The Spot-Bellied Eagle Owl Known As The Devil Bird Of Sri Lanka, With Hearts In Its Feathers

When We started looking for information about the spot-bellied eagle owl, which is also called the forest eagle owl, We kept seeing it described as having a “formidable appearance.” Which, okay, sure, they are a large bird of prey and that’s going to be a little off-putting for anyone upon first seeing them, but “formidable” wouldn’t be the first adjective I’d choose to describe them.

In Sri Lankan folklore, a woman whose child was murdered by her husband went mad and ran off into the jungle to commit suicide. After her death, the gods transformed her into a creature called the ulama, or devil bird, whose horrible, human-sounding wail in the distance is a portent that something terrible is about to happen [source: Dole].