Bird-Shaped Kites

What We've Seen, What's Available

Aren't bird-shaped kites great! I'll never forget heading off down the jetty at a local kite festival one day and catching sight of a seagull swooping low among some of the nearest kites.

For just a moment, I actually thought the pearly white bird with orange beak was a kite! The gull had wings outstretched and was not flapping at the time, which enhanced the illusion.

A bit of a trawl through our archives of kite-festival photos yielded a surprising variety of designs that were based on bird species. In the sections below there are a few photos, with comments on each, regarding construction and flying characteristics.

Further down, I have provided some info on where all these designs are coming from.

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3D Bird-Shaped Kites—Sparred

Isn't this one a real beauty! Walking up over a sand dune toward the jetty, this eye-catching bird-shaped kite came into view. It was flying low but steady as anything and was tethered near the other side of the jetty.

I just couldn't resist pulling out the camera.

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The "Light-Wind Eagle"

This kite features fiberglass spars and quite realistic artwork on the sail fabric.

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Delta in Disguise—The Phoenix

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Hilarious! The Owl Inflatable

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Another Inflatable

 

There's another inflatable owl kite. Compared to the other one, it's not quite as striking design-wise, in my humble opinion. But perhaps it was more visible due to the choice of Day-Glo orange!

I'm not sure about this, but it might have been a lot bigger than the other owl up there, too. That four-wheel-drive vehicle parked on the sand was there as an anchor for a truly enormous dragon show kite!

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Retail Bird Kites

Flying a bird-shaped kite is a very old idea. That doesn't stop Chinese kite-makers and others from turning out endless variations!

In 2010, you were most likely to find these kinds of kites for sale from

• the thriving kite-making industry in Bali, Indonesia
• exporters of traditional kites from China
• children's kites manufacturers in the USA
  

And things don't seem to have changed much since! The kite scene moves slower than hi-tech.

Bird-shaped kites fall neatly into two categories: 2D (2-dimensional) and 3D (3-dimensional).

2D designs are more-or-less flat kites which have an outline resembling a bird. Hawks and eagles are popular, since they are soaring birds. An image of that bird is applied to the sail. This could be hand painted in a remote village or the result of the latest material-printing technology in a factory. The main thing is, when in flight, there is no mistaking what it is supposed to be!

3D designs go a bit further to represent a living bird more accurately, by molding the shape of the head and body. Some examples even attempt to copy the flapping motion of the bird in flight! Interestingly, even some ancient Chinese kites fall into this rather clever category.

Designing kites to look like birds is an idea that pops up in many, if not most, kite-flying cultures. Even if it's just an image of a bird or bird's head on a large flat kite of some type. Ok, I guess that's a third category!

The attraction is obvious. It looks like a bird, birds fly extremely well, so hopefully so does the kite.

That pink thing in the photo is a somewhat comical example, which seems to be flying quite successfully without a long flowing tail.

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... From Bali

This small island in Indonesia, just to the northwest of Australia, is home to a thriving artistic community. Wares from this location are widely available online. I happened to pick up an unclaimed eagle kite during a club storage clean-out—there it is below. More than just a bird-shaped kite, it's a lot like a real eagle wouldn't you say.

Kites of various birds in 2D and 3D are a popular choice for the artisans, who make them collapsible for transport. These are made in large numbers and are also known as "tourist kites," since most of them leave Bali in the cargo holds of commercial aircraft! The artwork is typically very vivid and colorful. Like many Chinese creature kites, the Balinese manage to achieve almost photorealistic results with their hand-painted decoration.

Parachute fabric is used to cover the bamboo frames for many of the tourist kites in Bali. Rayon or nylon from other sources is also used.

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... From China

Of course, this is just one tiny category in the enormous range of traditional Chinese kite types.

The outline of the head, wings, and tail are constructed from thin strips of bamboo. These are expertly formed into the required curves to match the outline and attached with glue.

Next, the hand-painted sail is attached to the frame and trimmed where necessary. Finally, the bridle line(s) are attached to the frame. Unlike Western factory kites, many of these are made-to-order and individually test-flown to ensure satisfaction.

Most of these bird-shaped kites seem to be 2D, although with details such as the head and claws cleverly painted to look 3D from a distance.

Dozens and sometimes hundreds of people at a time gather in one spot to fly kites, in many Chinese cities. In good weather, parks, reserves, and other open spaces fill with people of all ages enjoying the relaxing hobby of flying single-liners.

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... From the West

These are mainly aimed at children and most are probably not great flyers by traditional standards. We've seen one of these occasionally but usually not flying at any great height! No doubt some are better than others. If it flies at all, in a moderate breeze, the kite is probably doing a good job from a child's perspective!

These kites typically use nylon spars and also nylon cloth for the sails. Sometimes Tyvek, another durable modern material, is used for the sails. Mass-production techniques are used for applying colors and patterns to the sails. Often, tails are required for stability, and these are designed to appeal visually to the kids as well.

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