Tico Tico is a Brazilian sparrow. The song that begins 'O tico tico' takes the metaphor of the sparrow in the cornmeal as a symbol of love: when you hear its call, it is time to woo. The Portuguese lyrics were written by Aloysio de Oliviera and were set to music in 1917 by Zequinha de Abreu, since when it has featured in many films and TV commercials.