A mosaic in the London Underground depicting a woman being attacked by birds, from the 1963 horror movie The Birds

Ornithophobia is the abnormal and irrational fear of birds, as well as a type of specific phobia.[1][2] The term may also refer to strong dislike of birds. People with ornithophobia are often afraid of specific types of birds, for example chickens, ducks, and/or pest birds in grain-producing areas.[3]

The prefix ornitho- signifies "of or pertaining to birds", from Ancient Greek ὄρνις (órnis, "bird").

Notable people

American rapper Eminem says he is afraid of owls.[4] English footballer David Beckham and American actress Scarlett Johansson also have ornithophobia.[5] Other people with the fear have included:

See also

References

  1. ^ London, Louis S. (January 1952). "Ailurophobia and ornithophobia". The Psychiatric Quarterly. 26 (1): 365–371. doi:10.1007/BF01568473. PMID 14949213. S2CID 1726994.
  2. ^ Irena Milosevic; Randi E. McCabe (3 March 2015). Phobias: The Psychology of Irrational Fear. ABC-CLIO. p. 252. ISBN 978-1-61069-576-3.
  3. ^ Bonta, Mark (2008). "Valorizing the relationships between people and birds: Experiences and lessons from Honduras". Ornitologia Neotropical. 19 (Supplement): 1–10.
  4. ^ Barker, Emily (2015-08-27). "12 Musicians With Bizarre Fears And Phobias". NME. Retrieved 2023-03-15.
  5. ^ Hochberg, Mina (14 December 2011). "Scarlett Johansson on We Bought a Zoo, Her Fear of Birds, and Moving Away From 'Ingénue' Roles By Mina Hochberg". Vulture.
  6. ^ "Bergman talks of his dreams and demons in rare interview". The Guardian. 12 December 2001.
  7. ^ White, Danny (2014). Niall Horan: The Unauthorized Biography. p. 14. ISBN 978-1495614491.
  8. ^ "Slipknot - The Devil In I (Behind The Scenes)". Youtube. Slipknot. 11 December 2014. Archived from the original on 2021-12-13. Retrieved 24 November 2020.
  9. ^ Darryl J. Littleton; Tuezdae Littleton (2012). Comediennes: Laugh Be a Lady – "Lucille Ball". Hal Leonard Corporation. p. (eBook) (Chapter 5). ISBN 9781480329744. Retrieved April 26, 2021.
  10. ^ Aber, Ryan. "Oklahoma star Trae Young's bird phobia gives opposing fans ammo". The Oklahoman. Retrieved 2022-03-31.
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