Avian Tropes

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See also Tropesaurus Index for the rest of the dinosaurs (yes, birds are dinosaurs, all of them), Reptile and Amphibian Tropes for other reptiles (birds are reptiles too) and Fine Feathered Tropes for tropes about plumage in general.

Tropes

• Acrophobic Bird: A bird capable of flight either forgets or refuses to escape danger by flying.
• Artistic License – Ornithology: Fiction's portrayal of birds isn't accurate to how birds are in Real Life.
• Avian Flute: Birds musically represented by flutes.
• Balloon-Bursting Bird: A balloon gets popped by a bird's beak.
• Beak Attack: Beaks used as natural weapons.
• Birdcaged: A character is locked up in a birdcage instead of a normal cage.
• Bird People: Humanoid birds.
• Bird-Poop Gag: Someone or something gets hit by bird droppings.
• Bird vs. Serpent: A bird pitted against a snake.
• Birds of Femininity: Birds and bird Motifs used to represent femininity.
• Bluebird of Happiness: Bluebirds as symbols of happiness and serenity.
• Caged Bird Metaphor: A repressed character is compared to a bird in a cage.
• Canary in a Coal Mine: Keeping a caged canary in a mine so that when it dies, you know that there are toxic gases in the air.
• Cartoon Penguin: A simple black-and-white penguin of no particular species.
• Circling Birdies: When someone is hit over the head and their dazed state is represented by birds flying in circles around their head.
• Circling Vultures: Vultures circle someone when they're at death's door.
• Creepy Hairless Animal: An animal that usually has fur, hair, or feathers is hairless or featherless, making it seem creepy.
• Creepy Altricial Chick: Chicks that are altricial (hatch naked, blind and more or less completely helpless) just look discomforting.
• Cuckoo Clock Gag: Cuckoo birds are generally known for popping out of the clock every hour.
• Dapper Penguin: Anthropomorphic penguins depicted as elegant gentlemen dressed in tuxedos.
• Delivery Stork: Storks deliver babies to their parents.
• Disturbed Doves: Mass bird take-off is always symbolic.
• Divine Birds: Birds depicted as sacred, holy, or heavenly.
• Doofy Dodo: Dodo birds are portrayed as unintelligent and/or funny.
• Doves Mean Peace: When a dove appears, expect it to represent peace and other positive concepts.
• Dragon/Phoenix Juxtaposition: Symbolic pairings between a dragon and a phoenix.
• Easter Chicks: Birds affiliated with Easter.
• Egg-Laying Male: Male birds can lay eggs in fiction.
• Eggshell Clothing: When a creature that hatched from an egg wears the egg's shell as an item of clothing.
• Eyeball-Plucking Birds: Scavenging birds will ALWAYS go for the eyeballs of both living and dead animals.
• Feathered Dragons: Dragons with birdlike wings or other avian traits.
• Feathered Fiend: Evil birds.
• Feather Fingers: A bird's wing feathers function the same as fingers.
• Flying Flightless Bird: A bird that's flightless in reality but able to fly in a work of fiction.
• Flying South for the Winter: Birds flying south to avoid the cold of winter.
• Fowl-Mouthed Parrot: A parrot copies someone swearing.
• Goofy Feathered Dinosaur: Feathered dinosaurs depicted as humorous and unintimidating.
• Harping on About Harpies: Half-bird/half-woman mythical creatures.
• Homeless Pigeon Person: A homeless person who cares for pigeons.
• Instantly Defeathered Bird: A bird loses all of its feathers as a result of Amusing Injuries.
• Instant Messenger Pigeon: Birds that are used to deliver messages.
• Jungles Sound Like Kookaburras: If there's a scene taking place in a jungle, chances are good that you'll hear the sound of a kookaburra in the background.
• Mouthy Bird: A cartoon bird's beak is drawn or animated to act like a mouth.
• Not in Front of the Parrot!: Someone gets in trouble because they said something embarrassing or incriminating in front of a parrot.
• Ostrich Head Hiding: An ostrich with its head stuck under the ground.
• Our Gryphons Are Different: Half-bird/half-feline mythical creatures. Often eagle-lion hybrids.
• Our Perytons Are Different: Part bird, part deer, and 100% bad news for those that stand before it.
• Peacock Girl: When a humanoid person has a peacock tail or is wearing a bunch of feathers arranged as though it were a peacock tail.
• Pelican Package Pouch: When a pelican's throat pouch is used to hide and/or carry things.
• Penguins Are Ducks: Penguins given attributes of ducks due to confusion between the two.
• Perpetual Molt: Birds that are constantly shedding or losing feathers.
• Pesky Pigeons: Pigeons are portrayed as a nuisance, or as unpleasant creatures.
• The Phoenix: A mythical firebird that can resurrect itself after dying.
• Pirate Parrot: Pirates have parrots on their shoulders.
• Polar Bears and Penguins: Penguins living in the same habitat as polar bears, even though they don't live together in real life.
• Polar Penguins: Penguins are used as a visual shorthand for cold climates.
• Polly Wants a Microphone: Parrots are actually able to talk instead of just copying what they hear other people say.
• Proud Peacock: Peacocks depicted as vain birds.
• Semiaquatic Species Sailor: Anthropomorphic semi-aquatic birds such as ducks, loons, and seabirds are depicted as sailors, pirates, or captains.
• Simurgh and Chamrosh: Mythical birds that represent divinity and healing.
• Snack-Stealing Seagulls: Seagulls are portrayed as greedy food thieves.
• Thanksgiving Turkey: Turkeys are used to represent or symbolize Thanksgiving.
• Thunderbird: A giant bird connected with storms, usually drawn from Native American myth. Generally a bird of prey, but can be different birds.
• Toothy Bird: Birds with teeth.
• Vile Vulture: Vultures in fiction are amoral and villainous.
• Wilderness Sounds Like Loons: Loon calls can be heard in nature settings regardless of season, presence of water, or geographical location.