Mound A rises 165 feet above mean sea level and about 72 feet above the surrounding original land surface, with a base measuring about 710 feet east to west and 660 feet north to south. Its unusual shape has been suggested by some to represent a bird in flight, with the north-south extensions as wings and the eastward-extending platform as the tail, though this is not known to have been the builders' intent, even if birds are commonly represented in Poverty Point artifacts. Mound A was not a burial mound, and there is no evidence that it served as a platform for buildings such as temples or houses. Some archaeologists have suggested that its construction may have helped bring together and reinforce social relationships within the Poverty Point community or demonstrate the community's power and wealth to outsiders.
