Magic: The Gathering Wiki

Bird

Bird is a catch-all creature type for animals characterized by having feathers, hollow bones, and wings. They are usually capable of flight.

Creature Type
(Subtype for creature/kindred cards)
Introduced Alpha (updated)
Weatherlight (printed)
Last used Avatar: The Last Airbender
Beeble Scale 1[1]
Scryfall Statistics
457 cards
Colorless mana 2.4% White mana 34.8% Blue mana 31.5% Black mana 7.4% Red mana 2.8% Green mana 4.4% Multicolored 16.6%
58 token creation cards
White mana 31% Blue mana 22.4% Black mana 3.4% Red mana 6.9% Green mana 8.6% Multicolored 27.6%
36 typal synergy cards
Colorless mana 2.8% White mana 27.8% Blue mana 30.6% Green mana 19.4% Multicolored 19.4%
2877 artworks
Colorless mana 12.7% White mana 19.1% Blue mana 18.7% Black mana 8.3% Red mana 8.6% Green mana 15.8% Multicolored 16.8%

General

Birds in the Magic universe can be of tremendous size and quite intelligent, while some are even anthropomorphic. Natural birds are usually blue or white evenly-statted creatures with flying. Many of them, being blue, have deck-searching/drawing abilities. An exception is the iconic Birds of Paradise, which is a green 0/1 with a mana acceleration-related ability.

The first creatures to bear the type Bird were Roc Hatchling Weatherlight. Circling Vultures also from Weatherlight has original the type Birds. Roc of Kher Ridges (Roc) from Alpha, Osai Vultures (Vultures) and Mesa Falcon (Falcon) from Legends were later issued errata. The type Bird was eventually solidified in the Grand Creature Type Update.

Bloomburrow was the first set to feature Bird-typal.[2]

Aven

Main article: Aven

Aven are sentient, anthropomorphic bird folk found on several planes. Each plane has a distinct species of bird that their aven take the form of, per color.

Aven was introduced as a type on a playtest card, but they remain birds in normal sets.

Storyline

 
A Boros Roc rider of Ravnica

Birds of many species exist on all planes, ranging from tiny hummingbirds to the mythically titanic rocs. Due to their increased size, bird mounts are common in armed forces like on Ravnica and Tarkir. Some follow the stereotypes of reality, like the wisdom of owls, regality of eagles or the cruelty of vultures.

Dominaria

Aesthir

Aesthir are giant birds that were used by the Kjeldorans of Dominaria's Ice Age as flying mounts for their elite skyknights. Aesthir were highly prized by the Kjeldorans, with mistreatment or disrespect towards them being heavily frowned upon. They were historically enemies of centaurs.[3] Though the cold-weather breed gradually became extinct after the Ice Age ended and their natural habitat disappeared, a breed that could survive warmer weather was bred by Kjeldorans and exists to the modern day.[4][5]

It is said that Oriel Kjeldos was the first to train an Aesthir and that Márton Stromgald was the first to use them in combat against the goblins.

Parea

The Parea are large, flightless, carnivorous birds living in the east of Jamuraa. They were mostly wiped out in the civilized areas of the continent, but remained a danger in the wastes where they would hunt in packs and prey on travelers. During the Keldon invasion of Jamuraa, they were often found following the Keldon war barges looking for carrion and were therefore used to execute worthless prisoners, cowards, and traitors. The Darba are enormous relatives of the parea that would attack even well-armed Keldon encampments in search of food. They can grow upwards of twenty-five feet and are capable of picking up oxen in their beaks.

Primoc

Primocs are hybrids between birds and monkey-like beasts which were created by the Riptide Project. They have a natural inclination to serve wizards as familiars.

Bloomburrow

On the animalistic plane of Bloomburrow, there is a distinction of types between the civilised animalfolk and the forces of nature that are the Calamity Beasts, but Bird is the only one with representatives in both camps.

Birdfolk

Not to be confused with aven, birds are one of the animalfolk of Bloomburrow.[6] They come in all species and are centered in white-blue. Unlike Aven and other anthropomorphic birds that have grasping fingers, the birdfolk of Bloomburrow seem to use their wing feathers to manipulate objects. Birdfolk houses are known as Perches, typically found high up in trees or on stilts.[7] Birdfolk help connect the animalfolk, carrying mail, delivering aid, and even transporting other animals across Valley.[8]

At their best, birdfolk are chivalrous, stalwart, and selfless.[7] Raised to be staunch idealists, birdfolk see themselves as natural leaders among the animalfolk in Valley. They often form adventuring parties alongside other species, where they declare themselves as leaders and assert themselves through grandiose speeches. At their worst, birdfolk are self-important, stubborn, and patronizing. They are highly concerned with their physical appearance and social status. Birdfolk in larger villages will even congregate at specific times, in bath houses called preeneries, to take a break from their work and keep up their appearances.

