A seagull, type of bird common on Earth
A bird was an endothermic feathered lifeform found on many planets.
Biology[]
The anatomy of birds was characterized by having a coat of feathers, wings, a beaked mouth, and feet with claws/talons.
Neelix's hawk injury
During a visit to the Sky Spirits' homeworld by USS Voyager in 2372, Neelix was attacked by a hawk, which by either using its beak or claws, gouged him near his left eye. Following an emergency transport to Sickbay, The Doctor informed Neelix that "You're very lucky this bird didn't snatch your eye right out of the socket. We have no spare Talaxian eyeballs." (VOY: "Tattoo")
Many birds were capable of flight, reproduced by laying eggs, and typically built and lived in nests, or artificially built birdhouses. When Tom Paris was a kid, a baby bird fell from its nest onto the windowsill next to his bed. According to Paris, "We had to feed it water with an eye dropper to keep it alive." (VOY: "Parturition")
Birds communicated by means of bird calls. Simulated bird calls were often used on holodecks or other forms of media as background noise. (TAS: "The Practical Joker"; TNG: "Realm Of Fear"; DS9: "Take Me Out to the Holosuite"; VOY: "Once Upon a Time")
Terminology[]
The term avifaunal lifeform referred to the total of all bird species on a planet. In 2366, when Data overheard the phrase "early bird gets the worm", he observed that there was no evidence of avifaunal or crawling vermicular lifeforms on Jouret IV. (TNG: "The Best of Both Worlds")
A similar bird-term "avian" has also been used on Star Trek: Enterprise, but only in the context of Xindi-Avians.
The study of birds was known as ornithology. The term ornithoid referred to something that resembled a bird or was bird-like. In 2367, Data stated that he was possibly "pursuing an untamed ornithoid without cause", meaning on a "wild goose chase." (TNG: "Data's Day")
"Bird" was one of the words Miles O'Brien used due to his infection of the aphasia virus in 2369. (DS9: "Babel")
The idiom "the birds and the bees" was meant to refer to courtship and sexual intercourse. When Captain Kirk and Commander Spock were discussing Vulcan mating rituals, Kirk remarked that there was no need to be embarrassed about it and that it would also happen to "the birds and the bees". Spock logically responded that "the birds and the bees are not Vulcans". (TOS: "Amok Time") Following the close encounter between Harry Kim and Derran Tal, they discussed the unexpected experience they shared, and despite their similar appearances on the surface, how different things were when it came down to the basics, "let's just say the birds and bees would be very confused." (VOY: "The Disease")
History[]
Bird-like creatures could be seen flying across the skies of Risa, Mintaka III, Tarok, and an unidentified planet in the Delta Quadrant. (ENT: "The Seventh"; TNG: "Who Watches The Watchers"; VOY: "Initiations", "Time and Again")
In 2267, Lieutenant Esteban Rodriguez and Captain James T. Kirk, while having shore leave on the Shore Leave Planet, separately saw a flock of birds in the sky. This was despite surveys of the planet having shown there to be no animals on the planet, since, as it ultimately turned out, these and other sights were instead accomplished robotically. (TOS: "Shore Leave")
Major Kira Nerys told Mullibok a story from her childhood about a huge, ugly tree in front of her window, so big and ugly even the birds wouldn't sit on him. (DS9: "Progress")
As a Changeling, Odo frequently took various form of birds, including a seagull, Tarkalean hawk, Tarkalean condor and a Arbazan vulture. (DS9: "The Search, Part II", "The Way of the Warrior", "Homefront", "Nor the Battle to the Strong", "The Begotten")
Moments before Kwejian was destroyed by a massive gravitational anomaly in 3190, the birds on the surface attempted to escape by flying upwards, all of them expiring in the upper atmosphere. (DIS: "Kobayashi Maru", "Anomaly (DIS)")
Birds in art[]
Birds were often seen incorporated into pieces of art, like sculptures. (TNG: "Encounter at Farpoint", "Too Short A Season", "The Bonding", "Unification II", "Starship Mine", "Preemptive Strike", "All Good Things...")
