Are you looking for fun origami birds to create today? Well, you’re in the right place! We’ve got lots of easy-to-follow tutorials for you right here on Gathered, plus a few from our trusted crafty friends.
Each tutorial has been created by a papercraft specialist and contains its own step-by-step instructions with pictures. We’ve even added videos to some more complex tutorials, so they’re super simple to do even for a beginner.
What is origami?
Origami is a traditional Japanese art form which involves folding a single sheet of paper into beautiful creatures or objects, without making any cuts to the paper.
We’ve chosen to showcase our favourite bird origami projects in this article, as there are so many beautiful options to choose from!
What makes origami birds so special?
Origami is such a beautiful medium for showcasing the elegance and delicate nature of birds, which makes them an excellent subject for origami.
The origami crane is probably the most traditional and well-known project in the art. It’s a good place to begin to master the basic techniques, which you can then use in other origami bird projects.
16 bird origami projects to try today
1. The classic origami crane
Difficulty: Beginner
If you’re interested in origami, the crane is the place to start. It’s beginner-friendly and a classic for a reason! In our origami crane tutorial, you’ll find simple-to-follow instructions and clear, helpful photos of each step.
The origami crane is probably the most historical project on our list. There’s lots of interesting culture and folklore surrounding these little birds!
There’s an ancient Japanese legend that says that anyone who can fold 1,000 paper cranes will be rewarded with a wish from the gods.
Traditionally, 1,000 paper cranes would be assembled onto 25 strings, each containing 40 cranes – called a senbazuru.
2. Make a cute origami penguin
Difficulty: Beginner
Aren’t penguins just the cutest? So clumsy on land yet so elegant in the water! We can’t get enough of them. That's why we’ve created this beautiful penguin origami tutorial so you can create your own penguin family at home.
The best paper to use for the penguins is black on one side and white on the other, which creates the Emperor penguin's signature markings while you fold! We’ve even created some baby penguins using all grey paper.
3. Beautiful origami dove
Difficulty: Beginner
Doves are a symbol of peace and love! And you’ll feel relaxed as you take on this simple dove origami project. We’ve created our dove in classic white, but you can use any colour papers you like if you want to jazz it up.
This project is perfect for beginners as the steps are very simple, and we break them down with photos, so it’s easy for you to follow.
These would make special favours at a wedding or as decorations for the table!
4. Delicate hummingbird origami tutorial
Difficulty: Beginner / Intermediate
Hummingbirds are gorgeous, captivating creatures, so they make a wonderful subject for origami. With their delicate wings, and long pointed beaks, it will have a few challenging folds, but the outcome will be worth it!
We have an easy-to-follow hummingbird origami tutorial for you to follow along with, every step has detailed photos, making it doable for even a beginner.
5. Elegant origami swan tutorial
Difficulty: Beginner
Do you want an easy yet elegant project to start with? Try this origami swan. In only 13 steps and a few minutes, you’ll have folded your first origami bird!
This project works well with double-sided origami paper, with a contrasting colour on each side as the folds you make will showcase both colours.
6. Easy origami owl
Difficulty: Beginner
This little project is a hoot! It’s simple, great for beginners and so cute. Try making this origami owl with our easy guide. They make wonderful Halloween decorations!
This project would work well with midnight sky origami papers, or even metallic or glittery.
7. How to make an origami duck
Difficulty: Beginner
You’d be quackers not to love this project! With basic folds, it’s quick and fun to make – it’ll even float on water!
For this cute duck origami project, you’ll need double-sided origami papers, as both colours will show in your folds.
8. Origami flamingo tutorial
Difficulty: Beginner
Create your own pretty pink flamingo origami with this fab tutorial from Easy Origami on YouTube! Follow along with their step-by-step video tutorial which makes origami super simple.
For this tutorial, work with pink plain paper, or try a pink patterned paper for extra glam!
9. Origami peacock
Difficulty: Intermediate
How stunning is this origami peacock by origami artist Jo Nakashima? This one has quite a few steps to it, so it’s best for those with a bit of experience.
Although complex, Jo breaks down each fold into illustrated diagrams, plus runs through the steps in a YouTube video making it easy to follow.
In this version, the peacock’s tail is down but there’s a version with a fanned tail too.
10. Origami pigeon
Difficulty: Beginner
The pigeon is such an underrated bird, and although common it makes them no less beautiful (especially in origami form).
This fabulous pigeon origami tutorial by the talented Jo Nakashima is straightforward to follow and like the peacock has illustrated step-by-step instructions and a YouTube video.
11. Origami eagle
Difficulty: Beginner
Make the king of the skies with the super easy eagle origami tutorial by How to Make Origami on Youtube.
This project will look particularly striking if you use golden origami paper. With just a few simple folds you’ll have a beautiful eagle to display.
Origami for beginners
Looking for more easy origami projects? Check out our round-up of beginner origami and start your next project.
