This bird is considered fearsome and scary due to its connection to the supernatural., It’s, song reminds us of witches and ghosts, and they often frequent abandoned houses and cemeteries. Beyond these popular fears it’s a fascinating bird.

As well as being visually arresting to those lucky enough to see one, they are excellent rodent hunters.

A popular legend says that an owl, called Xibeca in Catalan, cursed a young woman turning her into a witch, and the elongated shadow of this witch gave the idea for the name of the liter beer of the Damm company. An alternative version of the story suggests that the origin of the name could be the similarity between the size of the bottle and the owl.