A strong case could be made that of all birds presented in Jewish scriptures, literature, and folklore, the owl is the most despised. After all, during the medieval period, the bird came to be strongly associated with Lilith, a demoness and witch, and in some traditions, the first wife of Adam.
Birds in Judaism and Jewish Culture (A-Wing and A-Way)
Tanach and Talmud
Tanach (selected references)
Dark desert owl: בַּ֣ת הַֽיַּעֲנָ֔ה
translation note: owl, ostrich, literally translated as “daughters of the owl”
Little/Screech Owl: כּ֥וֹס
also called “dark little owl”
also means cup
Great Owl: יַּנְשׁ֖וּף
also called “long-eared owl”
I am like a pelican of the wilderness; I am become as an owl (כ֣וֹס) of the waste places.
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