Kuşlar, yüzyıllardır insanların hayatında önemli bir yer edinmiştir. İnsanların uçmasına imrendiği yetenekleriyle kuşlar, hayvanlar içerisinde daima ön plana çıkmış, güzel sanatların konusu olmuştur. İnsan kuşların türlerini, fiziki özelliklerini ve davranışlarını gözlemlemiş; kuşlardan bazılarını uğurlu, bazılarını uğursuz saymıştır. Bu makalede Antarktika dışında dünyanın her yerinde yaşayan ve insanların dikkatini her daim çeken, çoklukla uğursuzluk getireceğine inanılan, son günlerde modanın popüler bir figürü haline gelen baykuş kelimesi ve baykuşla ilgili inançlar üzerinde durulmuştur. Makalenin birinci bölümünde zararlı ve kemirici hayvanları avlamakla geçinen, başlarında iki tepelik bulunan yırtıcı gece kuşlarının ortak adı olarak tanımlanan (MBTS: 117) baykuş’un halk inanışlarındaki durumu, baykuşa yüklenen anlamlar ile ilgili bilgiler derlenmiştir. Daha sonra baykuşun şamanlardan günümüze Türk kültüründeki yeri üzerinde durulmuştur. Makalenin ikinci bölümünde baykuşun birçok türü olduğu vurgulanmıştır. Tarihî ve çağdaş Türkçe yazılı belgelerdeki örneklere dayandırılarak Eski Türkçeden itibaren baykuşa karşılık gelen ügi/yapakulak/koburga kelimeleri incelenmiştir. Bu kelimeler incelenirken etimolojileri, kelimelerin tarihî dönemlerdeki şekilleri, ağızlardaki ve modern lehçelerdeki karşılıkları verilmiştir. Makalenin üçüncü bölümünde ise baykuş kelimesinin etimolojisi incelenmiş ve kelimenin tarihi seyri üzerinde durulmuş; ardından baykuşa verilen diğer isimlere de yer verilmiştir. Bu çalışmanın son bölümünde ise genel bir değerlendirme yapılmıştır. Baykuşa verilen isimlere bakıldığında halk inançlarının dile olan etkisi de gözlemlenmiştir.

Birds have always had a great importance for human beings for centuries. Birds, which humans envy them for their capability for flying, have always been one step further and they have been a topic for fine arts. Humans have observed types, physical features and attitudutes of birds; and some of them are believed to bring luck, while others are considered to bring bad luck. In this article, the emphasis is on owl, which live anywhere but Antarctica region on Earth, mostly known for bringing bad luck but these days seemed to have become a popular icon of fashion, and the word owl , and myths/ beliefs about owl. In the first part of the article owl have been defined as a nocturnal bird of prey with large eyes, a facial disc, a hooked beak, and typically a loud hooting call (MBTS: 117) , and data about owl position in folk tales /beliefs, implied meanings and attributed messages for owl have been compiled. Then, owl’ position from shamanic beliefs up to now in Turkish culture has been examined. In the second part that there is different types of owl in owl family has been emphasied. Based on historical and modern written Turkish documents, the words from ancient old Turkish ügi/yapāķulaķ/ķuburġa corresponding to the word owl have been examined. The etymology, the shape of words in historical eras, corresponding words in dialects and modern accents are stated examining these words. In the third part of of the article, etymology of owl itself and its historical changes have been mentioned; afterwards the other words given to the owl have also been stated. At the end of the study, a general evaluation is taken place. By looking at the words given to owl, it has turned out the effect of beliefs on language Some of the folk beliefs have been derived from the effects of animals, a part of the nature on humans. The bird singings, the colour and the shape of their feather ,all kind of physical features ,the way of feeding, its nest or habitat and whether it is wild or domestic have affected the way people name the birds. There are some various reasons why the owl is believed to bring good luck: Its big head can rotate 270 degrees, It can put a spell on and hunt smaller birds such as sparrows by widening its luminous eyes with the ability of night sight ,it lives in abandoned sites and it doesn’t sing nicely. Considering the beliefs about the owl, it has been detected they can vary in different cultures, however they have some similarities to the common sense in some cultures. In this work it has been emphasized that the owl is believed to symbolize death and destruction in one culture while it symbolizes good luck,wisdom , mind, fine arts and holy knowledge in another. In addition, in some medical works of classical period it was reported that each organ of the owl is vital to medicine, it was used a cures to some illnesses and it was believed to be the companion of healers and to be a sign of secrets. The owl which is considered to be evil in some societies and during some periods has recently been a figure commonly used by fashion designers, stylists and architectures. When questioning the reason why the owl, considered to bring good luck with its physical appearance, especially its eyes has become a figure in fashion, decoration and jewelry, the point of view of fashion must be taken into consideration because the skull figure has also become popular recently and this shows that fashion loves using contradictions and it focuses on attractive elements. Fashion has an important power on leading and forming human perception. In addition to this, in the light of the information in the first part of the article, it can be stated that the owl motive has become common and fashionable because the opinion that it symbolizes fine arts and wisdom in Greek and Ancient Rome is stronger than the belief of bad luck. The changes in perceptions of generations may also have an important impact. It is a sign of the belief of being a healer