Fact Check: Is the opium bird real? Viral 2027 meme explained

If you’ve been on TikTok recently, you will have seen everyone talking about the Opium Bird — but is it real or fake?

The creepy creature is one of the internet’s biggest mems right now, but some social media users are a little confused.

What is the Opium Bird?

The Opium Bird is a scary animal that’s really tall and human-like but has a bird’s face and is covered in huge feathers.

It’s grey and white in color, lives in the snow and has a really long beak. The species’ black eyes peer right into your soul.

Videos of the animal were first shared by a TikTok user called Dre on September 12 who wrote: “Bird-like beings discovered in an Antarctic mountain range.

Is it real or fake?

The Opium Bird if fake. The TikTok user, who has the handle @drevfx, made the creature using artificial intelligence.

They were not found in Antarctica and don’t come from 2027 as some of the memes suggest — the whole thing is a hoax.

However, it seems as though many were fooled, with one person writing on Twitter: “Okay seriously is the Opium Bird real or fake?”

“Why did I think this was real until I spent an hour researching Antarctica?” another added on TikTok.

AI creature is ‘creepy’

The phoney creature has gone viral on social media and left people creeped out by its scary appearance.

Someone tweeted: “When James showed me the opium bird and I just wanted to cry why is he so scary.”

“THAT OPIUM BIRD IS ALL OVER MY FYP ITS SO SCARY,” said another.

A third person added: “Look at the Opium Bird on TikTok it’s terrifying.”

“Others “They look like they would sacrifice me on a cliff side and chant over a fire,” another said.

However, others think they’re majestic and peaceful — and some even want one as a pet!