What Are Bird Furries Called? Everything You Need to Know

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Written by

Clinton Atkins

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FACT-CHECKED BY

George Dukes

What Are Bird Furries Called

People get together for many different reasons, from sports to baking or a collecting hobby. A specific group of people get together to bond over their love of, and, sometimes, even identification with, anthropomorphic animals. This is called the furry fandom.

What are bird furries called? People who associate with birds are known as avians or feathers. However, many other furries exist, including scales, fishies, buggies, and more.

Read on to learn about the history of this fandom, its community, and much more!

What Are Furries?

The term “furries” describes people interested in anthropomorphic animals, or animals depicted in human form who walk upright on two legs.

Often, this interest goes beyond liking certain animals. Furries typically strongly associate or identify with a specific animal, hence their fascination with the subject.

However, note that furries don’t associate as animals, just with animals or specific animal characteristics.

History of Furries

History-of-Furries

Writer and historian Fred Patten claim that “furries” originated in 1980 at a science fiction convention.

The conversation was sparked by Steve Gallacci’s Albedo Anthromorphics comic book series. Several friends gathered to discuss it in a “room party,” and the rest is history.

The term “furry fandom” became more widely used in 1983 when it began being used in fanzines, or unofficial, fan-made magazines.

However, it wasn’t until 1990 that the community was given a more precise identity as a group that appreciated and shared art and prose that featured fictional anthropomorphic characters.

Fursonas

95% of furries develop a “fursona.” These avatar-like characters typically have deep meaning, representing the person as an idealized version of themselves. Sometimes, it can also be an invented character from their imagination.

People are not limited to one fursona only. FurScience.com estimates that each Furry has an average of 2.12 fursonas.

Aside from bringing them joy, these furries use their fursona to explore different identities or even sexual orientations safely.

Bringing Fursonas To Life: Fursuits

Fursonas-To-Life

Furries in fursuits resemble cosplayers who enjoy dressing up as anime characters or superheroes. However, in this case, they are dressing up as their fursona.

While many assume all furries have fursuits, only 15-25% have one. These creative furries spend incredible amounts of time and money to purchase and assemble the materials into an astonishing creation.

Those who prefer to commission fursuits can face bills anywhere from $1,000 to $10,000, depending on the complexity of the design.

In a way, fursuits are simply merchandise of a particular fanbase–in this case, of anthropomorphic animals. Some fans like to dress the part in a bird fursuit, while others prefer simpler ways of showing their dedication, such as wearing T-shirts.

What Are Bird Furries Called?

Does-birds-count-as-furry

There are many sub-communities within the furry community. Does birds count as furry? Yes!

Furries who associate with anthropomorphic birds are referred to as Avians or Featheries.

The anthropomorphic bird has been in existence since the Ancient Egyptians. This civilization had several “bird gods,” including Horus (Falcon/Hawk), Thoth (Ibis), Maat (Ostritch), and Nekhbet (Vulture).

What Do Bird Furries Look Like?

Because of their anatomy, birds can be slightly tricky to transform into human-shape. Here are some creative ways bird furries have anthropomorphized furry bird species.

1. Arms

An avian replaces human arms with bird wings. These typically appear in four different ways:

  • “Toony wings,” where individual wing feathers appear as fingers.
  • Normal wings, where arms appear like regular bird wings
  • “Wing arms,” where the human arm is still visible but with bird wings around them, and,
  • Back-mounted wings, where the Avian can have both wings and fully-functional arms.

2. Legs

bird-legs

Few featheries depict themselves with bird legs. Typically, they modify these to appear like regular human legs.

3. Sexual anatomy

Both male and female birds have the same reproductive organ, at least externally: the cloaca. Their testes and ovaries, respectively, are hidden internally.

Bird furries typically display a phallus or breasts to indicate the gender identity of that specific fursona.

4. Egg Laying

While real birds only lay one egg at a time, bird furry egg laying has been depicted as the female-human-bird laying multiple eggs simultaneously.

Other Types of Furries Fandoms

6-different-types-of-fur-fandoms

Furries are known to associate with all sorts of animals. Aside from Avians, who identify with anthro bird, other types include the following:

  • 1. Furries – Furries are people who have mammalian fursonas or fursonas with fur. This term was adopted for the entire movement because they are the most popular within the fandom.
  • 2. Scalies – Scalies are associated with scaly animals, including lizards, reptile furries, amphibian furries, dinosaurs, and even dragons!

