From: Birds and people in semiarid northeastern Brazil: symbolic and medicinal relationships
Families/species | Vernacular name | Category (subcategory) | Uses and purposes | Citations |
---|---|---|---|---|
Tinamidae | Â | Â | Â | Â |
Nothura boraquira Spix, 1825 | White-bellied Nothura | Medicinal (cures), Symbolic (protection) | M- Administering an infusion made from the feathers of this bird will supposedly cure someone bitten by a snake. A soup made from the cooked meat of this bird can cure colds. S- Carrying a feather from this bird will protect a person from disagreeable events. | 4 |
Carthartidae | Â | Â | Â | Â |
Coragyps atratus Bechstein, 1793 | Black Vulture | Medicinal (cures) | M- The liver of this bird is extracted and cooked and then reduced to a powder. If this powder is added to the drink or food of an alcoholic, without that person being aware of it, they will supposedly be cured of alcoholism. Ingesting fat from the bones of this vulture will cure aching bones. | 5 |
Cariamidae | Â | Â | Â | Â |
Cariama cristata Linnaeus, 1766 | Red-legged Seriema | Medicinal (prevention) Symbolic (protection) | M- Using a necklace made from the feathers of this bird will help avoid serious reactions to snake bites. S- Using a necklace made from the feathers of this bird will protect the hunter and his dog from snakebites. | 2 |
Columbidae | Â | Â | Â | Â |
Columbina minuta Linnaeus, 1766 | Plain-breasted Ground-Dove | Medicinal (cures) | M- Drying the foot this bird and eating it raw, or preparing an infusion with the feces of this animal, are believed to cure colds. | 2 |
Columbina talpacoti Temminck, 1811 | Ruddy Ground-Dove | Medicinal (cures) | M- Drying the foot this bird and eating it raw, or preparing an infusion with the feces of this animal, are believed to cure colds. | 2 |
Columbina squammata Lesson, 1831 | Scaled Dove | Medicinal (cures) | M- Drying the foot this bird and eating it raw, or preparing an infusion with the feces of this animal, are believed to cure colds. | 2 |
Columbina picui Temminck, 1813 | Picui Ground-Dove | Medicinal (cures) Symbolic (omens) | M- Drying the foot this bird and eating it raw, or preparing an infusion with the feces of this animal, are believed to cure colds. S- The call of this bird is believed to predict disagreeable events. | 3 |
Patagioenas picazuro Temminck, 1813 | Picazuro Pigeon | Symbolic (omens) | S- It is believed that this bird attracts disagreeable events. | 1 |
Leptotila verreauxi Bonaparte, 1855 | White-tipped Dove | Medicinal (cures) | M- Eating the cooked meat of this bird will cure morning sickness during pregnancy. | 5 |
Psittacidae | Â | Â | Â | Â |
Aratinga cactorum Kuhl, 1820 | Cactus Parakeet | Medicinal (cures) | M- Consuming a brew made from the meat of this bird is believed to facilitate the eruption of new teeth in children. | 1 |
Trochilidae | Â | Â | Â | Â |
Chlorostibon lucidus Shaw, 1812 | Glittering-bellied Emerald | Symbolic | S- Eating the heart of this bird will make a hunter more successful. | 1 |
Corvidae | Â | Â | Â | Â |
Cyanocorax cyanopogon Wied, 1821 | White-naped Jay | Medicinal (cures), Symbolic (protection) | M- If this bird is raised as a pet and fed with leftover food of a person afflicted with asthma or shortness of breath it will cure this illness. Applying an infusion made with the feathers of this bird will supposedly cure Chagas disease. S- A bird kept as a pet in the house can help prevent disagreeable events, as it is believed to be capable of foretelling them. | 25 |
Turdidae | Â | Â | Â | Â |
Turdus rufiventris Vieillot, 1818 | Rufous-bellied Thrush | Symbolic (climate) | S- The song of this bird is believed to foretell rainfall. | 1 |
Mimidae | Â | Â | Â | Â |
Mimus saturninus Lichtenstein, 1823 | Chalk-browed Mockingbird | Medicinal (cures) | M- Eating the cooked meat of this bird will cure morning sickness during pregnancy. | 1 |
Icteridae | Â | Â | Â | Â |
Icterus jamacaii Gmelin, 1788 | Campo Troupial | Symbolic (omens) | S- Keeping this bird as a pet can attract disagreeable events. | 1 |
Fringillidae | Â | Â | Â | Â |
Euphonia chlorotica Linnaeus, 1766 | Purple-throated Euphonia | Symbolic (omens) | S- The song of this bird is believed to attract disagreeable events. | 2 |