In the Rio Grande Valley of Texas and across northern Mexico, a terrifying legend persists: La Lechuza, a bruja (witch) who possesses the horrifying ability to transform into a monstrous owl. Her origins vary by tale, but often speak of a woman who was unjustly accused of witchcraft and murdered, or a mother whose child was killed by a drunkard; in death, she harnesses dark magic to hunt the living. Eyewitness accounts describe her as having the body of a giant barn owl, sometimes stark white and other times as black as coal, with a wingspan stretching several feet wide. Most horrifyingly, she is said to retain the grotesque, human-like face of an old, haggard woman, with large, piercing eyes that glow in the dark.
La Lechuza is a creature of the deepest night, feared for her insidious methods of luring prey. She is infamously known to mimic the heart-wrenching cry of a human baby, a sound designed to draw compassionate people out of their homes. She is also said to whistle or make clicking sounds outside a home, and if someone whistles back, it is considered an invitation for her to attack. To simply hear her cry is a warning, but to see her is a sign of imminent death.
