Gently lifting its wings, a bird takes to the sky, serenading the dawn with its melodious tune. This image encapsulates a fraction of the various messages within this collection of bird quotes and sayings.
Not just symbolic representations, birds bring forth a myriad of life lessons, inspirations, and vibrant imagery that imprint themselves on our creative and philosophical landscapes.
The vital role of birds extends beyond inspiring. They are key players in maintaining our environment's health and balance. Birds contribute significantly to pollination, supporting our food supply, while seabirds help sustain our coral reefs, enhancing air quality.
This article has handpicked some of the best quotes about birds that can inspire you to see the world from a bird's view while deepening your appreciation for them.
Quick links to our selection of bird quotes:
- Bird Quotes Appreciating Avians
- Birds Reminders About Their Welfare And Survival
- Motivational Bird Quotes To Push You To Fly High
- Early Bird Quotes
- Sayings About Birds And Freedom
- Bird Quotes In Hatching Out From The Egg
- Must-Read Bird Quotes To Appreciate Life
- More Lessons From Birds
- Noteworthy Bird Quotes From Literary Works
- Notable Bird Quotes From Various Artists
- Other Bird Quotes And Sayings To Reflect On
Bird Quotes Appreciating Avians
Part of the Aves class, birds, in their multitude of forms, continuously surprise us. Their diverse habitats extend from tropical rainforests to Icy tundras. Their range in size spans from the tiniest hummingbird to the towering ostrich.
A spectrum of vivid colors, from flamingos in pink to peaco*cks in blue, provides a visual treat. Additionally, even if all of them are feathered, some birds can only swim like the penguin.
Nonetheless, all avian species face various threats, such as habitat loss, climate change, and pollution. Sadly, some have gone extinct in recent years. It's paramount that we undertake adequate measures to ensure their protection and sustain the varied birdlife on our planet.
Read insights from various bird lovers below to inspire yourself to be avian protectors.
"Everyone likes birds. What wild creature is more accessible to our eyes and ears, as close to us and everyone in the world, as universal as a bird?"
- Sir David Attenborough
"I think penguins are the most human of all the birds, which may be why people love them. They're cute, they stand upright and they look like they're wearing tuxedos."
- Shia LaBeouf
"No human ever lived in a birdless world."
- Richard Smyth
"Not humans, but birds often witness the most beautiful mornings in this world!"
- Mehmet Murat Ildan
"Watching birds has become part of my daily meditation affirming my connection to the earth body."
- Carol P. Christ
"When you see birds flying from the sunset towards you, you will find it hard to convince yourself that they are not angels from heaven!"
- Mehmet Murat ildan
"If one bird foraging in a flock on the ground suddenly takes off, all other birds will take off immediately after, before they even know what's going on. The one who stays behind may be prey."
- Frans De Waal
Birds Reminders About Their Welfare And Survival
We must take proactive steps to save our birds and their environment. This includes spearheading conservation projects, reducing pollution, combating climate change, and preserving and restoring natural habitats.
Direct action, such as participating in local bird count events and adopting sustainable practices, also contributes positively.
The prominent conservation biologist Dr. Thomas Lovejoy declares bird conservation to be a fundamental solution to various environmental issues. Therefore, every effort to safeguard avians must start from all of us if we want to conserve Mother Nature.
"If you take care of birds, you take care of most of the environment problems in the world."
- Dr. Thomas Lovejoy
"God loved the birds and invented trees. Man loved the birds and invented cages."
- Jacques Deval
"Ninety-five percent of the eggs produced in America come from factory-farmed birds. Even if free-range farms were hugely more humane, the sheer number of animals raised to satisfy people's desire for eggs, meat, and milk makes it impossible for us to raise them all on small, free-range farms."
- Ingrid Newkirk
"Wild beasts and birds are by right not the property merely of the people today, but the property of the unborn generations, whose belongings we have no right to squander."
