The Cherokees had an interesting story about the wren, always a busybody. She gets up early in the morning, they say, pries into everything, and goes around to every lodge in the settlement to get news for the birds’ council. When a new baby is born she finds out whether it is a boy or […]
Category: Passeriformes
Bird stories, House Martin (Delichon urbicum)
Canadian Eskimo’s say that in the long ago, before it had all been quite settled whether the human creatures on this earth of ours were to remain in human form or to take the form of birds and animals, or whether the birds and animals were to be changed into human creatures, a group of […]
Bird stories, Red Bishop (Euplectes orix)
The lioness had a cub and the cow had a calf, and these two grew up together and played together every day. The lion cub was a gentle, well-mannered little creature, but the calf was a disobedient, unruly child, and gave great trouble to his mother. Near the house was a well of fresh water, […]
Bird stories, Eurasian Wren (Troglodytes troglodytes)
In the far-away time is told how the wren came about. One day, a young man of Heidelberg lay idly dreaming and pondering under an oak. A beautiful maiden crept forth from a great hole in the trunk of the tree and stood smiling at him. The youth immediately arose and made love to her, […]
Bird stories, Red-winged Blackbird (Agelaius phoeniceus)
Big Man-eater had a wife but stole another woman and carried her to the place where his wife lived. Next day he started off. After he had traveled about hunting for a while he came back without having killed anything. Then he said to his wife, “Cut off a piece of your body and roast […]
Bird stories, Eastern Meadowlark (Sturnella magna)
All the Mewan tribes, and many belonging to widely different stocks-including even the Washoo of Lake Tahoe and adjacent valleys east of the Sierra, class the Meadowlark among the bad birds. They say he talks too much and is a gossip and they do not like him. The Washoo call him Se-soo-te-ai-le and, like several […]
Bird stories Crested Drongo (Dicrurus forficatus)
Once upon a time, they say, all the birds of the air assembled and agreed to choose one of their number to be king and leader; but the owl, it is said, did not come, for his mate chanced to be sitting just then. So all the birds agreed together that anyone who should see […]
Bird stories, Common Bulbul (Pycnonotus barbatus)
Mbuti boys in the Congo under initiation are prohibited from eating most birds, except some common birds as greenbuls and weavers. These prohibited birds are also regarded as kuweri. By imposing such food restrictions on the initiates, the Mbuti conceptualize circumcision as a social birth of an adult. The birds play another special role in […]
Bird stories, Clay-colored Robin (Turdus grayi)
The song of the k’ok’ota’, or Clay-colored Robin (Turdus grayi) when heard in the morning is a sign that the milpa (corn field) is flowering. However, if it is sitting in a tree when it sings, it means rain is forthcoming. The Q’eqchi’ of Belize have a similar tradition for the Clay-colored Robin, or k’ook’ob, […]
Bird stories, Chaffinch (Fringilla coelebs)
This bird is highly esteemed in Germany for its musical powers, and extravagant prices are given for first-class performers. As an instance may be cited the fact that a workman at Ruhla, in Thuringia, in the excess of his admiration for a good bird, gave a cow in exchange for it, hence the proverb current […]