Birdwing/Main article

Birdwing is a black she-cat with a lighter-colored muzzle.

Hawkwing's Journey

 * At a Clan meeting, Birdwing, Honeytail, and Mintfur appear at the entrance to the nursery. The black queen's kits frisk around her paws until she gathers them closer with a sweep of her tail.


 * When the rogues attack a SkyClan patrol for the first time, the Clan is ruffled. Leafstar calls for silence, but Birdwing voices her concerns of kits' safety. SkyClan then breaks into a loud clamor before Leafstar is finally able to calm them. During the second rogue attack, the nursery queens bravely try to hold their own. However, they are outnumbered and yowl for help. Hawkwing and Pebblepaw help them, and the she-cats thank them both profusely. After the battle, Hawkwing sees Birdwing's kits trying to cross the river. He goes to stop them, as it is dangerous and their parents are nowhere in sight. Later, the dark gray warrior asks them when the last time they saw Birdwing or Sagenose. Fidgetkit replies that they were with their mother when Leafstar called the retreat, but lost her in the crowd. The young cats worry how to tell their parents about Snipkit and their failed search.


 * The kits, Hawkwing, Pebblepaw, and Echosong travel to Ebonyclaw's garden to meet with the rest of SkyClan. Birdwing and Sagenose rush to greet Fidgetkit and Curlykit, but the black she-cat questions where Snipkit is. The pair launch into their story, and the queen lets out a wail as she gathers them closer to her. Snipkit is found and is buried with her family standing nearby. Soon after, at Fidgetkit and Curlykit's apprentice ceremonies, Birdwing irritably comments that she should've groomed them.


 * SkyClan then begins to travel, and reaches Barley's barn. They stay there for a day, then keep moving forward into the Twolegplace. The Clan meets Shorty and Stick, who allow them to hunt. All of SkyClan goes out in patrols, but one patrol comes back, missing Curlypaw. Bellaleaf reports that was captured by Dodge, and, upon hearing a message from Harley, they go to rescue their Clanmate. Birdwing pleads to Leafstar for her daughter. Her eyes are filled with fear and grief, but either way it goes, lives are at risk. Hawkwing fights Dodge in a challenge and wins, so Curlypaw is released. The apprentice rushes over to Birdwing and Sagenose, who cover her ears with licks.


 * When they arrive at a lake, Birdwing hunts with Hawkwing, Macgyver, Parsleyseed, and Curlypaw. She catches a mouse, and the patrol settles down to eat together. On their way back, the SkyClan cats meet a kittypet named Max. Birdwing explains to the tom that they are looking for ThunderClan, but he doesn’t recall seeing them. When they return, SkyClan chooses to stay where they are as a temporary territory.


 * Several moons later, Birdwing hunts with a patrol, and sets her catch on the fresh-kill pile. A Clan meeting is held a bit after, and the black she-cat comments that it isn't safe in their camp with the dogs nearby. Curlypaw then chooses the life of a kittypet, and tells Hawkwing that her parents already know. Birdwing sits next to her mate when Leafstar again gathers the Clan to announce they are leaving. She protests that it is a bad time to go, as leaf-bare is approaching. The SkyClan leader replies that worse things may happen if they stay, so the best option is to keep traveling. The next morning, Birdwing is taken away by Twolegs along with several of her other Clanmates. Sagenose tries to go after her, but is stopped by Hawkwing. Later, Leafstar decides to leave the captured cats behind, despite protests from a few cats.

The Rescue

 * Birdpaw is revealed to be one of Clovertail's and Patchfoot's kits, along with her siblings Honeypaw and Sandypaw. Birdpaw is first seen when she hurts her eye when she is playing a game with Rabbitleap. Echosong attempts to heal her eye, but she opens it up again. Leafstar later finds out that she's been eating while on patrol, and is ordered to clean out Lichenfur's nest, which she is disgusted by. When the apprentices take food from the elderly Twoleg woman, she heals Birdpaw's eye with ointment received from the vet, calling her "Flossie". Echosong is appalled and shocked at how fast her eye has healed.


 * Later, Leafstar is captured along with her kits by the elderly woman. Birdpaw then comes up with a plan to save their leader. The plan is that Fallowfern acts injured so the Twoleg helps them and opens the door, and Leafstar is supposed to escape. Birdpaw says when the Twoleg saw her eye, she put gross stuff on it to heal it. Leafstar thanks Birdpaw for coming up with the plan. Birdpaw and the rest of the cats taking food from the Twoleg apologize.

Beyond the Code

 * Birdpaw is first seen with her sister, Honeypaw after removing the elders' ticks. She complains that Sol had never done the elder's ticks, and Honeypaw agrees. Later, the she-cat is seen in a hunting skills session with her sister, Sol, Cherrytail, and Waspwhisker. When Sol does the pounce wrong, she asks if he is alright, exclaiming that she thought he already knew hunting techniques. She is also present at the Gathering, sitting next to the other apprentices, and is one of the many cats trying to climb higher to avoid the flood. She joins the others in gathering around Lichenfur's body to hold vigil for her.

After the Flood

 * Leafstar observes the rebuilding of camp and says that the apprentices work just as hard as the warriors. Birdpaw is seen with her sister, Honeypaw, carrying fresh moss to Tangle's nest. She is then shown in the background sometimes throughout the book.

Interesting facts

 * Birdwing has kittypet blood through Clovertail, and rogue blood through Patchfoot.