"Pica salutatrix, corvus salutator". On Welcoming Birds in Ancient Literature

Abstract

In ancient literature we find evidence that birds were kept in the homes of wealthy Romans, and they were trained to speak, or more precisely, to greet guests or rulers. These birds could be magpie and jay (both referred to as pica), raven, parrot, but also thrush, starling and nightingales. Pica varia described by Petronius is certainly a magpie (not a jay), and therefore a bird valuable not so much for imitating human speech as for its rarity in the Apennine Peninsula at that time.