Chickcharney
 |
The chickcharney, chickcharnie or chickcharnee is a mythical and cryptozoological creature resembling an owl, said to live in the forests of Andros Island in the Bahama Islands. According to some, it is furry, feathered and about three feet tall, with an ugly appearance. In common legend, if a traveler meets a chickcharney and treats it well, he or she will be rewarded with good luck, while treating a chickcharney badly will result in bad luck and hard times. Sightings have continued into the present.
Tyto pollens
It has been theorized by scholars that chickcharney sightings and legends are rooted in reality. Tyto pollens was a 1 metre (3.3 ft) tall, flightless species of barn-owl native to Andros, and closely fits eyewitness descriptions. It was rumored to survive until the 16th century, until settlers felled the eastern Andros forests.