In many world cultures, the owl is a death omen. The owl's nightly hoot is considered a warning cry of doom and death. In fact, both Aztec and Mayan folklore portrayed the owl as a companion/messenger of the gods of death.
Crows and ravens have generally been regarded by superstitious people as birds of ill omen. Their croaking garrulity was believed by the ancients to portend calamity, and the belief still lingers among the moderns.
Certain animals such as crows, cats, owls, moths, vultures and bats are associated with death; some because they feed on carrion, others because they are nocturnal. Along with death, vultures can also represent transformation and renewal.
In Europe, the skull and crossbones emerged as a symbol of death about 600 years ago.
Many view the appearance of crows as an omen of death because ravens and crows are scavengers and are generally associated with dead bodies, battlefields, and cemeteries, and they're thought to circle in large numbers above sites where animals or people are expected to soon die.
The Aderyn y corph (a.k.a. Corpse bird) is a bird from Welsh folklore who portends death. It is said to chirp outside a soon-to-be deceased person's door with a cry that sounds similar to Welsh: dewch, or 'come' in English. The bird has no feathers or wings.
In literature, crows and ravens are a bad omen and are associated with witches. Most people believe they steal, eat other birds' eggs and reduce the populations of other birds.
The idea that cardinals — or a redbirds — are “messengers” from departed loved ones has been around for a long time, crossing cultures and spanning years. Many people believe seeing a cardinal is a “sign” that those who have passed are with us in spirit.
1. Butterflies. The most commonly reported “sign” from a deceased loved one is the butterfly. And that makes a lot of sense since butterflies represent the human soul in many cultures. They also symbolize endurance, hope, and the life cycle.
The Raven. The raven is a Celtic symbol that is associated with death and destruction.
Moths are often seen as symbols of death in many cultures. In some Native American traditions, moths are seen as the souls of the dead. In other cultures, moths are seen as messengers from the other side.
Butterfly. The butterfly is emblematic of transformation and significant change. On the change front, this other animal symbolism at play is death and rebirth.
The Anhinga, also known as the Devil Bird, is a large waterbird with a snake-like neck that is typically found in the swampy southeastern corner of the country.
Brown Headed Cowbird as Chaotic Evil: Oof. This one's nearly unarguable. Brown Headed Cowbirds are brood parasites, meaning they lay their eggs in the nests of other birds to “host”.
However, before the spread of Christianity the magpie was an important symbolic bird often associated with good luck or fortune. The Romans, for example, believed that the magpie was highly intelligent with excellent reasoning abilities, and in Ancient Greece magpies were sacred to Bacchus the god of wine.
The ankh symbol—sometimes referred to as the key of life or the key of the nile—is representative of eternal life in Ancient Egypt. Created by Africans long ago, the ankh is said to be the first--or original--cross.
Talk or write to them
People have continued to talk to the people they love after they've died for time immemorial. Great comfort can be found in talking to your loved one in the usual way… whether that's updating them on what's happening in the family, the wider world or the garden.
We can often tell our deceased loved ones are around us when we smell their perfume, flowers, cigar or cigarette smoke, or any other familiar smell they had. They make songs come on at the perfect time. We know they are around when their favorite songs come on at the right time with the exact words we need to hear.
To this day, red cardinals are one of the most common spiritual signs that people receive from Heaven. Cardinals also have a deep connection with lost souls. People have often reported that after the death of their loved ones, they begin to see cardinals frequently.
Birds of Life and Death: Changing Meanings for Hummingbirds, Vultures and Condors. Birds are messengers of meaning associated with both death as well as life. While they are airborne with a lightness of being like angels and spirits, their meanings carry great symbolic weight.
Native American tribes had the belief that the red cardinal is a symbol of reincarnation and a new life.
The presence of a bird can be seen as a sign of good luck, blessings, or warnings. One interpretation of bird visitations is that they bring messages from the spirit or the universe. Some people believe that birds are messengers from the divine realm, such as angels, spirit guides, or ancestors.
This means that crows can be considered a good omen or a bad omen, depending on the number of crows and the context. "Seeing a single crow is often thought to be a bad omen, but seeing two could indicate good luck is coming," says Compora. "Seeing three suggests impending change."
Modern usage. Stock market investors sometimes refer to a three crows as a pattern of successive declining stock prices over three days often identified by overlapping candlestick patterns. Three crows are often seen as a warning of a period of powerful selling pressure on the stock market.