Silent but deadly nocturnal hunters: owls have been associated with magic, evil, and death for thousands of years.
If you see 5 crows, sickness will follow; see 6 crows and death will follow. To avoid bad luck tip your hat if you see a magpie.
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”.
Owls. The owl is often associated with death and darkness in Western cultures. It's believed that the owl hoots in an eerie manner to freak out humans, and thus it's often seen as a harbinger of bad luck.
In fact seeing crows anywhere tends to bring bad luck, unless you happen to find a dead crow in the road, which surprisingly will bring you good luck. Running second only to black cats, crows have a very bad press when it comes to omens.
Owls have also long been viewed as harbingers of bad luck and even death. One myth tells us that bad luck will befall anyone who hears an owl hoot three times. Another wild myth claims that owls are the only creatures that can live with ghosts.
Because of its black plumage, croaking call, and diet of carrion, the raven is often associated with loss and ill omen. Yet, its symbolism is complex. As a talking bird, the raven also represents prophecy and insight. Ravens in stories often act as psychopomps, connecting the material world with the world of spirits.
The world's darkest bird is the adult male of Princess Stephanie's astrapia (Astrapia stephaniae), a species of long-tailed bird-of-paradise native to the mountain forests of central and eastern Papua New Guinea.
The strix (plural striges or strixes), in the mythology of classical antiquity was a bird of ill omen, the product of metamorphosis, that fed on human flesh and blood. It also referred to witches and related malevolent folkloric beings.
Shadow Birds are enemies in Drawn to Life that are first encountered in Windy Hills. They fly around in linear patterns until The Hero approaches them; at which point, they will try to inflict damage using a wind-like area-of-effect attack.
Owls are considered prophets of doom. In ancient Rome as well as modern European and American folklore, a hooting owl warns of death.
Ravens and crows are both black birds that act as a symbol of death or mourning.
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.
The cormorant is also a symbol of greed and deception in John Milton's epic poem, Paradise Lost, as the form Satan took to disguise himself to enter Eden before tempting Eve.
"Owls symbolize inner wisdom, change, transformation, intuitive development, good luck, and self-actualization," says Charlotte Kirsten, M.A., a cultural symbolism expert and founder of Typically Topical.
Dromornis planei was a massive bird with a formidable bill. It belonged to a uniquely Australian family of extinct flightless birds, the dromornithids (mihirungs). Because of the close relationship between mihirungs and ducks, Dromornis planei has been nicknamed the 'Demon Duck of Doom'.
The Stymphalian birds were a group of monstrous birds in Greek Mythology. They devoured humans, and had beaks made of bronze. Their feathers were sharp and metallic and could be thrown against their prey, while their dung was poisonous.
The phoenix is an immortal bird associated with Greek mythology (with analogs in many cultures such as Egyptian and Persian) that cyclically regenerates or is otherwise born again. Associated with the sun, a phoenix obtains new life by rising from the ashes of its predecessor.
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. But, for the first time since 1992, the bird has been spotted in New York—right here in Brooklyn's Backyard.
The Dracula Parrots, unlike the green, red, or blue-colored birds, have a unique vulture-like appearance due to its black and grey chests, pitch-black beaks, and strokes of bright red feathers.
The Phainopepla is a singular bird of the Southwest. There is, for instance, the songbird's unusual looks: With its shining black plumage, fierce crimson eyes, and punk-rock crest, the male has been likened to a goth cardinal (it's actually a member of the silky flycatcher family).
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.
They are considered a messenger of good luck and are known as “birds of joy." For instance, if you see a magpie or if a magpie builds a nest near your home, that may be an indication and positive omen of incoming success and good news.
The Raven | Indigenous Symbolism
Generally, the Raven symbolizes creativity, mischief, and magic throughout most Pacific Northwest Indigenous cultures.