27 Bird Tattoo Ideas for Every Aesthetic

two blue birds tattooed on an arm — @bangbangnyc / Design by Cristina Cianci

Birds are common across tattoo styles thanks to their simplicity and symbolism. They're also one of the most common animals seen in nature so people naturally gravitate towards them.

Going all the way back to the start of American traditional tattooing, birds were a popular image thanks to their history; sailors would often get swallows inked to visibly mark them as sailors. It was said that if they drowned, the swallows would carry their souls to heaven.

Nowadays, birds tend to represent more than sailing experience. The animal can symbolize freedom, courage, or even travel. Specific birds have their own symbolism as well, like the dove—which represents peace, faith, and purity—or the phoenix, which represents rebirth and second chances.

Pilar Zurita, an Artist at Atelier Eva, says that birds represent the different stages of life and the need for connection. "Primarily, people gravitate towards bird tattoos as they tend to symbolize the fleeting nature of life—a common allegory for transitional periods, the instinct to keep moving forward and flying in a close, familial group."

"Bird tattoos are so popular as they tend to represent family and lineage connections. Traditionally in my Ukrainian culture, birds represent family," says Koral Ladna, a Resident Artist at INKED NYC.

If you’re interested in a bird tattoo but need more inspiration, here are 27 different bird tattoos to get your imagination going.

Meet the Expert

Pilar Zurita is a Mad Rabbit Pro Team Member and is an Artist at Atelier Eva.

Koral Ladna is a Mad Rabbit Pro Team Member and a Resident Artist at Inked NYC.

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Realistic Hummingbird Tattoo

Realistic hummingbird tattoos require a lot of shading, but they’re able to remain feeling light thanks to the delicate nature of the bird itself. Ask your artist to use gradient shading to add dimension to the design as well.

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Hummingbird Tattoo With Varied Line Thicknesses

Hummingbirds have a very distinct shape (and beak!), so it’s easy to re-create it using fewer lines. This watercolor hummingbird design uses a variety of line thicknesses to create the shape of the bird overtop vivid hues.

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Minimal Dove Tattoo

Birds are easily broken down into their basic elements for line art or abstract tattoos, and doves in particular are no different. If you like simple ink, choose a design that utilizes the smallest number of lines possible without losing the dove’s image.

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Line Art Hummingbird Tattoo

If you prefer the most minimalist of minimal tattoos, try a line art hummingbird design. This tattoo seems to be created out of one single line, but manages to nail the major elements to translate the bird through the style.

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Thin-Lined American Traditional Bird Tattoo

While traditional tattooing is known for its heavy lines, what really makes it that style is the arrangement of lines and the posing of the elements. This bird uses thin lines and no color but still manages to portray the American traditional style.

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Vivid Geometric Bird Tattoo

Geometric tattoos don’t have to be done in all black ink! If you want to use color, try using colors to denote where the elements sit in terms of background and foreground. For a real pop, make the middle element the brightest color.

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Double Swallow Tattoo

Swallows are the most common bird type in traditional tattoos, and they’re often seen in pairs. If you like the idea of double swallows, consider getting them in separate areas—like the hands or the ankles—where they can both stand alone and together.

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Brightly Colored Hummingbird Tattoo

While hummingbirds are found in nature, don’t feel confined to natural colors when designing your tattoo. Try opting for vivid colors, like purple and green, that you like, rather than what’s expected.

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Personal Bird Tattoo

If your bird tattoo means something special to you, try adding personal elements, like a name or phrase, to connect it to you even more. Choose a font that complements the style of your ink, such as how the cursive here looks beautiful against the watercolor background.

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Paper Crane Tattoo

Paper cranes are a well-known origami shape and have a deep connection to good fortune and desire. These also make for good tattoos, as they utilize simple geometric elements that still look like a complete bird—just with a bit of additional symbolism.

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Mosaic Bird Tattoo

Don’t feel confined to black outlined designs if you want something geometric. For a more unique and colorful tattoo, create your bird design out of a number of vividly hued shapes rather than lines.

