Birds in tarot

Birds move between earth and sky, and art has long used them as messengers and as images of the soul and the Holy Spirit. A white dove descends to the Ace of Cups carrying a wafer, the Holy Spirit of Christian art. A small bird alights on a tree behind the Star. Birds fly in the windy skies of the Swords courts, and the woman in the Nine of Pentacles has a hooded falcon on her glove, wildness trained to serve. In readings, birds suggest thoughts, messages and aspirations. Notice whether they fly free, perch or are hooded.

Cards that show birds

The Star
The Star: The bird in the tree
On a small tree on the hill to the right sits a reddish bird with spread wings. It is often identified as an ibis, sacred to the Egyptian god Thoth, though Smith's drawing is too small to be sure. Birds carry the idea of messages and of the spirit.
Ace of Cups
Ace of Cups: The dove and the wafer
A white dove plunges downward holding a round wafer marked with an equal-armed cross. Waite calls it 'a cross-marked Host'. Dove and Host are Christian images of the Holy Spirit and the Eucharist, and together they give the cup the look of the Grail: love as something sacred.
Page of Swords
Page of Swords: The flock of birds
A loose flock of small dark birds flies high in the upper part of the card. Birds are messengers and creatures of air, a fitting image for quick thoughts, news and gossip passing overhead.
Knight of Swords
Knight of Swords: The streaked clouds and flying birds
Clouds are pulled into long ragged streaks across the sky, and a few birds scatter near the top right. Everything in the background moves in the same direction as the knight, as if the whole scene were caught in his rush.
Queen of Swords
Queen of Swords: The single bird
One small bird flies high in the open sky above her. A lone bird suggests both freedom and solitude, and many readers link it with independent, far-seeing thought.
King of Swords
King of Swords: The two birds
Two small birds fly together in the sky to the right of his throne. Birds belong to air; a pair may suggest the balance of two sides weighed in judgement.
Nine of Pentacles
Nine of Pentacles: The hooded falcon
A falcon with a red hood sits on her gloved left hand. Falconry was a pastime of the wealthy and needed long training; the hooded bird is often read as instinct brought under control, power that waits calmly until it is needed.