- Theodore Roosevelt
"When I was twelve, I went hunting with my father and we shot a bird. He was laying there and something struck me. Why do we call this fun to kill this creature who was as happy as I was when I woke up this morning."
- Marv Levy
"There is nothing in which the birds differ more from man than the way in which they can build and yet leave a landscape as it was before."
- Robert Wilson Lynd
Motivational Bird Quotes To Push You To Fly High
The science behind a bird's flight is marvelously simple yet subtly complex. It involves mastering balance, air resistance, and gravity. Utilizing their lightweight bodies, specially adapted wings, and powerful muscles, birds can hover, glide, or soar through the skies.
Watching them in flight continuously has inspired us for thousands of years. Their ability to rise above the earth to navigate the heavens symbolically connects to human aspirations - reaching ambitious dreams with utmost faith and courage.
Through their flight, they teach us to soar toward our dreams. Let the following bird sayings spark the fire in you.
"Hold fast to dreams, for if dreams die, life is a broken-winged bird that cannot fly."
- Langston Hughes
"Birds learn how to fly, never knowing where the flight will take them."
- Mark Nepo
"The reason birds can fly and we can't is simply because they have perfect faith, for to have faith is to have wings."
- J.M. Barrie
"Fly! There's a lot of sky out there for brave birds."
- Matthew Quick
"All birds find shelter during a rain, but the eagle avoids the rain by flying above the clouds. Problems are common, but attitude makes the difference."
- A. P. J. Abdul Kalam
"If birds can glide for long periods of time, then why can't I?"
- Orville Wright
"Most birds were created to fly. Being grounded for them is a limitation within their ability to fly, not the other way around."
- William Paul Young
"Tomorrow, the birds will sing. Be brave. Face life."
- Charlie Chaplin
"A heart without dreams is like a bird without feathers."
- Suzy Kassem
Early Bird Quotes
The 400-year-old idiom "The early bird catches the worm" originated from a book of proverbs by English naturalist John Ray. It means that those who start their tasks early are more likely to succeed.
It also reflects how avians survive. Most birds, from petite sparrows to robust eagles, begin hunting shortly after dawn when daylight breaks.
Overall, this proverb illustrates the virtue of being initiative. Its message encourages us to be diligent and not to delay, as doing so can lead to better outcomes. Be one of the early birds as you take inspiration from the following short quotes.
"The early bird gets the worm, but the second mouse gets the cheese."
- Willie Nelson
"The early bird gets the worm but the late bird doesn't even get the late worm."
- Charles M. Schulz
"The early bird catches the worm."
- Unknown
"The early bird gets the worm. The early worm... gets eaten."
- Norman Ralph Augustine
Sayings About Birds And Freedom
Birds have become universally recognized symbols of freedom due largely to their flight abilities, unhindered by any constraints.
The bald eagle, the USA's national bird, is a prime example, representing liberty and strength. Similarly, the Bible frequently references doves, symbolizing peace and hope, as when a dove returned to Noah on the ark, signifying land was near.
These examples and the insights below reinforce the strong association between birds and the emotional resonances of freedom.
"No one is free, even the birds are chained to the sky."
- Bob Dylan
"The biggest favor you can do to yourself is fly freely like birds."
- Kuldeep Gera
"Tame birds sing of freedom. Wild birds fly."
- John Lennon
"Some birds are not meant to be caged, that's all. Their feathers are too bright, their songs too sweet and wild."
- Stephen King
"A forest bird never wants a cage."
- Henrik Ibsen
"Broken wings can heal, A bird is meant to fly."
- Kate Stradling
"I know why the caged bird sings, ah me, when his wing is bruised and his bosom sore; when he beats his bars and he would be free, it is not a carol of joy or glee, but a prayer that he sends from his heart's deep core."
- John Berry
Bird Quotes In Hatching Out From The Egg
All birds reproduce by laying eggs, incubating them for a period, and then ushering in a new life as chicks emerge from those eggs. This process demonstrates patience, careful nurturing, and expected transformations.
