Percepciones populares y culturales sobre los búhos en la cuidad de Catacocha. Loja, Ecuador.

Abstract

Human beings have associated certain groups of fauna with negative elements of daily living, to show the case of nocturnal raptors (owls and owls), which are attributed dark powers and attraction of "bad luck", generating myths and legends related to them. The present study was oriented to determine the degree of knowledge, perception and attitudes that Catacocha citizens have regarding these nocturnal birds. Through the use of 377 surveys aimed at men and women with different age ranges ranging from 6 to 85 years, the attitudes and perceptions that the inhabitants of this locality have about owls were defined; and, reveal that 71.81% of the population has an interest in conserving these birds. On the other hand, 37.50% think they are unlucky or bad omen and in 23.94% mentioned that they are dangerous. Additionally, differences were found in the level of knowledge among the different age strata, with younger people having more information about owls.