La Lechuza: When an Owl is Not an Owl

An owl is only a minor character in Halloween lore in most of the US, but in Texas and northern Mexico, an owl could be a shapeshifting witch! It makes sense, since owls are fierce predators and can have a wingspan of up to five feet. Add that to the fact that they are active in the dark, and they can be pretty terrifying when they fly at you, especially if you've been drinking. La Lechuza is said to especially dangerous to drunk people and children, those who are most prone to believe in them. 


While owls may pose a danger to very small children outside in their territory, they don't enter homes and tend to stay away from adult humans. But those are real birds. This is about a witch.

Dr. Emily Zarka of Monstrum explains the legend of La Lechuza, from pre-Columbian spiritual beliefs to the mixture of European concepts of evil to a strange series of sightings in 1975. The owl in the window says, "Whoo?"


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