>>46934946You're right and wrong - it is based on the pueo owl, but there is still an association with death beyond the hawaiian spiritual beliefs
"Decidueye is based on an owl. It is most similar to the pueo owl in particular, which is a common physical form of the aumakua, ancestral spirits in Hawaiian culture. This may account for its Ghost typing. Additionally, it has some traits similar to the common barn owl – which in some territories is also known as the "ghost owl" – and the extinct stilt-owl. In general, an association between the supernatural and owls was once a very common motif, as they were seen as both bearers of death and disturbed spirits throughout history."
I also like to think of it as a dead/dying pokemon because the owl is an endangered species, due to dramatic population decline of the pueo owls due to humans disturbing, poisoning or invading their natural habitat - pic related.
So I think of it as the owls spirits are being removed from their bodies/killed faster than they can physically make new bodies/have offspring, so the surplus souls of the dead owls reside within the remaining living ones... Hence ghost type.
