Birds Art Life Death a Field Guide to the Small and Significant

Got my first tattoo at 18, so waited 32 years to go another. Meanwhile, I'm the editor of TatRing, a body fine art website.

If you're considering a bird tattoo, get inspired by this collection of ideas and details about what different birds symbolize. — If you lot're considering a bird tattoo, go inspired by this collection of ideas and details about what dissimilar birds symbolize.

Darius Marshall via Unsplash; Canva

Bird Tattoos: Meaning, Symbolism, and Design Inspiration

Jealousy. Yep, it'due south probably envy that inspires so many people to go ga-ga about birds. They can fly, after all, and who doesn't daydream near flying? Ask most people what superhuman talent they'd like to accept, and they'll choose flight.

Getting a bird tattooed on your arm is as close every bit you'll ever get to having feathers. You won't exist able to soar similar a superhero simply still, it's pretty cool. But what exactly does it mean?

What does a bird tattoo mean?

Birds can symbolize college understanding, spirituality, or a communion with other worlds or realities.
It represents freedom (mental autonomy, physical capability, spiritual self-direction, and liberty of choice).
Connectedness: A bird tin flit from the basis to the sky so information technology connects u.s. with not just the earth but the whole universe.
A bird symbolizes independence, self-sufficiency, and the ability of self-direction and self-actualization.
Perspective: The power to detach yourself from worldly concerns and soar in a higher place it all, seeing the larger picture while remaining neutral and remote from trivial concerns.
Capability: Lightness, levity, buoyancy, agility, and facility, and the ability to rise in a higher place arduousness.
Fearlessness. Unless its a flightless ostrich with its head in the sand, a bird usually represents an audacious, indomitable daring to bung oneself into the unknown.
As a spirit guide, a bird encourages you to move beyond your comfort zone and dare to go higher and farther: larn more, do more, be more.

A tattoo of a yellow bird with a crown.

essie via Flickr Eatables

The Meanings of Different Types of Bird Tattoos

Canary, Goldfinch, or Other Yellow Bird

Xanthous birds usually stand for happiness and prosperity. Yellow songbirds have traditionally been kept as pets considering they're similar a ray of sunshine to cheer a room—and their singing adds to their cheerfulness. Whether information technology's is in a cage or not, a xanthous bird might represent joy and cheer. Coal miners used to take canaries downwards into the mines with them as an early warning system: If the air was then toxic the bird died, the miners would know they needed to get out.

Bluebird or Blue Jay

Bluish birds have been associated with happiness for many years and in many cultures. The blue jay, a corvid related to crows and ravens, is known for its extreme intelligence. Bluebirds have featured in folklore and mythology since China'southward Shang dynasty (1766-1122 BC), but are also seen in Native American, Russian, German, and many other stories.

Yous hear well-nigh bluebirds in lots of songs and poems, as well: In an old song by Cole Porter, "Be like the bluebird who never is bluish, for he knows from his upbringing what singing tin can practise," and in The Sorcerer of Oz: "If happy little bluebirds fly beyond the rainbow, why oh why can't I?" To acquire more and see lots of examples, read Blue Jay Tattoo Meanings & Designs.

at that place's a bluebird in my centre that

wants to leave

simply I pour whiskey on him and inhale

cigarette smoke

and the whores and the bartenders

and the grocery clerks

never know that

he'southward

in at that place.

— Charles Bukowski, Bluebird

Blackbird or Crow

Black birds (like blackbirds, crows, and ravens) are often scapegoats for negativity. Just considering humans tin can't see in darkness, they aspect all kinds of negative attributes to night things. Black birds are omens of death merely they're likewise the deliverers of divine letters.

In myth and folklore, crows are ofttimes said to be able to fly between this world and the afterlife, delivering letters. In many cultures, crows are believed to district with spirits. Black birds are symbols of mystery, magic, and the spirit world. Crows are extremely intelligent and resourceful birds who are even known to invent and use tools. In many folktales and myths, crows play the role of mischievous trickster. (See more than about ravens below!)

Craven (Rooster or Hen)

Roosters are self little birds—tyrants of the undiscriminating, swaggering around with their feathers all puffed up, waking everyone upward with their crowing. They'll fight to the decease, and many cultures still similar to place bets on which rooster will win. Chickens are extremely fierce and territorial. In the flock, they find a strict pecking gild. A hen is a fertile and doting mother, carefully sitting on eggs and tending her chicks. Hens represent bounty, family unit, maternity, and maternal instincts.

Crane

Cranes are peculiarly symbolic and meaningful in Cathay and in Japan where they're believed to bring skilful fortune and a lucky matrimony (which is why they're often folded into wedding kimonos). Traditionally, it was believed that if you lot folded thousand origami cranes, your wish would come up truthful, and origami cranes are also given in hard times as hopeful gesture for healing and longevity.

Pigeon (or White Bird)

Doves oft represent peace and dearest. They are mentioned often in the bible and are sometimes seen as representations of god's dearest. Also, in Genesis, after the inundation, Noah sends a dove out to see if there'due south land, and when the bird returns with an olive twig in its beak it's a hopeful omen that the floods are receding.