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Negative Space Hummingbird Tattoo

For a more abstract design, try inking only the most important parts of the hummingbird: the beak, head, wings, and tail. Leaving a lot of negative space may feel like you’re breaking up the design, but it will actually play into the more abstract feel.

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Sketched Watercolor Bird Tattoo

Because watercolor tattoos tend to utilize a lot of purposely placed but random-looking splashes of color, mimic that style in your bird outline as well. This tattoo uses sketch-looking lines that aren’t super precise to give the foreground image that artistic feel as well.

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Bird Silhouette Tattoo

Sometimes the simplest things make the most impact! This tattoo features a small, blackwork bird placed at the top of a tall, thin tree, which draws your eye up to the animal.

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Shoulder Bird Tattoo

Birds are a common symbol in traditional tattooing, and despite having a bold style, they can be placed anywhere and easily toned down to fit your style or the area. This bird is on the shoulder, which pops, but its minimal style also keeps it feeling light.

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Geometric Background Bird Tattoo

A geometric bird tattoo doesn’t have to be fully created out of shapes or lines to give off the style. Instead, try using shapes and crisp lines as the background to a more typical style of tattoo.

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Owl Tattoo

If you want to add a bit of whimsy to your design without making the entire thing feel like a cartoon, pick one element of the tattoo to emphasize. While this owl ink uses thin, curved lines, the large, cartoon-like eyes are what make the piece feel fun but not over-the-top.

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Dove & Rose Tattoo

To lighten up a dove tattoo with heavy black outlines that may feel a bit dark, consider using white ink to lighten it up and add dimension. Placing other light or bright elements, like the rose pictured here, may help as well.

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Dove & Moon Tattoo

Doves tend to be a sign of peace, but they also hold a lot of femininity in their image. To play up that element of the bird, try adding other feminine elements, like the moon.

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Colorful Kingfisher With a Solid Red Line Tattoo

Colorful Kingfisher bird with the movement of a solid red line — Pilar Zurita

This piece is a colorful Kingfisher bird, which Zurita connected to a chicory flower and other existing tattoos with the movement of a solid red line. "The piece is representative of a very special trip that the individual took to Costa Rica, where the bird resides," Zurita explains.

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Klimt-Inspired Golden Sparrow Tattoo

A Klimt inspired golden sparrow — Pilar Zurita

"This sparrow's wings were inspired by Austrian symbolist painter Gustav Klimt's "golden phase" art style. This piece represents beauty and freedom," Zurita says.

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Colorful Hummingbird Back Tattoo

This colorful hummingbird tattoo is the perfect addition to the client's pre-existing composition of back tattoos. "The addition of the hummingbird adds movement to the piece, and brings new color depths to the composition as well," Zurita adds.

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Monet-Inspired Hummingbird Tattoo

Zurita says this hummingbird tattoo takes inspiration from French painter Claude Monet's art style. It is a unique piece that represents the love of a mother and her two sons.

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Vibrant Bird On a Flower Tattoo

A colorful bird perched on a colorful flower tattoo — Koral Ladna

"My color work represents the energy, rather than the realistic color of the subject. This piece represents my client's connection to her new home in the American continent," Ladna explains.

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Tree of Life With Hummingbirds Tattoo

my color work represents the energy, rather than the realistic color of my subject. This piece represents my client's connection to her new home in the American continent. — Koral Ladna

This design is a traditional tree of life motif with hummingbirds, that represents the client’s family line. "Like much of my work, it is inspired by Ukrainian decorative painting," Ladna adds.

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Talavera-Inspired Bird Tattoo

Talavera Mexican folk inspired bird tattoo — Koral Ladna

"This piece is a Mexican Talavera folk inspired design that honors the client's heritage," Ladna says.

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Colorful California Quail BIrd Tattoo

Ladna says this tattoo is of a California Quail, which honors the client's roots and heritage. The tattoo features Ladna's Ukrainian decorative painting art style.

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