Folklore of Ornamental Birds: From Holy Birds to Death Omens

Humans have found a whole range of uses for birds over the centuries. Hunting with them, keeping them for their song, using them for food or divination - and because some of them are uncommonly pretty. Look at the magnificent peacock with its elaborate tail, or the sweet little goldfinch with its black and red mask. Even the humble dove is both provider of meat and gentle garden presence in its dovecote. In Devon, one tradition claimed the devil could take any form except a lamb or a dove. In this article, we're going to focus on ornamental birds. So that's birds intended for purposes besides consumption. These include pet birds, and birds for breeding.  Let's find out more about the folklore of peafowl, partridges, doves, and finches in this week's episode of Fabulous Folklore! Find the images and references on the blog post: https://www.icysedgwick.com/ornamental-birds/ Get your free guide to home protection the folklore way here: https://www.icysedgwick.com/fab-folklore/ Become a member of the Fabulous Folklore Family for bonus episodes and articles at https://patreon.com/bePatron?u=2380595 Fabulous Folklore Bookshop: https://uk.bookshop.org/shop/fabulous_folklore Enjoyed this episode and want to show your appreciation? Buy Icy a coffee to say 'thanks' at: https://ko-fi.com/icysedgwick Pre-recorded illustrated talks: https://ko-fi.com/icysedgwick/shop Request an episode: https://forms.gle/gqG7xQNLfbMg1mDv7 Get extra snippets of folklore on Instagram at https://instagram.com/icysedgwick 'Like' Fabulous Folklore on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/fabulousfolklore/ Find Icy on BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/icysedgwick.bsky.social Tweet Icy at https://x.com/IcySedgwick