Small bird
- This article is about the recurring ambient white birds that originate in Super Mario 3D Land. For other uses, see Bird.
Small bird | |||
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![]() Render from Super Mario Odyssey | |||
First appearance | Super Mario 3D Land (2011) | ||
Latest appearance | The Super Mario Bros. Movie (2023) | ||
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Small birds, also referred to as little birds[1][2] or little birdies,[3] are various families of birds sharing similar behavior, the most notable of which are the white birds with distinctive crests that live in the Mushroom Kingdom and are recurring ambient species in the Super Mario franchise ever since their debut in Super Mario 3D Land. Occasionally, they even serve a gameplay purpose. Their appearance seems to be based on Paridae, a family of tits, chickadees, and other with similar body shapes, with some species such as the crested tit sporting crests, though the colors of their feathers and beaks coincide more with those of the albino house sparrow. They are similar in behavior to other birds throughout the series, such as the Birds in Super Mario Sunshine, as well as the blue birds outside Peach's Castle in Super Mario 64.
History[edit]
Super Mario series[edit]
Super Mario 3D Land[edit]
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Little birds make their first appearance in Super Mario 3D Land, serving as ambient creatures and usually appearing in flocks. When Mario or Luigi approaches them, they fly away. Very few of them drop 1-Up Mushrooms upon doing so.
New Super Mario Bros. 2[edit]
Two little birds appear on the roof of Peach's Castle in the opening cutscene for New Super Mario Bros. 2. They fly away as the camera pans down to Princess Peach, Mario, and Luigi.
Super Mario 3D World / Super Mario 3D World + Bowser's Fury[edit]
In Super Mario 3D World, little birds can be found in various levels. In this game, they can occasionally appear on the title screen, where they fly away when the main cast of characters run through it. Cat-eared seagulls appear in the Bowser's Fury campaign of the Nintendo Switch port that serve the same role.
Super Mario Odyssey[edit]
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In Super Mario Odyssey, the little birds of the previous games can be found in the Mushroom Kingdom. Other variants recognized as small birds[4][5][6][7][8][9][10] appear in other kingdoms that resemble real world species and wholly original ones. For example, the small birds in the Cascade Kingdom resemble scarlet macaws, and the ones in the Wooded Kingdom resemble blue jays. If Mario falls asleep in an area where small birds can be found, one may rest on his nose, though in areas such as the Wooded Kingdom, many birds can be found near Mario when he is sleeping.
Though superficially similar, the hat-wearing small birds from the Cap Kingdom are a physically distinct animal from the little birds of the Mushroom Kingdom. Doves, pigeons, penguins, seagulls, and small UFOs occur in some kingdoms that serve the same function as small birds.
Mario & Sonic at the Sochi 2014 Olympic Winter Games[edit]
In Mario & Sonic at the Sochi 2014 Olympic Winter Games, little birds appear during the first portion of Mario's Figure Skating Spectacular, which is based on Super Mario 3D Land. As always, they fly away when the skaters come near.
Mario Kart 8 / Mario Kart 8 Deluxe[edit]
When racers approach little birds, they fly away, though after a set period of time without any racers, they return to the track. These birds are removed in the split-screen modes of the game. Otherwise, they occur on the following courses in Mario Kart 8 and Mario Kart 8 Deluxe:
- Mario Circuit
- Wii Moo Moo Meadows
- GBA Mario Circuit
- SNES Donut Plains 3
- N64 Royal Raceway
- 3DS Piranha Plant Slide
- GCN Yoshi Circuit
- Dragon Driftway
- Hyrule Circuit
- Dragon Palace
- 3DS Wuhu Town
- SNES Battle Course 1
- Tour Paris Promenade
- 3DS Toad Circuit
- Wii Coconut Mall
- GBA Sky Garden
- SNES Mario Circuit 3
- Tour Sydney Sprint
- Tour London Loop
- 3DS Rock Rock Mountain
- Tour Berlin Byways
- Tour Amsterdam Drift
- GBA Riverside Park
- Yoshi's Island
- Tour Bangkok Rush
- DS Mario Circuit
- Tour Athens Dash
- GCN Daisy Cruiser
- Tour Los Angeles Laps
- Tour Rome Avanti
- Tour Madrid Drive
The small birds in Tour Tokyo Blur and Wii Maple Treeway resemble Eurasian tree sparrows, like the ones in Bowser's Kingdom from Super Mario Odyssey.
Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker[edit]
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Players can interact with the little birds in Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker. Normally, they fly away when Captain Toad or Toadette approaches them, but if they stand by a small bird long enough, the little bird flies and lands on their heads, which is detailed in Episode 11 of the European The Cat Mario Show.
Mario Sports Superstars[edit]
Little birds are one of the objects encountered in the grass in the stable mode of Mario Sports Superstars sport, Horse Racing. When players pass into them, they fly away and reveal a ? crate, which reveals a Mario Token. When players obtain 20 Mario Tokens, they unlock the Mario Token Crown, a special horse accessory for the head.
Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle[edit]
In Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle, white and black little birds can be found in the Ancient Gardens and Spooky Trails, respectively. They behave like they do in the Super Mario series, in which they fly away when the party members are near them, only to return soon after the party members leave the area.
Super Mario Party[edit]
In Super Mario Party, small birds fly across the screen during Social Climbers.
The Super Mario Bros. Movie[edit]
Small birds appear in The Super Mario Bros. Movie as wildlife in the Mushroom Kingdom.[11]
Gallery[edit]
- For this subject's image gallery, see Gallery:Small bird.
Second anniversary of Nintendo Co., Ltd.'s LINE account
Names in other languages[edit]
Language | Name | Meaning | Notes |
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Japanese | 小鳥[12][5][6][7][8][9][10][13] Kotori |
Small bird | |
Chinese (simplified) | 小鸟[?] Xiǎoniǎo |
Birdie | |
Chinese (traditional) | 小鳥[?] Xiǎoniǎo |
Birdie | |
French | Petit oiseau[?] | Small bird | |
German | Vöglein[?] | Little bird | |
Italian | Uccellino[?] | Little bird | |
Spanish | Pequeña ave[?] | Small bird |
References[edit]
- ^ Nintendo UK (9 Jul. 2015). The Cat Mario Show - Episode 11. YouTube. Retrieved 23 Jul. 2017.
- ^ @SuperMario_UK (12 Dec. 2017). Here's a flock of little birds wearing top hats, spotted in the Cap Kingdom. They'll scarper if there's any ruckus. #SuperMarioOdyssey. Twitter. (Archived via Nitter.)
- ^ @SuperMario_UK (6 Nov. 2017). Have you spotted these little birdies in Tostarena yet? You can find them in the town itself, or in the desert oasis. #SuperMarioOdyssey. Twitter. (Archived via Nitter.)
- ^ Sakai, Kazuya, kikai, Rachel Roberts, and Jenny Blenk, editors (2019). The Art of Super Mario Odyssey (First English Edition). Milwaukie: Dark Horse. Page 69 142, 249.
- ^ a b @mario_odysseyJP (3 Oct. 2017). 滝の国「ダイナフォー」に生息する小鳥。都市の国に生息する鳥とは異なり、カラフルなのが特徴です。ZZZ…. Twitter. (Archived via Nitter.)
- ^ a b @mario_odysseyJP (18 Oct. 2017). 砂の国「アッチーニャ」に生息する黄緑色の小鳥です。街中や砂漠のオアシスに暮らしています。群れで集まっている所には、何か秘密が…?. Twitter. (Archived via Nitter.)
- ^ a b @mario_odysseyJP (19 Nov. 2017). おはようございます! こちらは帽子の国「カブロン」に生息する、シルクハットをかぶった小鳥。木箱を壊すとびっくりして飛び出してくることもあるんです。. Twitter. (Archived via Nitter.)
- ^ a b @mario_odysseyJP (21 Dec. 2017). 湖の国「ドレッシーバレー」に生息するピンク色の小鳥です。 キラキラとしたラメの入った羽と、ビーズのような目が特徴のおしゃれさん。とてもきれい好きなんです。. Twitter. (Archived via Nitter.)
- ^ a b @mario_odysseyJP (2 Apr. 2018). 森の国「スチームガーデン」に生息する青い小鳥です。ガーデナ人とも仲良しなんです。珍しい機械を見かけると集まってくるかも!?. Twitter. (Archived via Nitter.)
- ^ a b @mario_odysseyJP (26 Apr. 2018). 料理の国「ボルボーノ」に生息するまんまるの小鳥です。体が白いのは、塩で身を包んでいるからなんです。. Twitter. (Archived via Nitter.)
- ^ Matyas (November 30, 2022). The Super Mario Bros. Movie - NEW Footage. YouTube. Retrieved December 3, 2022.
- ^ Sakai, Kazuya (Ambit), kikai, Akinori Sao, Junko Fukuda, Kunio Takayama, and Ko Nakahara (Shogakukan), editors (2015). 『スーパーマリオブラザーズ百科: 任天堂公式ガイドブック』. Tokyo: Shogakukan (Japanese). Page 185.
- ^ Sakai, Kazuya, and kikai, editors (2018). 『スーバーマリオ オデッセイ 公式設定資料集』. Tokyo: ambit (Japanese). ISBN 978-4-19-864696-7. Page 69, 249.
- Birds
- Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker
- Mario & Sonic at the Sochi 2014 Olympic Winter Games species
- Mario Kart 8 species
- Mario Sports Superstars
- Super Mario 3D Land objects
- Super Mario 3D World objects
- Super Mario 3D World species
- Super Mario Odyssey objects
- Super Mario Odyssey species
- The Super Mario Bros. Movie characters