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Doves were also associated with Asherah, the Canaanite mother goddess, and Venus, the Roman goddess of love. Doves are too associated with purity, beauty, and gentleness. To learn more and expect at lots of examples, read Pigeon Tattoo Designs, Ideas, and Meanings.

Hawkeye

The eagle is a somewhat masculine bird . . . only of class that doesn't mean only men can wear one. Information technology's muscular, powerful, and agile . . . with those deep-prepare, most omniscient eagle optics. The Greek god Zeus had a giant golden hawkeye that worked for him. In 1782, the bald eagle was named as the U.S. emblem because of its regal strength and virility.

Many Native American tribes revere eagles as sacred animals that represent courage, strength, and vision, and utilise their feathers in ceremonies. If someone is "eagle-eyed," information technology ways they are extremely observant and tin can run into for miles.

Falcon or Hawk

Predatory birds like eagles, hawks, and falcons are generally revered for their strength and majesty. They are also known for their excellent hunting skills and renowned for their cunning predatory brains and their tenacious power to stay focused on a particular task (like catching prey) for an extended period of time. They accept excellent vision and can see a faraway mouse in a field and swoop down on it from a dizzying height.

Falconry, in one case called "the sport of kings," has been adept for almost 4,000 years: The falconer gets a wild falcon, hawk, or hawkeye and trains it for many years until information technology can larn to chase and return live prey back to the falconer. West. B. Yeats's made a famous allusion to a falcon in his poem "A 2d Coming":

Turning and turning in the widening gyre The falcon cannot hear the falconer; Things fall apart; the middle cannot concord; Mere anarchy is loosed upon the world, The blood-dimmed tide is loosed, and everywhere The ceremony of innocence is drowned; The best lack all conviction, while the worst Are full of passionate intensity.

Hummingbird

The tiny hummingbird—which represents alacrity, free energy, and vitality—tin wing 49 mph and its wings tin flap up to seventy times per 2d. It's and so fast its wings hum, merely information technology can be hard to run into. It is especially revered in the Caribbean area, known as the land of the hummingbirds. It's also Jamaica's national bird and is pictured on its money.

The aboriginal Aztecs thought hummingbird totems gave their wearer free energy and life. A hummingbird packs a stunning amount of ability in its small frame, and then it tin also represent the idea that small things are powerful. To learn more and see lots of examples, read Hummingbird Tattoo Designs, Ideas, and Meanings.

Owl

Owls represent wisdom, knowledge, and truth. Perhaps it's those big eyes that make them look omniscient, although they do have extraordinary nighttime vision. In many cultures, owls are spirit guides and ambassadors to the spirit world. The Greek goddess Athena, goddess of wisdom, was often depicted with an owl on her shoulder. So was Harry Potter (Hedwig's intelligence saved Harry many times). To acquire more and see lots of examples, read Owl Tattoo Designs, Ideas, and Meanings.

An owl tattoo that incorporates storm clouds, an umbrella, and a book.

Monsieur Gordon

Parrot

Colorful, flamboyant, playful, and clever. Because they tin mimic man voices, parrots have a very special identify in our hearts. Nosotros desire to believe they understand what they're saying even they can't, and nosotros aspect many human characteristics on parrots every bit a upshot. They as well represent the canny rebelliousness of a pirate, especially when they repeat off-color phrases they've heard. They stand for communication, companionship, and family unit.

Peacock

Sometimes, they're called "proud" or "vain," only they really deserve to exist pleased with themselves. What bird is more than spectacular-looking than the male peacock? With its long train or fan of feathers patterned to look like colorful optics, a peacock has a flirtatious, flamboyant flair for drama and spectacle.

Phoenix

One of the most spectacular and evocative mythological birds, the phoenix self-combusts and is built-in again from its own ashes in an endless cycle of nativity and expiry. A phoenix is a symbol of life, death, tenacity, persistence, survival, development, rebirth, and promise.

Raven

Although a raven sometimes represents mystery and death, it doesn't accept to exist a dark symbol. It also represents intelligence, knowledge, wisdom, intellect, and communion with the spirit globe. As a feces bird (those that scavenge meat, including gulls, hawks, eagles, vultures, etc.), a raven is oft associated with the dead and seen a guide for spirits and a mediator between life and death.

In Greek mythology, Apollo's ravens acted every bit the god'southward spies and as messengers between gods and mortals. According to Norse fable, the god Odin had two ravens that perched on his shoulders: Hugin (who represents thought or understanding) and Mugin (who represents a complicated mix of memory and want). He would send them out every morning time to circumnavigate the globe, then they'd come back to share all the information they'd nerveless on their journey.

In Native American traditions, the raven's task is to do what it must to manipulate humankind in order to bring low-cal and wisdom to the world. In Edgar Allan Poe's poem "The Raven," the raven represents grief or a never-ending sadness for a dead loved one. To learn more and see lots of examples, read Raven Tattoo Designs, Ideas, and Meanings.