A bird-like creature was seen on a Vulcan wall tapestry seen in a corridor of the monastery at P'Jem and on the planet Dekendi III. (ENT: "The Andorian Incident", "Stigma") The monastery at P'Jem also featured a bird on wheels sculpture in its atrium. (ENT: "The Andorian Incident")
This tapestry was later sold off on the 40 Years of Star Trek: The Collection at Christie's. [1](X)
The Romulan logo consists of a bird-of-prey holding Romulus and Remus in its talons. (TNG: "The Neutral Zone")
Da Vinci was so fascinated by Tuvok's Vulcan ears that he drew a picture of a caged bird with pointed Vulcan ears as wings. (VOY: "Concerning Flight")
Sentient ornithoid species[]
Less certain cases include Vilix'pran's species, which were known to have wings but were never seen, and the Banea, which were feathered humanoids. Mythological creatures that might be described as avian humanoids include Angels, sirens, pixies, and fairies.
Bird species[]
A Ba'ku hummingbird
A raven
A chicken
A Great Egret
Ducks in a cage
Odo as a Tarkalean hawk
- Arcturian dog bird
- Ba'ku hummingbird
- Blackbird
- Bluebird
- Borogove (Earth; fictional)
- Canary
- Corvidae (Earth)
- Dove
- Eel-bird (Regulus V)
- Finch (Earth)
- Flitterbird
- Fowl (Earth and Rakhar)
- Arkarian horn fowl (Arkaria)
- Chicken (Earth)
- Wyandotte chicken (Earth)
- Duck (Earth)
- Dunghill bird (Potak III)
- Goose (Earth)
- Peacock (Earth)
- Quail (Earth)
- Swan (Earth)
- Terellian pheasant
- Great Egret (Earth)
- Gunji jackdaw
- Joranian ostrich
- Loon
- Parrot
- Pigeon
- Raptor
- Buzzard (Earth)
- Eagle (Earth)
- Hawk (Earth)
- Norpin falcon
- Owl
- Cyclops owl (Alcor IV)
- Great Horned Owl (Earth)
- Tarkalean condor (Tarkalea)
- Vulture (Earth)
- Risian bird (Risa)
- Seagull (Earth)
- Shrike (Earth)
- Sparrow (Earth and 892-IV)
- Starling
- Toucan
- See also
See also[]
- Big Bird
- Bird-of-Prey
- Blue Parrot Café
- Bluejay 4
- Clay pigeon
- Eagle, USS
- Eagle Valley, DEV
- Great Bird
- Great birds of the galaxy
- Great bird of the galaxy
- Lovebird
- "Night Bird"
- Night owl
- Raven, USS
- Old Crow
- Parrot's Claw, The
- Velociraptor
- Warbird
- Wentlian condor snake
- Year of the Red Bird
Appendices[]
Background information[]
In the first draft story outline of TOS: "The Corbomite Maneuver" (while the story had the working title "Danger Zone"), Balok's species was avian.
The final draft script of TOS: "Charlie X" referred to both the bluejay and the penguin, however both references were removed from the final edit of the episode. A deleted scene from ENT: "E²" established a type of bird known as the Rigelian parrot. (ENT Season 3 DVD & Blu-ray special features)
In the revised final draft script of TOS: "Balance of Terror", a metaphorical bird was mentioned by Romulan officer Decius. He specifically imagined a Romulan Bird-of-Prey which he was serving on chasing after and defeating the Enterprise, likening that to a hunting bird causing a field creature to flee from it.
In the final draft script of TOS: "Shore Leave", flocks of birds, rather than a single flock, were reported by Rodriguez and Kirk had two sightings of birds in flight instead of just one. The script also noted that the production crew were unlikely to capture footage of birds going into flight in the same area as they filmed the part of the scene performed by Kirk actor William Shatner.