"We've been working for months on this skyscraper!"
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The birds are a running gag in the Garfield comic strip. For a gallery of birds, click here
Being a cat, Garfield tends to try to catch them so that he can eat them He has varying degrees of success while trying to capture a meal that takes like chicken. Some work to perfection, others are foiled for one reason or another.
Garfield's best moments usually involve running into a bird and promptly eating it before it can escape, or in one case, before it can finish telling a joke as a part of stand-up comedy. Some birds are not that smart, which helps Garfield enjoy some tasty meals, while others are more clever or brutal.
Some of the birds' best moments involve outsmarting Garfield, or just doing something at Garfield's expense. One bird installed a video doorbell on its birdhouse, while other birds fly away from the cat, avoiding being turned into fondue, gumbo, or sandwiches.
For a full gallery of birds, click here.
Comic Strips[]
The Mighty Hunter[]
Garfield is often shown hunting birds. His success is mixed.
Fine, Feathered Feasts[]
Garfield often devours birds before they have time to react.
1978 - 1989[]
- 11/3/1979 While waiting at the vet, an elderly woman wonders where her bird Petey is. Garfield then burps up a couple of feathers.
- 3/4/1982 Garfield sees a bird under the window and strikes, unaware that the bird was a part of a hat.
- 3/30/1987 Jon introduces a new pet, a bird called Sweety Bird. Garfield leaves and returns with a mask and welding torch.
1990 - 1999[]
- 6/9/1995 A talking bird makes fun of Garfield, and he responds by eating it.
- 8/5/1995 Garfield silences an annoying chirping bird.
- 9/7/1995 Jon tells Garfield about how he awoke to songbirds. Garfield runs out and eats them.
- 2/25/1996 Garfield bonks his head into a window, causing two birds to laugh at him and fly away. Garfield pulls out a worm, prompting the birds to return, but they crash into the window.
- 3/3/1996 Jon watches a tape about his talking parrot, Harold. He says in horror that Garfield is stalking him, and the cat eventually eats him.
- 10/24/1996 Garfield returns after a nice walk. Jon then hears about a canary shortage in the city, which he blames Garfield for.
- 3/5/1998 A bird starts doing stand-up for Garfield, but the cat interrupts it by eating it.
- 4/16/1999 Garfield stands next to a plaque with a beak on it. Jon calls his neighbor, Mrs. Feeney, that he knows what happened to her bird.
- 4/17/1999 Garfield asks a bird if he can eat it. The bird declines, but Garfield eats it anyway.
- 6/25/1999 Garfield ate Jon's bird, Dickie Bird. He mourns that he will never hear the bird's feet scampering in the cage, but Garfield thinks its feet are still in there.
2000 - 2009[]
- 1/18/2000 Garfield goes up to accept the Bird of the Year award on a sparrow's behalf.
- 9/29/2001 Jon smells something and asks Garfield what it is. Garfield answers cream of canary, and offers Jon a mug with a bird foot sticking out of it.
- 11/19/2001 A bird attempted to eat a bug in front of Garfield. This prompted Garfield to eat the bird and squash the bug.
- 2/22/2003 Jon asks Garfield where the canary is, and why there are feathers on the floor around him. Garfield, with his mouth full, looks at the feathers and panics that he's shedding feathers.
- 7/8/2004 Garfield mourns why birds don't like him. A bird responds that it is because he eats them. After eating the bird, Garfield decides that he can live with it.
- 11/23/2004 Garfield demands a bird come out of the birdhouse, and the bird tells him to come and get it. Garfield does so and fills himself so much he turns down dinner from Jon.
- 2/2/2005 Garfield gets a canary stuck in his windpipe and starts hacking feathers all over Jon.
- 2/4/2005 Garfield eats two birds next to him before the third one notices.
- 2/5/2005 Garfield meets a songbird, and then eats it.
- 5/18/2005 A bird walks up to Garfield asking if he has seen its uncle Dave. Garfield asks it what he tastes like.
- 8/15/2005 Garfield hacks up a feather in front of Jon, who asks if that is his feather. Garfield asks if he looks like a canary.
- 8/16/2005 Garfield tells Jon that once he eats one canary, he just cannot stop. He then asks Jon what his favorite snack food is.
- 8/18/2005 Garfield tells Jon that even though canaries are yellow, they do not taste buttery, or lemony for that matter.
- 8/19/2005 A bird stumbles upon another bird's, Murray's, feathers and Garfield with a mouth full. The bird concludes that Murray's molting.
- 10/18/2005 Jon sees Garfield standing over a feather and asks if it was a canary's. Garfield replies, "Not anymore."
