Paraguay Salvaje: Leyenda del Pitogue

Welcome to another edition of Paraguay's Myths and Legends. This time, we're going to meet one of the birds that doesn't enjoy such a good reputation, the pitohue. So this time, we're going to learn more about this beautiful bird and its curious legend. It's a kind of bird of the family Tyrannidae. Its peculiar song is well known all over America, especially in Paraguay. It's known for its name in Guarani, Pitohue, or directly Pitohé. In other countries, it's also known by the name of Vientebeo. Its loud and noisy song is its main characteristic, which is interpreted with several meanings. The best known is that it announces pregnancy. The belief that this bird announces pregnancy is based mainly on one of its best known legends, which indicates that this bird was previously a human, and in its previous existence, it performed the functions of a midwife or an empirical obstetrician. Hence, its great experience and knowledge about pregnant women, since this bird announces pregnancy even long before the one interested in it is well aware of its condition. This same legend assures that for that reason, the Pitohue carries a white headband that surrounds its head as a symbol and heritage of its ancient profession. This is one of the reasons why many times, an insistent song of a Pitohue near a house or near the homes is sometimes welcome and sometimes not so much. Some people even denounce it for its indiscretion, calling it Pitohue Yurumuhui, which means Pitohue Deletor, since many times, some or other love adventure that until then was unknown, is exposed by the indiscretion of this small but strange clairvoyant being. But far beyond all these popular beliefs, the role that the Pitohue has in nature is much more important, mainly in the control of pests and also in the dispersion of seeds. All this thanks to its wide feeding. We must value the Pitohue for its true functions in nature and it should not be feared and much less persecuted by any other false popular belief. This was Myths and Legends of Paraguay and I wait for you in a next edition with another fascinating story about our Paraguayan nature. See you!