The Owlman, also known as the Cornish Owlman or Owlman of Mawnan, is a mysterious winged humanoid cryptid from folklore and reported sightings in Cornwall, UK, primarily associated with the village of Mawnan near Falmouth.
The modern legend began on April 17, 1976. Two young sisters, June (around 12 years old) and Vicky (around 9) Melling, were on a family holiday camping in the area. While playing in the churchyard or woods near the 13th-century St. Mawnan and St. Stephen’s Church, they looked up and saw a large, eerie figure hovering above the church tower. They described it as a man-sized creature resembling a giant owl or bird-man hybrid, with feathered or winged features, pointed ears, and glowing red eyes. The girls were terrified, ran back to their parents, and the family reportedly cut their holiday short. A paranormal investigator and artist named Tony “Doc” Shiels looked into the report, and one of the girls allegedly drew a sketch of the creature for him, which helped popularize the name “Owlman.”A few months later, on July 3, 1976, two other teenage girls, Sally Chapman and Barbara Perry (both 14), were camping in the woods near the same church. Sally was outside her tent when she heard a loud hissing sound. Turning around, she saw a similar entity standing nearby: about the size of an adult man, owl-like in shape with greyish feathers or plumage, large pointed ears, bright red eyes, and black pincer-like claws or feet. It reportedly stood on the ground before flying up into a tree, continuing to hiss. The girls fled in panic. More sightings followed in the area that summer, often involving young people encountering the creature near the church or in the surrounding woods. Witnesses typically described it as hovering silently or watching from a distance before flying off.Additional reports trickled in over the following years, including into 1978, with similar details: a humanoid bird figure, often linked to the church tower, evoking fear but rarely direct aggression. Some accounts mention it emitting strange sounds or appearing to observe people. Earlier folklore or isolated bird encounters in Cornwall (like a large aggressive bird reported in the 1920s) have sometimes been loosely connected, but the 1976 cluster is what solidified the Owlman story.
The creature has been compared to America’s Mothman due to its winged humanoid appearance and association with ominous or unexplained vibes, though Owlman sightings are fewer and more localized. Explanations range from misidentified large birds like barn owls (which nest in church towers), hoaxes or exaggerated stories amplified by the era’s interest in the paranormal, to something genuinely strange or supernatural in local lore. The church itself, with its ancient setting amid woods, adds to the atmospheric mystery. To this day, it remains a niche but enduring part of Cornish cryptid tales, with no definitive resolution.
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