In ancestral times there lived an owl who possessed two big dogs. Each day he went hunting with them. One day, Beach Stone- curlews, who lived nearby, went out to hunt, leaving their children playing at home. The owl, seeing that they had gone, came down from the cliffs and, pointing out the young curlews […]
Bird stories, Bateleur Terathopius ecaudatus
The Mbuti tribe believes that if a pregnant woman or her husband eat this bird, a baby with an extraordinary large head may be born to them. The Tembo tribe of the Congo consider the species as a cure. Its feathers and claws are used to cure benign epilepsy. For the medical treatment, feathers and […]
Bird stories, the Barnacle Goose (Branta leucopsis)
So called from the old legend which declared this bird to be produced from trees, resembling willows, which grew in the Orkney Isles ; it being also believed that each end of the branch produced small round balls, which, when ripe, dropped into the sea, and then appeared as a perfect goose. There is a […]
Bird stories, more Barn Swallow (Hirundo rustica)
The Basques tell that once upon a time a bit of straw was blown into the Blessed Virgins eye. The redbreast (in Basque Chindorra), who was sitting on a bush close at hand, beheld her tears. What did he do? He flew off at once to tell the swallow, and then, carrying in his bill […]
Bird stories, Band-tailed Manakin (Pipra fasciicauda)
The use of whole animal from Band-tailed Manakin (P. fasciicauda) to attract more business and to use forgood luck and money making. the Band-tailed Manakin is also utilized during the performance of umbanda rituals. Umbanda is the most widespread Afro-Brazilian religion in the country, and medical treatments using popular folk medicines often occur in umbanda […]
Bird stories, Australian Pelican (Pelecanus conspicillatus)
It is said that when they make their nests in the dry deserts, they carry the water to their young in the vast pouches, and that the beasts of prey come there to quench their thirst, sparing the young. Ingersoll, Ernest, 1852-1946. Birds in legend, fable and folklore. New York, London Longmans, Green and co., […]
Bird stories, American White Pelican (Pelecanus erythrorhynchos)
The Seri, an exclusive and backward tribe inhabiting the desert-like island Tiburon, in the Gulf of California, ascribe the creation of the world, and of themselves in particular, to the Ancient of Pelicans, a mythical fowl of supernal wisdom and melodious song who first raised the earth above the primeval waters. Ingersoll, Ernest, 1852-1946. Birds […]
Bird stories, American Robin (Turdus migratorius)
Among the Chippewas, when a son became old enough to leave boyhood behind, it was necessary for him to pass through twelve days of fasting, during which the great Manitou would come to him and free him from his childhood’s nature and instead give to him the strength and endurance of a braver manhood. One […]
Bird stories, American Bittern (Botaurus lentiginosus)
Great American bittern has the power of emitting a light from its breast, equal to the light of a common torch, which illuminates the water so as to enable it to discover its prey. Ingersoll, Ernest, 1852-1946. Birds in legend, fable and folklore. New York, London Longmans, Green and co., 1923
Bird stories, Amazonian Antshrike (Thamnophilus amazonicus)
Similarly, some people refer to the Amazonian antshrike as puma pishcu (jaguar bird) because its call alerts people to the presence of a jaguar. Kohn, E.O., 2002. NATURAL ENGAGEMENTS AND ECOLOGICAL AESTHETICS AMONG THE AVILA RUNA OF AMAZONIAN ECUADOR