Birds of many kinds were known to the primitive rock artists. Some were suitable sources of food and others had mystical religious significance. The might eagle was frequently drawn with wings outspread. This is the great thunderbird symbol. No doubt the eagle was sought after (with suitable apologies) for feathers to be put to use as ornaments and costumes. In the more southernly regions the turkey was hunted for food (nests with eggs are known from the vicinity of some pueblo ruins). This great bird is shown in the typical strutting pose with wings and tail expanded but the subject was plainly a difficult one. To draw a feather as a solid object does not seem to have occurred to most primitive artists.

Birds must have been kept as pets. Owls could have been captured in their native habitats of the southwest but parrots were probably imported from what is now Mexico. Water birds such as ducks and cranes furnished models for recognizable art forms. Smaller birds are mostly just birds. Even though the artist may have had certain species in mind it was beyond his skill to depict such small creatures as separate species.

A. Owl on a Leash
B. Turkeys fighting