Learn & Do It Yourself: Flapping Bird

There are a great many flapping birds in origami, designed by folder worldwide.

Let us learn how to do a flapping bird together.

Use a square of crisp paper.

1: Begin with a Waterbomb base. The final model has a fairly equal color ratio, so it never seems to matter which side of the paper face you to begin with.

2: There are two sharp points on each side of the Waterbomb base. Fold the top point only on the right-hand side across to the left.

3: Fold the lower horizontal edge up to lie on the upper-right sloping edge. Make a really firm crease.

4.:Unfold step 3.

5: Folding the single layer only, take hold of the uppermost point at the left, and make a repeat fold of step 3, using the same crease. As the flap comes to rest, you have to make a swivel-squash adjustment with excess paper between layers, so that the model will lie flat once more.

6: step 5 completed.

7: Turn the model over, and arrange it so that the crease made in step 3 rises from left to right.

8: Repeat step 5 on this side, folding the single point at the right up to lie on the upper left sloping edge, matching the two wings together, and making a similar swivel-squash adjustment to that in step 5.

9: Step 8 completed.

10: Make a valley fold in the left-hand point, so that the crease runs in line with the lower edge of the right-hand point.

11: Change the angle of the left-hand point, by making another valley fold at the tip. These last two steps form the neck and head respectively.

12: Open out steps 10-11.

13:Turn the model over, so that you are now looking at the underside of the bird. Open out the pocket between the folded-edged layers of each of the sharp points, and hold with the point that has the creases made in steps 10-11 facing away from you.