How to Make an Origami Flying Bird

Co-authored by wikiHow Staff

Last Updated: May 10, 2022 References Tested

Would you like to learn how to make a bird with wings that really flap? Using just one square of origami paper, you can make a beautiful work of art. The flapping bird is an intermediate origami project that will impress all who see your completed work. You can also make an origami bird that flies like a paper airplane or twirls through the air.

Method 1

Method 1 of 3:

Making a Flapping Crane

1
Start with a square piece of origami paper. Real origami paper always comes in the shape of a colorful square. If all you have is rectangular computer paper, make your own square paper by folding the top corner down diagonally. Trim off the extra rectangle of paper at the bottom. ^{[1]
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- Choose any color of origami paper. Paper with a multi-colored design works well with this project since the bird's flapping wings will make the colors dance.
- If your paper has two different colored sides, note which one is facing up and which one is facing down. If your paper is the same color on both sides, make a small mark or design to identify the two sides. the side facing the table is the side that you will see when the bird is complete.
2
Make a diagonal fold. Start by laying the square in front of you so that the bottom corner is pointing at your chest. Bring the top corner down to the bottom corner, then use your finger to make a crease.
- You will now have a triangular shape with the points facing you.
- Then unfold the paper so it lays flat again.
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3
Make another diagonal fold. Rotate the square and fold it again, this time bringing the other corner to meet its opposite. Make a second crease with your finger.
- The two creases will form an "X" shape in your paper.^{[2]
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- Unfold your paper again.
4
Fold the paper in half on a horizontal fold. Lay the square in front of you so that its bottom edge is parallel to your chest.
- Fold the paper in half, bringing the top edge to meet the bottom edge. Make a crease with your finger.
- Unfold the paper again to lay it flat.
5
Fold the square paper in half again. Turn the paper sideways and fold it in half again, then crease the fold with your finger.
- Unfold your paper once again.
- You should now have four creases running through your paper that all intersect in the middle of the square.
6
Pinch in the sides to form a smaller square. Start with the bottom corner of the square pointing toward your chest. Pinch the two sides of the square along the horizontal fold, bringing the left and right corners down to the bottom corner. The two sides will collapse in toward the middle, and the top corner will fold over them to form a small square. ^{[3]
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- It might take a little maneuvering to get the sides to collapse toward the middle of the square. It can help to re-crease all of the folds to make them more flexible.
- If you do this correctly, the small square you make will have a crease running from the top corner to the bottom corner in the center.
7
Fold in the top right flap. With the bottom corner of the square pointing toward your chest, fold the top layer of the right corner inward so that its edge aligns with the center crease.
- Use your finger to crease the fold.
8
Fold in the top left flap. Do the same thing, folding the top layer of the left corner inward so its edge aligns with the center crease. Use your finger to crease the fold.
- The new folds will take the shape of a little kite.
9
Flip the paper over to repeat the folds. You're going to do the folds you just made on the other side.
- You will now have two identical sides that look like a kite.
- Fold the top part of the kite down to create a crease. Then unfold.
10
Open up the kite. Orient the paper so that the bottom corner (the part that can unfold to reveal the interior) is pointing toward your chest. Lift the top layer of the bottom corner up and flatten it against the table. It will look like a diamond shape sitting on top of your kite. ^{[4]
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- As you lift the bottom corner, the sides of the paper will fall into the diamond shape naturally along the creases you already folded.
11
Flip the paper over. Repeat the folds you just made on the other side. Open up the backside of the kite. Orient it so that the bottom corner (the part that can unfold to reveal the interior) is pointing toward your chest. Lift the top layer of the bottom corner up and flatten it against the table. Now both sides have a diamond shape.
- The two diamonds should align perfectly over one another when you're finished with both sides.
12
Fold the two bottom flaps up diagonally. Fold the right bottom flap diagonally up to the right. Fold the left bottom flap diagonally up to the left.
- You should now have three points forming three triangles all facing upward, pointing away from you.
13
Unfold the flaps so that your paper is the shape of the diamond again. Turn your paper on the side and open the flaps. Now take bottom portion of paper you just folded and unfolded and fold it up and into the flap. Close the flaps. Then take the portion of paper now in the middle and pull it out, keeping the two folds closed.
- Pull the paper out so that all of the edges are aligned. Crease the fold.
- Repeat this with the other side so that you have the head and tail pointing diagonally outward.
14
Fold down the tip of one of the diagonal portions of paper. This reverse fold will make the head. ^{[5]
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- Open the paper to reveal the two flaps and fold down the tip so it’s between. Then pinch the flaps together and crease.
15
Fold down one wing. Fold the top layer of the middle triangle down at an angle to form a wing.
- Fold the wing so that it points more toward the head, not just straight down.
16
Flip the bird over. Repeat the fold for the other wing.
- Make sure that the wings line up with one another.
17
Pull on the tail to make the wings flap. Holding the bird's neck, pull the tail up diagonally to make the wings flap.
- Finished! Enjoy your origami flapping bird.

