In general, people consider the southern hornbill as a bad omen. In Zimbabwe and Malawi, some people believe that if a hornbill perches on the roof of a house, it will bring bad luck to the occupants. If hornbills are seen clustering in odd numbers, it is considered a sign of death.

However, research in recent years has shown that rats are not the main disease vectors. Instead, humans, and fleas and body lice they carry, cause most of the spread of these diseases.

For example, in Roman mythology, the sound of an owl is believed to be a sign of imminent death. Owls are believed to have predicted the deaths of several Roman emperors, as their deaths occurred after the sound of an owl.

This time coincides with the Obon summer festival, which celebrates the return of the spirits of the deceased visiting their loved ones. The large red dragonfly is regarded as the messenger of these spirits, according to a 1959 ethnographic study.

In ancient Egypt, herons were regarded as symbols of purity in the circle of life and death. Ancient Egyptians may have believed that all herons were female and born spontaneously from eggs. This led to herons being worn as head ornaments by the wives of pharaohs and female pharaohs for protection.

In Irish folklore, Badb is one of the trio of war goddesses who takes the form of a crow. According to a 19th-century article published in the Proceedings of the Royal Irish Academy, this folklore states that she could be a sign of bloodshed, thus instilling fear in warriors on the battlefield.

According to The Raupo Book of Maori Proverbs, the common saying goes "bats fly at dusk, hokioi flies at night". Legend says that the bird has never been seen, only heard at night through its screeching in the darkness. It is possible that hokioi is actually an extinct bird known as the Haast eagle (Hieraaetus moorei), a large predatory bird capable of carrying small children.