Qizhong

Omen Bird of Pestilence

One-legged owl with a pig tail whose appearance foretold plague or drought.

Qizhong is the omen bird of Fuzhou Mountain, one-legged with a pig’s tail, whose appearance foretells plague in the state. A second account gives it a human face with four eyes and ears, warning of drought. Whether plague or drought, Qizhong belongs to the grim chorus of birds that cry calamity in the Shanhaijing.