13. Origami crow
Difficulty: Beginner
Perfect for Halloween, this origami crow by Origami Guide, is easy and quick to make. Once folded your origami crow will be able to stand up on a raised edge, so ideal for adding a creepy touch to your bookshelf!
14. Origami budgie
Difficulty: Beginner
One for the kids! This super cute origami budgie by Red Ted Art is the perfect introductory project for children who want to try origami. These budgies work well with origami paper which has a different colour on each side.
There’s a lovely kid-friendly video to follow along with which explains the project step-by-step.
15. Make an origami chicken
Difficulty: Beginner
Another fantastic bird origami for kids! This simple chicken origami by Easy Crafts for Kids is ideal for children.
The folds are very basic and easy to follow. Once you are finished, you can add some cute details to the head.
16. Origami lovebird
Difficulty: Intermediate
One for the romantics out there! This adorable lovebird origami by Joost Langeveld Origami would make a cute gesture for your loved one.
Follow along with the simple step-by-step video and create a whole flock in no time. Also, we think this looks fabulous on rainbow paper.
What do I need to make origami birds?
The great thing about origami is you only need a few tools to start creating. It’s low-cost yet so versatile.
Origami paper
The first thing you’ll need is origami paper. There’s a bunch of it available to buy online, some better quality than others. We’ve found our favourites, as recommended by our papercraft specialists.
Birds are colourful and very unique in their markings. It’s great then, to use patterned origami papers to give your birds texture and colour.
We’d also recommend taking a look at metallic papers, which would work particularly well for vibrant birds, like the hummingbird. If you want to go in a more magical direction try galaxy papers!
Clairefontaine origami paper - nature-inspired
Buy now, Amazon (£6.79)
Nature-inspired patterns are perfect for bird origami! The patterns complement the beauty of a bird whilst anchoring them in nature.
This gorgeous set from Clairefontaine contains 60 sheets of pretty origami paper in natural green hues. With designs such as plants, leaves, flowers and feathers you’ll have plenty of choice for your project.
These papers are patterned on one side, and plain on the other, ideal for creating distinctive folds in your work.
Milky Way patterned origami papers
Buy now, Amazon (£7.99)
Make your folds mesmerising with these beautiful galaxy origami papers. These will add an extra dreamlike quality to your projects.
This pack contains 200 sheets of origami paper in 12 different styles. Not only do you get the beautiful papers but you’ll also receive six step-by-step projects to try.
Chiyogami origami papers
Buy now, Amazon (£13.00)
If you’d like to purchase lots of origami paper at once, these are the ones for you! With 200 sheets and 40 assorted patterns, you won’t be at a loss for choice.
The patterns on these papers are so pretty and there’s a huge range of colours. They are ideal for lots of different origami birds!
Shiny origami paper
Buy now, Amazon (£6.99)
Add sparkle and shine to your origami creations with this gorgeously vibrant paper! Each pack contains 100 sheets in a variety of 10 different colours, so there’s plenty of choice for your projects.
The paper is durable yet folds easily, so perfect for origami.
Cutting mat
Buy now, Amazon (£8.49)
Although not a necessity for origami, a cutting mat is certainly useful. It creates a smooth, even surface for you to make precise and neat folds.
This cutting mat from Aniso is available in a variety of attractive colours and comes in a large size.
A cutting mat is not only a worthwhile investment for origami but is excellent for all types of papercraft from cardmaking to scrapbooking.
Paper creaser tool
Buy now, Amazon (£4.60)
A paper creaser is a tool to ensure your folds are crisp and accurate. It can really help when you have smaller, more complex folds to do, such as the beak of a bird.
This paper creaser tool set is low-cost yet high-quality and will become a surprisingly necessary part of your origami kit.
Origami Flowers and Birds by Mari Ono
Buy now, Amazon (£6.99)
If you want to get stuck into even more bird origami projects, this book is the answer! Packed full of gorgeous bird and flower origami tutorials, you can create 15 origami models. It also includes a mega 250 sheets of origami paper for your creations!
Not only does the book have easy-to-follow tutorials, but it also covers all the basic folds that can be applied to other types of origami projects.
Origami storage box
Buy now, Amazon (£12.50)
Buying origami paper is addictive! So you’re going to need somewhere to store it. This simple yet effective storage box will keep your origami paper neat and tidy.
It’s low-cost, portable and the perfect design for paper!
Easy origami for kids
Origami isn’t just for adults. It’s a great hobby for kids to try too. We’ve rounded up our favourite origami for kids to start today.
Get started with elegant origami birds
The origami crane was where it all started and is one of the most well-known symbols of the craft.
Birds have been used as a subject in origami because their elegance and grace can be portrayed perfectly through the precise and delicate folds of paper.
Let your origami fly!
If you love folding creatures of the sky, have a go at this beautiful origami dragon. It has a few more steps than the ones on this list, but it’s totally worth it for the final result.