Method 2

Method 2 of 3:

Making a Paper Bird Plane

1
Grab a piece of square origami paper. If you don’t have square paper, take a rectangular piece of paper and fold one corner down and align the edges. You will have a triangle shape with your fold and a rectangular portion left over. Remove the rectangular portion to end of with a square.^{[6]
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- Lay your paper on the table with the colored side facing down and the white side up.
- If your paper has two different colored sides, note which one is facing up and which one is facing down. If your paper is the same color on both sides, make a small mark or draw a design to identify the two sides. For example, mark the bottom side facing the table. This mark will help you know which side of the paper is currently facing you. The side or color that starts facing the table will be the side or color that you will see when the bird is complete.
2
Fold the paper in half twice to create two creases. Fold your paper in half, first on a horizontal fold. Then unfold and fold it again this time on a vertical fold.
- Unfold your paper so it’s laying flat again. You should have two creases that look like a cross. If you marked the bottom, the marked side will be facing the table.
3
Fold the paper in half on a diagonal bringing two corners together. Now fold the paper on a diagonal so that you create a diagonal crease. Unfold and repeat with the other side.
- You will now four creases in your paper. Two diagonal ones, one vertical, and one horizontal. If you marked the bottom, the marked side will still be facing the table.
4
Fold the paper in half again. Fold the bottom of the paper up away from you on the horizontal crease. The bottom marked side will now be up facing you.
- Then rotate the paper so the two open flaps are facing you.
5
Lift up a corner and fold it in on your diagonal crease line. You will now have a triangle with a flap overlaid onto a square portion of the paper. Fold the triangle in half bringing the flap over to the left.
- You will already have crease lines so follow those and fold on the creases.
- The inside flaps of your folds will be the none marked side of paper that was originally facing up.
- Repeat this with the other side of paper until you have four triangular flaps. Your paper should look like a triangle with two flaps on each side.
6
Fold the top flaps into your center crease. Take each of the two top flaps and fold inward to align the inner edges to the center crease.
- You will now have a diamond shape made up of two flaps over the base flaps of your paper.
- Fold the top flaps in half on a backward fold. Now take the flaps you just folded and fold each one backward, aligning the outer edges.
- You will now have three layers of folds.
7
Bring the top layer of folds together into the centerline. Lift each flap up from the inside edge. Bring it over to align with the center crease.
- As you bring this flap over to the center crease you will be creating another crease and expanding the outer edge of your top flap.
- The outer edge of the top flaps will be aligned with the crease from your previous fold.
- You will still have three layers.
8
Fold the bottom flaps in to meet the edge of your previous fold. Now take the flat flaps which are the layer of paper on the table and fold each side in to align with the outer edges of your last fold.
- Your paper will now resemble something like a stealth bomber paper airplane with four points at the bottom and one point at the top.
9
Pull up the portion of the paper that is under your middle flaps. Keep your previous folds intact as you lift up the center of your paper.
- Pull back the two flaps that make up the tail to reveal a flat portion of paper below. Pull the flat portion of paper up through your two flaps.
- Keep the folds you made for the tail intact by folding on the creases, but in the reverse direction. This will allow you to flatten the layers of folds.
- You will now have a piece of paper that is standing up and looks like a shark fin. The outsides of the fins should be the same color and side that you've marked. The inside is the plain color.
10
Flatten the center portion of paper down. Take the edge of the shark fin and flatten it on top of the other layers of folds.
- You will now have a triangular shape which fits in between the inner edges of your wings.
- You will now have a total of six layers of folds if you look at the back of your bird.
11
Unfold the outer flaps that make up the wings. After the wings are flat you will see a diagonal crease line in the center of each wing. Keeping the center folds intact, pull out on the top layer of the wings in an upward and diagonal direction until the crease line becomes the outer edge.
- The bottom edge of the wings should be flat. You will now have another layer on top with a diagonal bottom edge that meets at a corner.
- When you pull the paper outward, press down on the center folds of your bird and let the portion you are pulling out flatten on the creases you’ve previously made.
- You want to keep the center fold and the tail folds of the bird intact.
12
Fold the outer parts of the wings inward. Fold the wings in again so the bottom edge of this fold aligns with the bottom edge of your first layer of paper.
- Make sure each wing is even and that all the bottom edges line up.
13
Unfold the wings so each one is flat again. Then make a small triangle fold on each side bringing the top corners of the wings inward.
- Align the long edge the triangle fold to the crease you just created from your previous fold.
14
Fold the wings inward again twice so that each wing’s inner edge is now touching the outer edge of your bird’s tail.
- Fold the wings inward keeping the small triangle folds you just made intact.
- You will have crease lines to use as guides as you fold the wings back over twice on each side. The first of these two folds is the same fold you made before folding the triangle corners.
- A portion of your paper on your second fold will go over the center area. The bottom of the wings should align with the tail.
15
Fold the top part of the paper back toward you. Take the tip of your paper and fold it back so the point meets the horizontal bottom edge of the center layer of paper which is just above the tail.
- You will now have four points at the bottom, two from the wings and two from the tail. The top of your paper will be flat with the tip pointing down toward you.
16
Fold the tip back again so that the point is facing its original direction. Fold the portion you just folded down back up in half so that the tip extends just beyond the flat top part of your bird.
- You have now created a zig-zag like fold with the part of the paper making up the head and beak.
17
Pull out a portion of paper from under the part you folded back. You now need to extend the wings on each side. Pull the wings out so that the bottom edge of each wing is flat and horizontal again.
- This is tricky, but you need to keep the bottom edge of the bird’s head intact while unfolding the wings from beneath.
- Flatten the paper out. If the area around the bird’s head looks smushed that’s fine.
18
Flip the paper over so the flat side is now facing you. Fold the bird in half so the wings move up and the folds you made are exposed.
- Make sure that both sides are as even as possible and the edges of the wings line up.
19
Fold the wings down. Leave enough room so you can grab the body like you would for a paper airplane.
- You want to fold the wings down so that the top edge of the bird is flat while the wings are pointing down.
- Then, pull the wings up so that each is flat on the top. Do the same for the tail.
- The outside of the bird will show the marked side that you originally had facing down toward the table.
- You can now throw your bird like you would a paper airplane.