If you have ever seen a fledgling bird slowly cracking through the shell, you are reminded of your own potential for growth and the rewarding fruits of consistency. Like the birds, we, too, can hatch into our best selves.
"It may be hard for an egg to turn into a bird: it would be a jolly sight harder for it to learn to fly while remaining an egg. We are like eggs at present. And you cannot go on indefinitely being just an ordinary, decent egg. We must be hatched or go bad."
- C. S. Lewis
"The bird fights its way out of the egg. The egg is the world. Whoever will be born must destroy a world."
- Hermann Hesse
"I’m youth, I’m joy, I’m a little bird that has broken out of the egg."
- J.M. Barrie
"Not every hen lay eggs. Not every hen that lays eggs gets them hatched. Not everyone born with greatness becomes as such. Go, hatch your eggs."
- Israelmore Ayivor
"The egg of a bird hatches only when the chick within is ready."
- Liam Williams
Must-Read Bird Quotes To Appreciate Life
Birds clearly have a profound appreciation for life, perhaps most evident in their spirited chirping and singing. They communicate, attract mates, and express territorial rights through their melodic tunes.
Hearing their joyous notes reminds us to recognize the simple joys of life. After reading the quotes below, count your blessings more often as you connect with nature.
"Birds chirping around you is a beautiful realization that life in incredibly good. Let this sound be a gentle break in your routine."
- Hiral Nagda
"Every bird, every tree, every flower reminds me what a blessing and privilege it is just to be alive."
- Marty Rubin
"May my heart always be open to little birds who are the secrets of living."
- E. E. Cummings
"The moment a little boy is concerned with which is a jay and which is a sparrow, he can no longer see the birds or hear them sing."
- Eric Berne
"I caught a glimpse of happiness, and saw it was a bird on a branch, fixing to take wing."
- Richard Peck
"A bird does not sing because it has an answer, it sings because it has a song."
- Maya Angelou
"Wherever there are birds, there is hope."
- Mehmet Murat Ildan
"The songs of the morning birds reverberate the glory of the eternal life."
- Amit Ray
"Birds teach a great life lesson. All you have to do is listen to their songs."
- Unknown
"That little bird has chosen his shelter. Above it are the stars and the deep heaven of worlds. Yet he is rocking himself to sleep without caring for tomorrow's lodging, calmly clinging to his little twig, and leaving God to think for him."
- Martin Luther
More Lessons From Birds
Aside from the previously mentioned above, birds can provide other life lessons if we simply observe. In the first bird saying below, the creature on a fragile branch teaches us the power of trust in one's abilities despite uncertain circ*mstances.
Decipher and reflect on hidden teaching in the following quotes from Greek fabulist Aesop to English poet William Blake.
"A bird sitting on a tree is never afraid of the branch breaking, because her trust is not on the branch but on her own wings."
- Unknown
"No bird soars too high if he soars with his own wings."
- William Blake
"It is not only fine feathers that make fine birds."
- Aesop
"Use those talents you have. You will make it. You will give joy to the world. Take this tip from nature: The woods would be a very silent place if no birds sang except those who sang best."
- Bernard Meltzer
"Be as a bird perched on a frail branch that she feels bending beneath her, still she sings away all the same, knowing she has wings."
- Victor Hugo
"Opportunity is a bird that never perches."
- Claude Maxwell MacDonald
"Keep a green tree in your heart and perhaps the singing bird will come."
- Lois Lowry
"Be not like the bird that sees the seed, but not the trap."
- Judah ben Saul ibn Tibbon
"Every nation needs two wings to fly. Any bird torn at the wings will never soar the skies."
- Suzy Kassem
Noteworthy Bird Quotes From Literary Works
Birds have graced the pages of literary works for centuries, providing vivid metaphors. For instance, in his poem "The Sun Watches the Sun," Dejan Stojanovic likens celestial bodies to nests of invisible birds, emphasizing mystery and wonder.
