Redbirds are Birds that appear only in Summer and land mostly on Grassland. They fly down from off-screen and peck the ground for a few moments, then fly away. When they take flight, there is a chance that Seeds are left behind, unless it's Winter. Redbirds will also be attracted to Seeds left on the ground. If the player or most other mobs get too close, birds will be frightened away. Birds won't land on Sticky Webbing and will swiftly fly away if they already lands.
When killed, redbirds drop a Morsel or a Crimson Feather, and all other birds nearby will fly away. They are considered innocent creatures and killing them directly adds points to the player's naughtiness level, which causes Krampus to appear. Killing a Redbird adds 2 point to the player's naughtiness level.
Redbirds can be caught using a Bird Trap. Placing the trap on the ground will eventually catch a bird even without bait. Adding bait such as Seeds or Berries will greatly decrease the time it takes to catch one. They can be Murdered by right-clicking them in inventory to produce a Jet Feather or Morsel, or be cooked on a fire for a Cooked Morsel. Birds in the player's inventory can be dropped on the ground and will flop on the ground belly-up for a short while before flying off. They can also be imprisoned in Bird Cages.
Hunting Birds requires a ranged weapon such as a Boomerang. Birds will not land within melee range (even if bait is placed on the ground) and will fly away when the player approaches. However, if they are put to sleep when using characters with a normal damage modifier, they can be killed in 1 hit with a sufficient melee weapon.
If a bird is in flight while in range of a sleeping item's effect, it will plummet to the ground and can be picked up as an item.
Wearing a Feather Hat will increase the number of Birds spawning as well as decreasing the time between spawns. Using Birds of the World (while playing as Wickerbottom) will also cause a large number of them to land.
One can send a Smallbird to attack a Bird. This can be done without the bird getting frightened and without raising naughtiness.
They take one blast from the Ice Staff to be frozen and one Sleep Dart to be put to sleep.
Tips
When bait-trapping Birds for their Feathers, players should make sure to do so on Turf in which specific Birds will spawn, so that they get specific Feathers. Redbirds and Snowbirds spawn most commonly on Grass Turf, while Crows spawn on Rocky Turf and all player-made turfs.
If one can manage to bring a Damaged Bishop from the Ruins, their ranged blasts are an effective tool to hunt birds without expending resources on Bird Traps or Boomerangs.
If the player doesn't want any Feathers from the Birds, cooking them alive provides a guaranteed Cooked Morsel. Note that this means sacrificing the option of turning the Bird into Small Jerky, since cooked meat cannot be hung on a Drying Rack.
If the player character has a damage modifier < 1, Boomerangs will not kill birds with one hit, allowing them to flee. Alternatively, the player can use an Ice Staff to freeze the bird then use melee to kill them.
If placed in a Hamlet interior, birds will flop around on the floor, upside down. They will not fly away and can be picked up again.
Trivia
Before the Naughty and Nice update, the Redbird was called "Red Bird".
Meat such as Morsels previously attracted Crows. However, Morsels can no longer be used as a bait in traps and will not attract Crows to their location.
The Redbird is referenced as "Robin" in game files, and uses real-life robin sounds, but the artwork is inspired by a cardinal.
Woodie strongly dislikes birds. He says they are evil and should be punished.
Maxwell mentions that he doesn't know how the Crows got to the island and does not recognize the Snowbird. He says that the Redbird comes from "the fire lands", possibly meaning that there are other worlds in the Constant.
It is revealed in the animated short C’est La Vie that crows were unintentionally brought into the Constant along with Wes.
Wickerbottom refers to several of the birds by their scientific names. Redbird and Snowbird: Cardinalis, a genus of New World cardinals. Real-life cardinals' plumage does not generally change color seasonally, hence her surprise at the Snowbird's coloration.
In RoG, upon examination of a Redbird, Wilson will say, "Does that mean winter is gone?" instead of "Does that mean spring is coming?".
When stunned, Birds can be stolen by Prime Apes and stored in their inventories.
