The Ancient Greeks kept ostriches as pets, and it is thought that jockeys raced them.
For many indigenous cultures in southern Arizona and Mexico, hummingbirds are known as a bringers of rain, because they led the rain and wind spirits back to their ancestors during a drought.
Around the 13th and 14th century, medieval Catholics saw parrots as pure and representatives of the Holy Family, and thus were valued pets for Popes.
According to Māori legend, the kiwi was the only bird who agreed to live on the forest floor to eat the insects and save us from them.
In Ancient Rome in 390 BCE, sacred geese of Juno kept in her temple courtyard warned the city of intruders by honking loudly.
Messenger pigeons have been used for thousands of years to deliver messages from one place to another.
In many Canadian Indigenous communities, the loon is valued for helping shamans connect with the spirit world.
In Ancient Egypt, the peacock was involved in the worship of the sun god Amon-Ra, represented the all-seeing eye, and was sacred as a poisonous snake killer.
For Indian Hindus, crows represent the souls of deceased family members and friends.
Mozart had a pet starling that he purchased because of its ability to mimic sound, and it is rumoured that the bird inspired one of his musical pieces.
Feathered Friends
Feathered Friends looks at how humans have benefitted from birds throughout our history, mythology, and present day, to show the strange and complex ways that people try to connect with creatures unlike themselves.
