魂たま迎むかえ鳥どり

noun

lesser cuckoo

Rare poetic name for the lesser cuckoo (Cuculus poliocephalus), literally 'soul-welcoming bird', from the belief that its call guides ancestral spirits during Obon.

See also: ホトトギス

• 「魂たま迎むかえ鳥どり」はホトトギスの異い名みょうで、盆ぼんの頃ころに鳴なくという。

  'Tamamukaedori' is another name for the lesser cuckoo, said to sing around the Obon season.