Within the Dragon Scaly group is a subgroup of “Fluffy Dragons.” These fursonas showcase the fierceness of dragons while still being cute, adorable, and fluffy.

  • 3. Fishies – “Aren’t fishies scalies?” you might be wondering.

Technically, yes, but all aquatic animal fursonas have been given their own classification as “fishies.” This includes those with scales, such as fish furries and sharks, and hair, such as dolphins and whales!

  • 4. Invertebrates – This group of furries has a lot of names. Aside from Invertebrates, they are sometimes referred to as Insectoids, Buggies, Arthropods, or Crawlies.

Insect furries who identify as invertebrates love the variety this category offers.

  • 5. Fictional Species – Some people associate it with fictional characters or fantasy bird species instead of real animals. A popular subgroup is people with “Pokesonas,” or Pokemon fursonas.
  • 6. Hybrids – Sometimes, people can’t pick one animal or fictional character they associate with. Therefore, they create their hybrid fursona, which mixes two or more animals.

Examples of hybrids include fox/wolf mix, cat/rabbit mix, and even a kangaroo/dragon mix.

An Overview of the Bird Furry Community

the-Bird-Furry-Community

The furry community is enormous–the Healthy Journal estimates 1.4 to 2.8 million furries worldwide! Many bird furries are proud owners of pet birds.

Furries are welcoming, boasting numerous LGBTQ+ members and furries diagnosed with autism and ADHD.

After all, a big part of being a Furry is access to a community of like-minded people. Knowing you are understood, accepted, and even supported in your hobbies always feels good!

1. Furry Community Activities

Furries have many opportunities to gather yearly, with over 100 annual furry conventions worldwide. These conventions include anything from panel discussions, room parties, dance competitions, and parades.

Popular conventions include the annual Anthrocon in Pittsburgh, the Further Confusion in San Jose, and the Midwest FurFest in Illinois.

2. Other Motivations For Furries

Some furries are motivated beyond their interests.

Some, such as Jennifer Miller from New York, design costumes for specific species to educate the community and encourage them to learn more about endangered birds.

3. Outside Perceptions of The Furry Community

Unfortunately, despite the supportiveness within the Furry community, they are often misunderstood by outsiders.

Furries often have to deal with harassment, assault, cyberbullying, and occasionally even death threats.

There is also a misconception that those in furry fandom are obsessed with kinky sex, an idea further promoted by shows such as The Simpsons, ER, and CSI: Crime Scene Investigation.

But not everyone views Furries negatively. In 2016, Walt Disney Studios tapped into the furry fandom to promote Zootopia, their animated film that featured animals living as people.

How to Create a Fursona

Create-a-Fursona

Curious about creating a fursona? Here are five simple steps.

1. Choose Your Fursona Species

Your entire fursona begins with which animal/s you associate closely with. Spend some time researching not only real animals but fantasy ones as well.

Do you want a scalie or bird fursona? If you are attracted to multiple, you may want to create a hybrid or design several fursonas!

2. Decide On The Details

What color is your fursona? Does it have markings? How much of it is human, and which parts are distinctly animal?

You can check furry bird art online for inspiration!

3. Customize

Your imagination’s the limit when designing and drawing your persona. Aside from its color and markings, what else would you want your fursona to have?

Does it have a tail, hair, or a mane? Does it wear clothes? Would it want sunglasses?

4. Decide Your Fursona’s Personality

Now that you can see your Fursona, it’s time to decide how it acts. If your bird furry fursona is simply an animal representation of you, you can skip this step.

If you want a different personality that matches your fursona, though, now is the time to think about it.

5. Name Your Fursona

Last but not least, name your fursona! This will bring it to life and give it its identity.

Conclusion

Furries are simply people who share a hobby and create friendships to bond over it. Within the fandom are subgroups of scalies, fishies, and avians, which is what are bird furries called.

Though possibly strange for non-furries, furries enjoy creating costumes, spending time together, and discussing anthropomorphic animals.

And anything that brings a little more joy into the world without causing harm to others is always welcome.

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