Bird Superstitions

For as long as people have put ink to paper (or etchings to rock), they’ve utilized birds in their storytelling. Corvids in particular. This family of birds is comprised of more than 120 species that includes crows, magpies, and ravens. Sometimes villainous, sometimes kind, and often showcasing anthropomorphic qualities, corvids through thousands of years of popular culture have one thing in common—an air of mystery.

Why are we so fascinated with these birds? And why do we assign them so much power? The answers likely lie in the connections, experiences, and even superstitions that we humans have long held regarding our feathered friends. Ancient peoples believed that birds were signs from the gods—or even gods themselves. Egyptians, Mayans, and Aztecs drew some of their deities as birds and associated them with the sun, wind, and vegetation.

In some cases our superstitions benefitted the birds. England’s King Charles II so strongly believed that England would fall if there were no ravens at the Tower of London that he insisted some of the birds be permanently kept there. Even now, nearly 400 years later, seven ravens are kept on the Tower grounds.

Other superstitions don’t treat the birds so kindly. Especially when it comes to crows, which are often mistaken for ravens but who receive noticeably less props. The crows’ bad rap may have started in ancient Greece—where a crow at a wedding meant divorce for the happy couple. Worse, seeing a crow in a churchyard or graveyard portended a quick death (for the human, not the crow).

Magpies, another corvid species, are even more vilified than crows. As the only bird that reportedly did not partake in the journey of Noah’s Ark, magpies are said to have a “drop of the devil’s blood” beneath their tongues. That’s a strong accusation against a bird that somehow managed to survive the world’s inundation.

What we’ve learned from birds, via cultures from ancient times until now, is that good or bad, people view our feathered friends as an extension of their lives and livelihoods. Today, we still smile knowingly when a cardinal appears, remembering our parents’ notion that the vibrantly red bird represents a visiting spirit. Even with myth busting technology at our fingertips, some long-held bird stories are too ingrained in our culture to ever fully disappear.

Our top 10 bird superstitions:

1. If a bird accidentally hits your window, someone in your house will soon die. [Pro tip from Audubon: we carry stickers in our Nature Stores that you can adhere to your windows to decrease window hits by birds—and potentially extend your life if you subscribe to this superstition].
2. A hooting owl means impending doom. This belief was started by the Romans after Julius Caesar, Augustus, and Agrippa supposedly had their deaths preceded by an owl’s hoot.
3. A wren’s feather provides protection from shipwreck and drowning.
4. Tip your hat at every magpie you see, and you’ll have good luck.
5. Need even more good luck? Then accept it as a good omen when a bird poops on your head [bonus points if you still have the hat on that you tipped at the magpie].
6.  A woodpecker tapping on a tree in your neighborhood indicates that you’ll soon have a visitor.
7. Bring a peacock feather into the house of an unmarried woman and she’ll go on to become an old maid.
8. If a bird travels by you from left to right, trouble is ahead. But if the direction is right to left, you have good times to look forward to.
9. If you see six mynah birds together, you’ll be seeing green—you are about to receive surprise money. Unfortunately, mynahs (which are in the same family as starlings) are an Old World species, so don’t count on that windfall if you are sticking around Western Pennsylvania.
10. Get out your earplugs on weekends. On Fridays Blue Jays disappear from the earth and travel to Hell to deliver gossip (and also, sticks). They return on Saturdays and are exceptionally loud, signifying their joy at safely returning from the underworld.