Method 3

Method 3 of 3:

Making a Twirling Flying Bird

1
Grab your paper. For this flying bird, you should use rectangular A4 paper. ^{[7]
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- Regular 8.5in by 11in printer paper works well. You can also use notebook paper.
2
Position your paper so that the white side is facing you and it’s in the shape of a diamond. You want two of the corners of the paper pointing up and down. If your paper has two colors, start the color you want the bird to be facing down toward the table, away from you. You will fold up in a way so that the outside of your bird is the side of paper currently facing down.
- Fold the paper in half bringing the bottom corner to meet the top.
- You will now have a triangle.
3
Fold the paper in half again on a vertical crease. Then open it back up.
- After you fold the paper over, bring the flap back down to the table.
4
Fold down the top of your paper. Fold down the tip of your paper on a horizontal crease.
- The tip of your paper should extend below the bottom edge that’s making the base of the triangle.
- Fold the paper in half on a vertical crease. You will already have a crease line to make this fold easy from when you folded your triangle in half.
- After you fold the paper in half, rotate the paper counter-clockwise 180-degrees so it is vertical.
5
Fold down the top flaps on each side. Fold each flap down but leave enough room in the body of the paper bird to grab it.
- You will see a triangular shape in the center of your paper which is the beak. Fold the wings down so that the top edge of the fold is even with the top of the beak.
6
Fold the wings back up. Holding the body of the bird, fold the wings up so that each wing sits horizontally.
- You want your wings to be flat.
- Throw your twirling bird like you would a paper airplane and watch it tumble in circles.

Community Q&A

Question

I pull the tail of the bird in the first method, but the wings don't flap. What do I do?

Community Answer

You might’ve done something wrong, Double-check your folds to make sure everything is in the right place. You can always try again.
Question

Can I use a sticky note?

Community Answer

You can use any size paper. The size should be the only thing affected.
Question

Can I use regular paper instead of origami paper?

Community Answer

You can, but make sure it is thin. Thick paper like construction paper or card stock won’t work for this project, they will not bend well.