL
Description: “Large winged humanoid.”
Date: April 10th
Location: Chicago, IL (South Side, near Hyde Park/Woodlawn)
Description: “Owl man.”
Date: April 10th
Location: Niles/Park Ridge area, IL
Description: No additional description provided.
Date: April 12th
Location: Chicago, IL (Lakeview neighborhood)
Description: No additional description provided.
Date: April 13th
Location: Milwaukee, WI
Description: “Milwaukee Area”
Milwaukee’s dense urban areas and proximity to Lake Michigan have made it a hotspot for cryptid sightings. Witnesses in the region have drawn parallels between this event and reported sightings of humanoid figures with wings near other large bodies of water, suggesting a possible migratory path or habitat preference for the creature.
Date: May 9th
Location: Chicago, IL (Pilsen area)
Description: “Bat-like flying creature photographed.”
Date: June
Description: “Video shows large flying creature.”
Location: Near Champaign, IL
Date: August
Location: Near Hammond or the IL/IN border area
Description: “Dark flying monster gliding above rooftops.”
In Hammond, several locals shared video clips claiming to show a shadowy figure gliding above rooftops at night. The creature’s movement matched other reported sightings.
Date: September
Location: Near Gary, IN area
Description: “Blurry video.”
Several witnesses in Gary, IN, caught a blurry, shaky video footage of a large winged creature soaring near industrial areas. The poor video quality made many believe that the sighting was staged.
Date: October 26th
Location: Southwest suburbs of Chicago, near Bridgeview, IL
Description: “Large owl.”
Date: December 26th
Location: East-central Indiana, near Anderson or Muncie, IN
Description: No additional description provided. Likely a rumor or an unconfirmed sighting.
2019 Mothman Sighting Map
2019 was another peak year for Mothman sightings. However, unlike in 2017 and 2018, most of these encounters happened in Chicago’s suburbs. These events are marked with purple on the Mothman sighting map.
Date: January 19th
Location: Northwest Indiana, near Merrillville/Hobart, IN
Description: No additional description provided. Likely just a rumor.
Date: February 22nd
Location: Near Woodstock, IL
Description: “Unexplained noises.”
Residents noted strange sounds and shadowy movements in the wooded area.
Date: February 25th
Location: Near the IL/WI border, not far from Beloit, WI
Description: “Flying witch.”
Date: February 28th
Location: Near Woodstock, IL
Description: “A strange series of large, clawed footprints.”
This is an interesting event on the Mothman sightings map because it mentions the “footprints.”
Date: March 9th
Location: Near Woodstock, IL
Description: “A sighting of a dark, winged figure near the woods.”
Locals compared this event to other regional sightings, particularly in rural Illinois.
Date: Summer
Location: Northwest side of Chicago, IL
Description: “Man-sized bat-bird thing.”
Date: Summer
Location: Near Bloomingdale, IL
Description: “Bat-winged something.”
Date: July
Location: Near Norridge/Park Ridge, IL
Description: “Large black animal flying.”
Date: July 5th
Location: Near Addison/Elmhurst, IL
Description: “A large, pterosaur-like monster.”
Date: August 8th
Location: O’Hare Airport area, Chicago, IL
Description: “A report of a large, winged figure flying over the O’Hare area.”
Date: September
Location: Near Algonquin/Lake in the Hills, IL
Description: “Toddler-sized bat creature.”
Date: October 2019
Location: Arlington Heights, IL
Description: “Man owl in a tree.”
Date: October 5th
Location: Near O’Hare, Chicago, IL
Description: “Sighting of a winged creature near O’Hare Airport.”
Witnesses noted its large wingspan and shadowy appearance, similar to other local encounters.
Date: October 19th
Location: Border of Des Plaines/Park Ridge, IL
Description: “A brief sighting near suburban neighborhoods.”
Witnesses reported a dark, winged figure flying low.
Date: Late October
Location: Des Plaines, IL
Description: “Rosemont.”
Date: October 30th
Location: Park Ridge, IL
Description: “A dark, winged monster.”
Reports came from near a suburban park area. Witnesses mentioned similarities to other sightings near O’Hare Airport, with glowing eyes described from a distance.
Date: November 26th
Location: Near O’Hare Airport, Chicago, IL
Description: “Trucker reports a seven-foot-tall person with wings.”
Date: Early December
Location: Arlington Heights, IL
Description: “Flying gargoyle.”
Date: December 3rd
Location: Near Rosemont/O’Hare area, Chicago, IL
Description: “Red-eyed flying man.”
Date: December 6th
Location: Des Plaines, IL, north of O’Hare
Description: “Sighting of red-eyed, winged humanoid near O’Hare Airport.”