Sparrows & Swallows

Swallows and sparrows are one-time-school tattoo designs, ofttimes worn by sailors as a symbol of hope for a safe journey. The ancient Egyptians believed they protected the souls of the dead. In prisons, you might see tattoos of swallows or sparrows that stand for a boxing against an unjust society. To larn more and see examples, read Sparrow and Eat Tattoo Ideas.

Your Own Custom Bird Tattoo Creation

When designing a tattoo, there's no need to go far look realistic. You lot can work with your tattoo artist to create your own bird, i that looks however y'all want it to and represents whatever you decide. A bright orange crow, for case, or a half-bird, one-half-homo. Your Frankenstein-bird might have a raven'south beak, an owl'southward optics, and a peacock's feathers. You can use your own imagination and invent your own mythology to become with information technology.

Feather Tattoos

In Native American cultures, feathers are believed to have ability and deep significance and are often used ceremonially. Feathers are also used equally ballasts on arrows to guide them where you desire them to become. Instead of tattooing the whole bird, you want to do merely one feather. In this case, it might still be meaningful to you to choose the fashion of feather and know which bird it came from.

All feathers are non the same: Do you desire an eagle, pheasant, crow, or peacock plume? Each unlike type of feather represents the whole bird information technology belonged to. To learn more than and meet lots of examples, read Feather Tattoo Designs, Ideas, and Meanings. Or if you're considering a wing tattoo, read Wing Tattoo Meanings & Photos.

Which Birds Symbolize Death?

Crows, ravens, black birds, owls, and phoenixes might all correspond death, merely they can also represent the spirit world, the afterlife, spirituality, or the death of a loved one, too.

A tattoo of a bird peeping out of a teacup.

Ricardo Almeida

Designing Your Bird Tattoo: Things to Consider

How much of the bird is shown?

Choosing which bird is merely function of the blueprint process: How that bird volition be shown is another. Do y'all want just one plume, a wing, the caput, the whole body, or...? Exercise you want a contour or a view-from-above? The more carefully you consider these options, the more than unique and meaningful your tattoo will exist.

What is the bird doing?

The bird's activity affects the meaning of your bird tattoo. Is information technology soaring through the air, perching on a windowsill, landing on the ground, eating a worm, sitting in a cage, or grasping a bomb in its claws? Equally you can see, each of these actions adds a completely dissimilar layer of meaning or significance.

What color is the bird?

Don't forget to carefully consider if you want color, and if so, how much. You lot don't have to remain faithful to realistic colors if you lot don't want to. Red conveys an entirely different feeling than bluish, and rainbow has a dissimilar connotation than pinkish. You might want a black-and-white peacock, or you might wand a dark bluish raven. Yous do any blazon of bird in all-blackness bird with merely i green middle.

How many birds are there?

Exercise yous want just ane bird, or more than? Scroll down for more information about the significance of numbers.

Which fashion?

Old school, cartoon, photo realism, surreal, minimalist, steampunk, watercolor, cubist, woodblock, tribal... you tin can design the bird in any style yous tin imagine, then be sure to know all the styles and which you similar before you go in to the studio.

Do y'all want to incorporate other objects, symbols, or text?

A bird tattoo that incorporates text and other symbols.

dave tonkin via Flickr

What Does the Number of Birds Signify?

"One for Sorrow" is an former children'southward nursery rhyme about magpies. The superstition is that yous can predict the future by counting the birds you see. It goes something similar this:

One for sorrow,
Two for joy,
Three for a girl,
Iv for a boy,
V for silver,
6 for aureate,
Seven for a secret,
Never to be told.
8 for a wish,
Nine for a osculation,
Ten for a bird,
You lot must not miss.

Another way to expect at numbers:

one is independent, focused, and starts it all.
2 is a partnership, a balance, a team.
3 and 9 are magic numbers.
four is stable, pragmatic, down-to-earth.
two, three, 4, 6, 8, and 10 are centered, whole, and can stand on their own.
5 is an energetic handful.
vii is a lucky number.
Prime numbers (2, 3, 5, seven, etc.) are wild and nonconforming.

A vibrant tattoo of a bird hovering over red berries.

Shannon Archuleta

What About You?

Bird tattoos that appear to fly down the wearer's arm. — Bird tattoos that announced to fly down the wearer'south arm.

Questions & Answers

Question: What could bird tattoos on the shoulder mean?

Respond: Great question. For a outset, I'd like to point out that that's an obvious place for a bird to perch: On your shoulder. Your shoulder is one of the about natural and pragmatic places for a bird to sit. I'm also thinking about the 2 crows or ravens that sit on the god Odin's shoulders. His crows would fly off to look at the world and then fly back, sit down on his shoulders, and caw all the news in his ears. So a bird on a shoulder might represent your connexion to a larger perspective or an invitation to a birds-heart-view of things. It could exist a reminder to call up near the bigger picture, besides. If we were birds ourselves, the shoulder would exist the place where our wings started... and then having a bird tattooed on a shoulder is like inviting flight or yearning for wings. Lastly, whenever I call up virtually things on shoulders, I'chiliad reminded of epaulettes, those regal shoulder decorations worn in ceremonies and celebrations.

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