Origami Flapping Bird

An origami flapping bird has wings that move up and down, to simulate flying. In origami, birds are one of the more prevalent styles of creations. They are not necessarily easy to make, but after learning the basics, even beginners can appreciate them.

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Like an origami crane, the flapping bird starts with the bird base. The difference between the crane and the flapping bird is the movement in the wings. This fun, action origami creation does have several variations. Start with the bird base. To make it, follow these steps:

1. Using a square sheet of origami paper, fold the paper on the diagonals. Take the top right corner and fold it down to meet the bottom left corner. Repeat on the other side then reopen the paper.
2. Fold the paper in half, top down, to meet the bottom half. Open it up and then fold the right side to match with the left side.
3. The diagonal folds need to be valley folds, which means that the fold goes inward. You need the top to bottom and side-to-side folds to be mountain folds, so they stick up.
4. If each of these folds is properly done, the paper will collapse along the folded lines. Pick it up by the tip in the center. The sides should naturally fall under. With the tip being the top, allow the other folds to lie down onto each other. It will fold into a square. This creates a square base.
5. Next, fold the two corners inward to meet the center fold. Crease only the top two corners, not the bottom two.
6. Fold down the top tip over the folded in corners. Fold it down towards the middle of the folds, using the top edge created in the previous step. Then, unfold.
7. Create a petal fold. Simply lift the bottom corner of the paper upwards. Fold it along the crease lines and flatten it into a triangle.
8. Flip over the paper. Repeat the last three steps by folding the two outside corners in to meet the centerline. Then, fold the top tip down, along the edge created. Unfold and then create the petal fold from the previous step. This completes the bird base.
9. At this point, it is quite important to crease the edges well or the next folds will not work properly.
10. Create a reverse fold of the bottom leg. To do this, simply take one of the "legs" or the bottom portions and fold it inwards and upwards. If you open up the bottom leg just slightly, you will be able to take the bottom tip and pull it up onto itself. This creates a 45-degree angle at the top of the leg. Do this on both sides.
11. The finished piece will have a large point in the center and one point on either side. Bring the right side down, about half an inch. This creates the tail of the bird.
12. On the other side, fold the very point down to create the head.
13. Fold the winds downwards, one side at a time. Then, flip it over and repeat on the other side. The wings will then create a 90-degree angle against the body of the bird. They can flap up and down.

If you have trouble making this origami figure, use photo diagrams as a reference. To find pictures of this creation, consider visiting the following websites:

• Origami Instructions.com: Step-by-step photos will help you to create the origami flapping bird. Visit Origami-Instructions.com for descriptions of each base used in this bird as well.
• Origami.com.uk: This website, Origami.org.uk, is an excellent tutorial for origami, including the flapping bird. The website provides you with a 3D display of how to create the flapping bird.
• Origami Fun.com: The website Origami-Fun.com offers another version of the bird. In this one, when you pull the tail of the bird, the wings will flap.

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