2020 Mothman Sighting Map
According to the Mothman sighting map, most of the 2020 encounters happened around O’Hare Airport in Chicago.
Date: February 21st
Near O’Hare Airport, Chicago, IL
Description: “A security guard at O’Hare reports a very tall… solid black creature with glowing red eyes.”
A security guard on night patrol near the airport’s perimeter fence encountered a tall, shadowy figure with piercing red eyes. The figure stood motionless before unfurling enormous wings and vanishing into the darkness.
Date: February 28th
Location: Chicago, IL (South Side)
Description: “Footprints left by big, black birdman.”
Date: March 3rd
Location: Near Des Plaines, IL, just north of O’Hare
Description: “Membranous wings’ near O’Hare Airport.”
Date: May 31st
Location: Near O’Hare Airport, Chicago, IL
Description: “Airline pilot reports large, black, human-like creature.”
An airline pilot preparing for a flight near O’Hare spotted a massive black creature resembling a humanoid with a wingspan exceeding 10 feet. The brief sighting shook the pilot, describing the beast as otherworldly and silent as it glided near the runway.
Date: June 30th
Location: Near O’Hare Airport, Chicago, IL
Description: “Huge owl that had glowing red eyes.”
Date: July 4th
Location: Chicago, IL, close to O’Hare
Description: “Cargo company employee.”
Date: July
Location: On or near O’Hare Airport property, Chicago, IL
Description: “Air traffic controller report.”
An air traffic controller at O’Hare observed an unidentified flying humanoid near restricted airspace. The controller described a winged, human-like figure hovering unnervingly close to the control tower.
Date: September 24th
Location: Adjacent to O’Hare Airport in Chicago, IL
Description: “Seven-foot-tall, red-eyed creature.”
A USPS employee reported that the sighting was near O’Hare Airport, and it described a towering figure with menacing red eyes. This area has seen numerous similar reports.
Date: October 8th
Location: Southern Illinois, near Anna, IL
Description: “Black, humanoid figure with enormous wings and legs.”
Date: October
Location: Southern Illinois, near Anna, IL
Description: “Looked like a body shrouded in wings.”
Date: October 26th
Location: Near Rosemont, IL, just east of O’Hare Airport
Description: “Red-eyed, winged demon.”
Witnesses reported a terrifying creature perched on a backyard fence in Rosemont, IL. The creature had glowing red eyes and massive wings, with a height estimated at over six feet.
Date: November
Location: Southwest of Madison, WI (near Verona/Fitchburg area)
Description: “Bulky, flying, human-like monster.”
2021 Mothman Sighting Map
There wasn’t much activity on the Mothman sighting map in 2021.
Date: April 15th (around 9 pm)
Location: Des Plaines, IL near O’Hare
Description: “Department of Aviation.”
Date: April 21st (6 pm)
Location: Des Plaines, IL near O’Hare
Description: “Shuttle bus driver.”
Date: June 3rd (about 10 pm)
Location: Chicago, IL (near the Shedd Aquarium on the lakefront)
Description: “On the trail by Shedd Aquarium.”
Other Mothman Sighting Map Events
You can read this article for more details about each encounter mentioned on the Mothman sighting map: 10 Shocking Mothman Sightings (From 1966 to 2024): Pattern or Coincidence?
Date: 1986
Location: Chernobyl, Ukraine
Description: “Black Bird of Chernobyl.”
Workers at the Chernobyl nuclear plant reported seeing a black bird-like creature with red eyes days before the meltdown. Witnesses claimed feelings of dread and strange phone calls after the sighting.
Date: 1999
Description: “Moscow winged humanoid.”
Location: Moscow, Russia
In the days before the Russian apartment bombings, witnesses in Moscow reported a winged humanoid creature. Some also received cryptic phone calls warning of the impending tragedy.
Date: 2011
Description: “Fukushima disaster winged creature.”
Location: Fukushima, Japan
Witnesses near the Fukushima nuclear plant in Japan reported a dark, winged figure with glowing red eyes just before the earthquake and tsunami that triggered the nuclear meltdown.
Date: 2022
Location: Southeast Georgia, U.S.
Description: “Southeast Georgia highway encounter.”
A driver reported seeing a large, winged creature fly over their car on a rural highway. The car’s electrical systems malfunctioned briefly during the sighting, adding to its eerie nature.
Date: April 2024
Location: Kane County, Illinois
Description: “Kane County Mothman chase.”
A truck driver in Kane County, Illinois, reported a harrowing encounter with a winged humanoid that chased his vehicle at high speeds. The driver fired at the creature before it disappeared.
