A Bird Trap is a SurvivalItem used to catch Birds. It is crafted using 3 Twigs and 4 Silk and requires a Science Machine to prototype. Bird Traps can be baited with Seeds to significantly increase the chance of catching a Bird, though it is not a requirement. Using a Feather Hat will increase the number of birds landing to speed up the process.
It appears that there is a chance a trap will fail to catch a Bird and simply break, leaving the Bird that triggered the Trap lying on the ground for a brief time before flying away. The failed Trap can still be picked up and reset, but this still costs one use's worth of durability. It is currently unknown whether the chance of a Trap failing is based on a certain probability, bird type, or player proximity.
Trivia
Following the Naughty and Nice update, Feathers and Morsels can no longer be acquired directly using the Trap. Instead, murdering the Bird while it's in the Inventory is now necessary.
In the old science system, the Bird Trap used to cost 30 Research Points to craft.
Bugs
Sometimes Birds will glitch out of Traps after being caught.
If the Bird Trap is picked up right as it catches a Bird, the Bird may disappear.
Sometimes the Trap will turn invisible, but will still be shown on the map. The player can press space when near it to get it back.
In the Shipwrecked DLC, putting a Seed retrieved from the Ocean inside the Bird Trap may make it look like it's still in the Ocean. Picking up the Bird Trap may cause the Seed to disappear.