In 'Walden,' Henry David Thoreau highlights environmental consciousness, underscoring the interconnectedness of habitat and species.
In "Il Penseroso," John Milton extols a bird's sweet song, which contrasts the noise of human folly with the solace found in natural melody.
These works and more remind us of how bird symbolism finds a place in the literary imagination.
"How can you expect the birds to sing when their groves are cut down?"
- Henry David Thoreau
"The robin flew from his swinging spray of ivy on to the top of the wall and he opened his beak and sang a loud, lovely trill, merely to show off. Nothing in the world is quite as adorably lovely as a robin when he shows off — and they are nearly always doing it."
- Frances Hodgson Burnett
"When the Sun of compassion arises darkness evaporates and the singing birds come from nowhere."
- Amit Ray
"My heart is like a singing bird."
- Christina Rossetti
"Without love we all like birds with broken wings."
- Mitch Albom
"If you see the sunset, does it have to mean something? If you hear the birds singing does it have to have a message?-"
- Robert Wilson
"Birds were created to record everything. They were not designed just to be beautiful jewels in the sky, but to serve as the eyes of heaven."
- Suzy Kassem
"Heavenly bodies are nests of invisible birds."
- Dejan Stojanovic
"Sweet bird, that shun the noise of folly, most musical, most melancholy!"
- John Milton
"I'd rather learn from one bird how to sing than teach ten thousand stars how not to dance."
- E. E. Cummings
"The bluebird carries the sky on his back."
- Henry David Thoreau
"Sad birds still sing."
- Faraway
Notable Bird Quotes From Various Artists
Even in other art mediums, our feathered friends perched on the creative minds of musicians, painters, and many more.
Popular musician Bob Marley used birds metaphorically in his hit song "Three Little Birds.” The avian symbolizes peace, harmony, and optimism in life's simple moments.
Moreover, French painter Claude Monet wants to imbue his paintings with the same freedom and ease as a bird's song. This shows us how bird inspiration can translate into strokes of paint.
Through different art forms, birds continue to impact human creativity, offering endless interpretations of their symbolic value.
"I woke up this morning, Smiled at the rising sun, Three little birds, Sat on my doorstep, Singing sweet songs."
- Bob Marley
"It's probable that in the artistic hierarchy birds are the greatest musicians existing on our planet."
- Olivier Messiaen
"I would like to paint the way a bird sings."
- Claude Monet
"The human bird shall take his first flight, filling the world with amazement, all writings with his fame, and bringing eternal glory to the nest whence he sprang."
- Leonardo da Vinci
"One reason why birds and horses are not unhappy is because they are not trying to impress other birds and horses."
- Salvador Dali
"Paint the flying spirit of the bird rather than its feathers."
- Robert Henri
Other Bird Quotes And Sayings To Reflect On
In contemplating the bird quotes in this post, let's remember not only the symbolism and lessons but also the actual creatures behind these words. Let's extend our admiration into action. Start it online by sparking conversations about our avian friends.
Here are some of the avian-related awareness days you can celebrate online through sharing quotes: National Bird Day, World Migratory Bird Day, and World Penguin Day.
"Relationships are like birds. If you hold tightly, they die. If you hold loosely, they fly. But if you hold with care, they remain with you forever."
-
"The more often we see the things around us – even the beautiful and wonderful things – the more they become invisible to us. That is why we often take for granted the beauty of this world: the flowers, the trees, the birds, the clouds – even those we love. Because we see things so often, we see them less and less."
- Joseph B. Wirthlin
"This is wonderful, wonderful! Be the bird. You are the bird. Sacrifice yourself to abandoned family values.."
- Laurie Halse Anderson, Speak
"A smart city means a city, where humans, trees, birds and other animals can grow with all their glories, imperfections, freedom and creativity."
- Amit Ray
"Birds sing after a storm; why shouldn't people feel as free to delight in whatever sunlight remains to them?"
- Rose Kennedy
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