The Eagle Owl, Superstition’s Scapegoat

Source: Flickr, http://www.flickr.com/photos/owl_062/

Found in the trees in South Asia, the Eagle Owl is the unfortunate victim of human superstition. Given its large, eerie red eyes and its low, ominous call, the eagle owl is thought to bring death and ill omens wherever it is found. As a result, many rituals have been recorded that include starving, killing and beating the bird whenever it draws close to a village.