The chickcharney (also known as the chickcharnie or chickcharnee) is a
legendary creature
A legendary creature is a type of extraordinary or supernatural being that is described in folklore (including myths and legends), and may be featured in historical accounts before modernity, but has not been scientifically shown to exist.
In t ...
in the
folklore
Folklore is the body of expressive culture shared by a particular group of people, culture or subculture. This includes oral traditions such as Narrative, tales, myths, legends, proverbs, Poetry, poems, jokes, and other oral traditions. This also ...
of
Andros Island
Andros is an archipelago in The Bahamas, the largest of the Bahamian Islands. Politically considered a single island, Andros in total has an area greater than all the other 700 Bahamian islands combined. The land area of Andros consists of hun ...
in the
Bahama Islands. It is said to live in the forests, is furry or feathered, and about tall, with an ugly appearance resembling an
owl's, except it has very long legs and clawed hands built into its wings. In common legend, if a traveler meets a chickcharney and treats it well, they will be rewarded with good luck, while treating a chickcharney badly will result in bad luck and hard times. It is also allegedly prone to killing anyone who laughs at how odd it looks. Sightings have continued into the present. It is said that the birds make their nest by bringing several pine trees together and making their nest in the middle. Several of these tree formations have been sighted.
''Tyto pollens''
A forester from Oregon, Bruce G. Marcot, claimed in 1995 that the legend of the chickcharney is based on the prehistoric Bahamian barn owl ''
Tyto pollens'', although the fossil remains of that species have never been found on Andros and the youngest fossil bones are from a layer before the arrival of the first humans, the
Lucayans.
References
{{Reflist
Caribbean legendary creatures
Culture of the Bahamas
Forest spirits
Legendary birds