Angry Birds Space

Angry Birds Space, Seattle residents were greeted with a surprise Thursday: a giant Angry Bird hanging from the Space Needle, the city's most prominent landmark. Rovio, makers of the popular Angry Birds franchise, hung the bird as part of their promotional efforts for Angry Birds Space, also released Thursday. The 300-foot long slingshot holds up a 35-foot Red Bird.

On Thursday, fans of the game were invited to the Space Needle to see the bird for themselves, play the new game and win prizes. The event was sponsored by T-Mobile.

The Red Bird was easy to spot for many Seattle residents, who posted pictures to Twitter and Instagram of the bird's roost. We gathered up several from Twitter, along with pictures from Rovio, and put them in a gallery below.

The Space Needle is a 605-foot tall metal structure that was built for the 1962 World's Fair. It features a rotating restaurant and an observation deck that's a destination point for thousands of tourists each year. Upon construction, it was the tallest structure west of the Mississippi River.

Angry Birds Space was released Thursday for iOS, Android, Mac and PC. In addition to the game's launch, Rovio is launching a line of Angry Birds Space merch at Walmart on March 25.