In combat, birdfolk tend to dive from above, either straight down or at sharp angles, carrying a long lance or other polearms.[7] Birdfolk weavers can use their flight to quickly save other animalfolk even in difficult terrain. However, birdfolk lack the grounded combat prowess of other animalfolk, so when confined to narrow undergrowth, or when their injuries prevent them from flying, their attacks are clumsy and unpracticed. Alongside their academic teachings comes an ethical framework, The Wingbeat Way, which instills a lifelong commitment to use their magic for the common good. Their closest allies are the mousefolk, while they are often at odds with the frogfolk.

A revered birdfolk tradition known as the Plumecreed is a risky flight to the Tip of the World, a mighty peak that only a brave birdfolk can reach.[6][7] A birdfolk must plant one of their wing feathers at the peak and weave an ancient spell before leaving. The birdfolk who successfully make the journey are blessed with supernatural speed and agility. They are called Windcrested, a testament to their mastery of flight, and often wear a single dyed feather as plumage atop their heads to show off their achievement.

Calamity Beasts

Maha, Its Feathers Night and Pyreswipe Hawk, like the other Beasts, bring seasonal change to the animalfolk: the former brings long nights, while the latter brings the sensation of summer. Both are titanic birds of prey (owl and hawk), compared to the at most insect-eating species that the birdfolk are represented by.

Arcavios and Strixhaven

As befitting the name of the school, both sapient and nonsapient birds take the form of owls on the plane of Arcavios. Owls are predatory birds with distinctive flattened faces and, in some cases, paired tufts of feathers on their heads that resemble ears. Kasmina, while not native to Arcavios, also has an affinity for owls and collected some to join her coterie.

The Prismari manifest birds of different species, potentially reflecting their cross-plane origins.

On the southern continent of Galathul, avens take the form of ravens rather than owls. It is unknown if these avens are from another plane or if they are a different type specific to Galathul, with owlins being specific to the northern continent of Orrithia.

Phyrexian birds

Perchers look nothing like normal birds, but more like flying squid. They were used by the Phyrexians and Rathi to relay messages across long distances, due to their parrot-like ability to memorize and repeat short phrases. Despite their allegiance, they are not typed as Phyrexians; the plane that would become Phyrexia had "strange birds", implying that they might be remnants or corruptions of these lifeforms at the hands of Yawgmoth.[9]

New Phyrexia makes use of new types of birds, this time true Phyrexians. Most of them are White (Tine Shrike, Shriek Raptor). Some like Tainted Observer barely resemble birds at all, looking like three-tailed snakes with human heads.

Lorwyn

The kithkin of Lorwyn train and ride large birds called plovers.[10][11]

Rabiah

Rukhs, also called "stonefeathers", are similar to phoenixes, except their base element is stone, not fire. They look like great vulture-like birds with leathery, dragon-like wings.

Universes Beyond

In Final Fantasy, the Chocobo (52 cards) is a species that uses the bird type, notable for being definitionally flightless. It contributed to a surge of typed Birds without flying in 2025.

Creature Update

Creature types changed into Bird

Creature types changed into Bird include:

Other bird species included in the Bird type

Some examples of other bird species included in the Bird type:

Notable aven (birdfolk)

Alara
Amonkhet
Arcavios
Capenna
Dominaria
Tarkir
Unknown

Notable birds

Bloomburrow
Dominaria
Eldraine
Ikoria
Ixalan
Kaldeim
Unknown
Un-iverse
Dungeons & Dragons
Universes Beyond
Final Fantasy
The Lord of the Rings: Tales of Middle-earth

Tokens

Tokens marked with   are created by Acorn cards.

Token name Color Type line P/T Text box Source Printings
Bird   Creature — Bird 1/1 Flying
  Creature — Bird 3/3 Flying
  Creature — Bird 3/3 Flying
Whenever this creature attacks, target attacking creature gains flying until end of turn.
  Creature — Bird 3/4 Flying
  Creature — Bird 1/1 Flying
  Creature — Bird 1/1 Flying
This creature can block only creatures with flying.
  Creature — Bird 1/1 Flying, Vigilance
  Creature — Bird 2/2 Flying
  Enchantment Creature — Bird 2/2 Flying
  Creature — Bird 1/1 Flying
This creature can't block.
  Creature — Bird 2/2 Flying
  Creature — Bird 4/4 Flying
  Creature — Bird 2/2 Whenever a land you control enters, this token gets +1/+0 until end of turn.
   Creature — Bird 1/1 Flying
Bird Illusion   Creature — Bird Illusion 1/1 Flying
Bird Soldier   Creature — Bird Soldier 1/1 Flying
Cat Bird   Creature — Cat Bird 1/1 Flying
Elemental Bird   Creature — Elemental Bird 4/4 Flying
Giant Bird   Creature — Giant Bird 4/4
Aven Initiate   Creature — Zombie Bird Warrior 3/2 Flying
Aven Wind Guide   Creature — Zombie Bird Warrior 2/3 Flying, vigilance
Creature tokens you control have flying and vigilance.
Oketra's Attendant   Creature — Zombie Bird Soldier 3/3 Flying
Storm Crow   Creature — Bird 1/2 Flying
Finch Formation   Creature — Bird Scout 1/1 Flying
When this creature enters, target creature you control gains flying until end of turn.
(This token's mana cost is   .)
Playtest cards
Token name Color Type line P/T Text box Source Printings
Bird   Creature — Bird 1/1 Flying
Aven Mindcensor   Creature — Bird Wizard 2/1 Flash
Flying
If an opponent would search a library, that player searches the top four cards of that library instead.
Birds of Paradise   Creature — Bird 0/1 Flying
 : Add one mana of any color.

