Facts about the animal kingdom

Bird Sayings and Phrases

 
Aerton Guimarães
By Aerton Guimarães, Journalist. August 7, 2022
Bird Sayings and Phrases

Birds have been inspiring human beings since before we had words, so it is no surprise many of our most common idioms are related to birds. Whether used to inspire, reflect on nature or even highlight deep truths through metaphor or poetry, there are many bird sayings which can help us make better sense of the world. Often these bird phrases are related to characteristics most associated with birds. These include ruminations on freedom, flight, song and much more.

At AnimalWised, we present these bird sayings and phrases to help you be inspired and more connected with both the natural world and yourself. These idioms and sayings about birds are from some of our greatest writers, poets and thinkers, as well as some originals from our writing team.

You may also be interested in: Wolf Quotes, Sayings and Proverbs

Contents

  1. Bird phrases about nature and freedom
  2. Famous bird phrases
  3. Bird phrases for personal reflection
  4. Phrases about birdsong
  5. Original bird phrases
  6. Bird phrases about nature

Bird phrases about nature and freedom

You can find hundreds of phrases about birds on the Internet. Some of the most inspiring are bird phrases which highlight their connection to freedom. They include:

  • “Better to be a bird in flight than to be held in your hand.”
  • “If you want to listen to birds, plant trees.”
  • “Birds are everyday memories.”
  • “God is in the small details: in the simplicity of a bird's song, in the serene dawn or in the first autumn leaf falling.”
  • “Oh, how I wish I were a little bird! Fly high, far away from here and see everything from above!.”
  • “We have learned to fly the air like birds and swim the sea like fish, but we have not learned the simple art of living together as brothers.” - Martin Luther King Jr.
  • “Every bird, every tree, every flower reminds me of what a blessing and privilege it is to be alive.” - Marty Rubin
  • “God loved birds and invented trees. Man loved birds and invented cages.” - Jacques Deval
  • “We think birds in cages sing, when in fact they cry.” - John Webster
  • “Birds born in cages think flying is a disease.” - Alejandro Jodorowsky
  • “A forest bird never wants a cage.” - Henrik Ibsen
  • “Even the birds are chained to the sky.”

Which of these quotes about birds would you say encourages you the most to seek freedom? Let us know in the comments or even feel free to share any we don't have on our list of bird sayings and phrases. You can also find some more inspiration with our article on cute quotes about cats.

Famous bird phrases

If we ask you about what bird phrases you can think of, there are some which might spring to mind immediately. These are sayings about birds which are part of our common English vernacular, although these will vary according to location and culture. Here are some of the most famous bird phrases:

  • “Like a duck to water.”
  • “Love is the freedom to fly with others.”
  • “A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush.”
  • ‘Dead as a dodo.”
  • “One swallow doesn't make a summer.”
Bird Sayings and Phrases - Famous bird phrases

Bird phrases for personal reflection

Birds are animals that inspire in nature, whether through their song or their beauty. Observing them also provides us with a series of reflections capable of influencing our attitudes. This is why we have a list of phrases about birds to reflect on:

  • “What good are wings without the courage to fly?” - Philippe Perrin
  • “Don't be ashamed of your fears. Fearful birds also fly.”
  • “No bird can fly without spreading its wings.”
  • “No bird soars too high if he soars with his own wings.” - William Blake
  • “Dinosaurs evolved into birds.” - Stephen Jay Gould
  • “Sad birds still sing.”
  • “My land has palm trees, where the thrush sings; the birds that chirp here don't chirp like there.” - Gonçalves Dias
  • “ A bird does not sing because he has an answer. He sings because he has a song.” - Joan Walsh Anglund
  • “Hold on to dreams, for if dreams die, life is like a broken-winged bird that cannot fly.” - Langston Hughes
  • “In order to see birds it is necessary to be part of the silence.” - Robert Lynd
  • “A heart without dreams is like a bird without feathers.” - Suzy Kassem
  • “The forest would be very sad if only the best singing birds could sing.” - Rabindranath Tagore
  • “Faith is the bird that feels the light and sings when the dawn is still dark.” - Rabindranath Tagore
  • “The bird that risks falling is the bird that learns to fly.”
  • “You were born with wings, why would you rather crawl through life?” - Rumi
  • “Birds teach a great life lesson. All you have to do is listen to their song.”
  • “the thrush... does not sing because it is paid to sing, or to please others, or to be admired or criticized. It sings because it is happy... to relieve the overflowings of its own heart.” - William Hazlitt
  • “Relationships are like birds. If you hold on tight, they die. If you hold on loosely, they fly away. But if you hold on just right, they stay with you forever.”
  • “All birds find shelter during a rain, but the eagle avoids the rain by flying above the clouds.”
  • “A bird sitting in a tree is never afraid that the branch will break because its trust is not in the branch, but in its own wings. Always believe in yourself.”
  • “Birds learn to fly, never knowing where the flight will take them.” - Mark Nepo
  • “I always wonder why birds choose to stay in one place when they can fly anywhere on earth.”
  • “Birds sing even after the storm.”
  • “To feel free like a bird is to forget everything but your happiness.”

