A sourced illustration has not yet been added. This gap is included in the coverage record.
Overview
Julio Vicuña Cifuentes records different central Chilean encounters on printed pages 36–37 of his 1915 collection. At Matancilla the bird's mule-like cry foretells a death in the house where it is heard. At Talagante its passing shadow on a moonlit night condemns a person to die within a year. The threatened person need not touch or capture the bird; voice and shadow bring the danger.
Other local accounts divide its behaviour by colour. In Santiago the white Cuca flies ahead of lost travellers and helps them find the path, while the black one announces misfortune. San Bernardo distinguishes the white bird's cuca call and favourable omen from the black bird's mule-like cry. The later Enciclopedia Chilena describes uncertain anatomy and compares its size with a tiuque, while citing Vicuña as its earlier source.
Origins & earliest records
Vicuña's 1915 publication is the located historical witness used here. Its named collection localities matter more than an invented single origin story. Enciclopedia Chilena, compiled between 1948 and 1971, later summarizes the bird; its proposed ancient or Indigenous ancestry is speculative and is not adopted as a demonstrated genealogy.
Records & interpretation
The cached national-library scan's pp. 36–37 and the complete encyclopedia transcription were inspected. OCR obscures parts of the earlier page, so individual regional contrasts are retained only where the text is legible and supported by the later account. The supernatural bird is not identified with an actual species merely because it shares a vernacular name.
Selected bibliography
Documented works and useful reading. This is not a list of every appearance.
- 01
Mitos y supersticiones recogidos de la tradición oral chilena
Printed pp. 36–37, section IX: La Cuca; locality-specific accounts.
- 02
La Cuca, Enciclopedia Chilena, ECH-519/19
Historical encyclopedia article; transcription preserves its citation to Vicuña.
Family & connections
A source-supported family tree or inspiration record has not yet been compiled for this profile. Related reading below indicates a connection in subject matter, not a proven lineage or creative influence.
References
Sources supporting this profile. Linked pages have their own scope and editorial standards.
- Primary textMemoria Chilena: Vicuña Cifuentes, Mitos y supersticiones (1915), pp. 36–37Research access: 2026-10-05
- ReferenceEnciclopedia Chilena: La Cuca, ECH-519/19Research access: 2026-10-05
Image credits
A sourced illustration has not yet been added. This gap is included in the coverage record.