Lords

Bird creaturelands and artifacts

Trivia

  • Azorius Keyrune is a manstone that can become a 2/2 white and blue Bird artifact creature with flying.
  • Bird Maidens are an all-female tribe of winged humans.
  • Scale Birds are a technique artists use to make a central figure look bigger.[16]
  • An Aven planeswalker was seen during the War of the Spark.[17]
  • Animal Sanctuary is a land that can put +1/+1 counters on birds.
  • The Priority Avenger playtest card introduced Aven as its own creature type.[18] Gatherer shows an image of Priority Avenger with the Bird creature type, but the Oracle text still says Aven as it was intended.[19] In actuality, there seem to be no editions printed with the Aven-type. "Aven" being part of the name doesn't make things clearer.
  • In an alternate reality, Kamigawa was home to a race of red-aligned mountain-dwelling humanoid birds called tengu.[20]
  • Hawk, normally a type of bird, was featured as a creature type on a playtest card at the 2024 Las Vegas Unknown Event.
  • Flightless birds have historically been very rare in Magic. By the end of 2025, there were only 35 bird cards (excluding playtest cards) that neither have flying nor a built-in way to grant themselves flying. Common reasons for a bird lacking flying in Magic include being based on a real-life flightless bird (Bronzebeak Moa), being an unhatched or too-young-to-fly member of a species of bird (real or fictional) that is capable of flight (Roc Egg), or being hybridized with another species incapable of flight (Porcuparrot). Of these 35 flightless birds:


Gallery

References

  1. ↑ Mark Rosewater (December 2, 2024). "Where are Birds on the Beeble scale?". Blogatog. Tumblr.
  2. ↑ Mark Rosewater (July 9, 2024). "The Bloom of Burrow, Part 1". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
  3. ↑ Flavor text of Centaur Archer (Ice Age)
  4. ↑ Jeff Grubb (2006), "Keeping the Cold", Wizards of the Coast
  5. ↑ Roy Graham (September 1, 2022). "The Legends You'll Find in Dominaria United". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
  6. ↑ a b Tiny and Mighty - Bloomburrow Debut (Video). Magic: The Gathering. YouTube (July 9, 2024).
  7. ↑ a b c d Neale LaPlante Johnson (July 16, 2024). "Planeswalker's Guide to Bloomburrow, Part 2". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
  8. ↑ Magic: The Gathering Arena Tooltips
  9. ↑ The Thran
  10. ↑ Plover Knights
  11. ↑ The Book of Kith and Kin (archived)
  12. ↑ Mark Rosewater (January 29, 2020). "How come the Flavor Judge isn't creature type chicken?". Blogatog. Tumblr.
  13. ↑ Ovidio Cartagena (November 4, 2023). "It is a very ancient bird". Twitter.
  14. ↑ Monty Ashley (November 17, 2011). "The Heron in the Moon". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast. Archived from the original on 2021-04-29.
  15. ↑ Magic Arcana (May 25, 2006). "Dissension Token Art". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast. Archived from the original on 2021-04-29.
  16. ↑ Monty Ashley (August 10, 2011). "Scale Birds". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast. Archived from the original on 2020-08-12.
  17. ↑ Greg Weisman (May 22, 2019). "War of the Spark: Ravnica – Rallying the Reluctant". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
  18. ↑ Eli Shiffrin (November 11, 2019). "Mystery Booster Release Notes". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
  19. ↑ Priority Avenger on Gatherer
  20. ↑ Wizards of the Coast (March 1, 2007). "Ask Wizards - March 2007". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast. Archived from the original on 2020-08-05.
  21. ↑ Behind the Scenes with Bloomburrow Worldbuilding - Gen Con Panel (Video). Magic: The Gathering. YouTube (August 23, 2024).
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