Some of these phrases are real awakenings to the nature of our own being. They can be very motivational and help us to inspire others. Our article on phrases and quotes about wolves also have many motivational and stimulating sayings.

Bird Sayings and Phrases - Bird phrases for personal reflection

Phrases about birdsong

Birdsong is one of the most beautiful sounds we can hear in nature. It is also incredibly varied with different voices depending not only on the species, but the individual bird and its specific context. It is no surprise birdsong has inspired some of our greatest writers.

  • “The song of birds in nature is a praise to God for the gift of flying”
  • “More beautiful than the song of birds are their flights. Not every song is of joy, but every flight is of freedom” - Mário Quintana
  • “Birds singing are like songs to my ears”
  • “We hear the voice of God when we hear the birds singing”
  • “The song of birds is a symphony that lifts our spirits”
  • “Better than the sound of silence, only the singing of birds” - Aerton Guimarães

Find out some of the species which must have inspired these bird sayings with our guide to songbirds.

Bird Sayings and Phrases - Phrases about birdsong

Original bird phrases

Here we provide some of our own original sayings about birds:

  • “Birds speak only to people who know how to listen.”
  • “Birds fly across the sky. I fly in my imagination.”
  • “Flying is not an exclusive skill of birds. Flying is having the freedom to be whoever you want to be.”
  • “This is too small for you. Just like birds, fly away, my friend.”
  • “If you don't dream you can fly, you'll never wake up with wings.”
  • “Freedom means having the opportunity to be what we never thought we would be and to fly wherever we want, like the birds.”
  • “If you want to fly, first you must give up the weight that holds you down.”

Perhaps these bird sayings are so inspiring to you that you want to create your own. Please share them in the comments if you do!

Bird Sayings and Phrases - Original bird phrases

Bird phrases about nature

It is impossible not to associate birds with nature. That's why here we list some phrases about nature that highlight some of its beauty, freedom and all the wonders it provides to all living beings.

  • “In every thing in nature there is something wonderful.” - Aristotle
  • “My wish is to stay like this forever: to live peacefully in a corner of nature.” - Claude Monet
  • “Keep your love for nature, for it is the true way to understand art.” - Vincent Van Gogh
  • “If I knew that tomorrow the world would end... I would plant a tree today.” - Martin Luther King
  • “Nature is the best teacher of truth.” - Saint Augustine
  • “Those who behold the beauty of the earth find strength that will last forever.” - Rachel Carson
  • “With every nature walk, you get so much more than you're looking for.” - John Muir
  • “Nature is not a luxury, but a necessity of the human spirit.” - Edward Abbey
  • “Knowing nature, you know yourself.”- Maxime Lagac
  • “I can find God in nature, animals, birds and the environment.”- Pat Buckley
  • “I have nature, art and poetry. If that's not enough... what is?”- Vincent Van Gogh
  • “Nature always wears the colors of the spirit.” - Ralph Waldo Emerson
  • “Time spent among the trees will never be wasted.”
  • “Colors are nature's smiles.” - Leigh Hunt
  • “Earth laughs in flowers.” - Ralph Waldo Emerson
  • “I go into the woods to lose my head and find my soul.” - John Muir
  • “Nature is my refuge, it's where I connect with myself.”
  • “Everything created by human beings is already in the great book of nature.” - Antonio Gaudí

Now that you know several phrases about birds in the wild, in freedom and for reflection, tell us which ones are your favorites and share any we have left out in the comments.

Find more inspiration with our list of popular bird names.

If you want to read similar articles to Bird Sayings and Phrases, we recommend you visit our Facts about the animal kingdom category.

Bibliography
  • Defalco, N. (2021). Phrases of flying. Retrieved from: https://www.frasess.net/frases-de-volar-580.html
  • Flowers, L. (2020). Natural phrases. Retrieved from: https://www.frasess.net/frases-de-la-naturaleza-139.html

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Bird Sayings and Phrases