- 6/29/2006 While Garfield waits in the vet's waiting room, he spies a sick bird next to him. He eats it.
- 1/28/2007 Jon shows Garfield what he got Liz for their six month anniversary: a pair of love birds. Garfield looks at them with a hungry smile and eats them, leaving Jon with nothing for Liz other than makeshift earrings with bells.
- 2/21/2007 Jon notes that the songbird didn't show up in the morning. When the bird in Garfield's stomach whistles, Garfield tries to whistle himself to cover up the sound.
- 6/4/2007 Jon tells Garfield that he has gained weight. Garfield concludes that he should eat leaner canaries.
- 10/13/2007 Garfield sees a parrot named Polly in a window, desiring a cracker. He walks up to Jon, who is eating soup and crackers, and tosses one into his mouth, claiming to give it to Polly, who is inside the cat's stomach.
- 4/9/2009 Garfield eats a bird in the middle of a conversation about where all the other birds are.
- 4/11/2009 When Fred the Bird claims that he is watching his diet, Garfield eats him and tells Jon that he's eating healthier.
2010 - 2019[]
- 3/28/2013 A bird tells Garfield not to mess with it, since now it has a bodyguard named Bernie. However, Bernie is not at the bird's side, but is inside Garfield's belly.
- 11/26/2013 Jon is on the phone, describe Garfield to the person on the other end, down to the cat's canary feather necklace that he got after (presumably) polishing a canary off.
- 6/10/2017 A bird claims to love everybody. Garfield does to, but notes that the bird could have used some salt.
Birds Play Themselves[]
Sometimes the birds are not very smart. These are easy pickings for Garfield.
- 7/11/2000 A bird flew into the window and killed itself. Jon then proceeds to walk into a glass door.
- 2/1/2005 A bird accuses Garfield of eating his brother. After Garfield eats him, another bird accuses Garfield of eating its two brothers.
- 8/15/2020 A bird runs up to Garfield, who promptly eats him.
- 3/24/2024 A bird perches on a birdbath, and Garfield welcomes it with enthusiasm and charisma, claiming to have missed it all winter. The bird buys in and even accepts a hug from the cat, who promptly eats it before returning inside, claiming to have been "having lunch with an old buddy."
Garfield's Greatest Attempts[]
There are a handful of moments where it is unclear whether Garfield catches a bird or not. Perhaps a trap that is not shown working or not.
- 3/31/1987 Sweety Bird desires to brighten Garfield's morning, but Garfield desires to make a sandwich out of him, making the bird cry out for help.
- 4/1/1987 Jon asks Garfield if he likes Sweety Bird. Garfield denies this, and then Jon shows him Sweety Bird covered in clam sauce, which he calls, "An old family recipe."
- 9/28/1988 Jon sees something out the window and tells Garfield to cut it out. Garfield has a sign pointing to his open mouth, labelling it as "Bird feeder"
- 7/19/1989 Jon comments about Garfield going bird-watching, complete with guide book, binoculars, and frying pan, the latter of which gives Jon pause.
- 10/22/1989 Garfield sees birds fly by and tries using some bird calls to coax them over. It appears to be ineffective, but he is unaware of several birds lines up behind him.
- 6/1/1991 Garfield walks up to a bird, claiming to be a big fan of it, and asks it to autograph his tongue. The bird becomes suspicious of him.
- 9/26/1991 Garfield had filled a birdbath with mustard in an attempt to get a tasty bird.
- 11/13/1991 Garfield swaps a bowl of a birdbath with a lit grill, and spies on a bird who is questioning it.
- 6/5/1993 Garfield takes a ladder to the birdhouse. He gets halfway up it when Jon catches him and demands to know what he is doing. Garfield tries to play it cool, claiming he's doing a scene from Romeo and Juliet.
- 4/13/1999 Garfield decides to stand still in the backyard while wearing a birdhouse on his head. Jon orders him back.
- 9/3/2000 A dog dives after Garfield, who dove after a bird, who dove after a worm, who went into a birdbath. The four of them tap Jon on the shoulder as he reads a book of scary stories.
- 10/27/2002 A baby bird fell from a tree and walked up to Garfield, asking him to help it back to its nest with its many siblings. Garfield smiles hungrily, but he notices the angry glares from the readers and tells them to stop.
- 7/17/2003 Garfield knocks at the side of a birdhouse and asks a bird within if it wants anyone eaten. The bird tells its Uncle Earl that there's someone at the door for him. Garfield comments, "There's one in every family."
- 1/31/2005 Garfield shows Jon that canaries fit on a hot dog bun. He goes off to find a canary, but Jon tells him to return.
- 1/22/2011 A bird puts a sweater on. It is not good for flying, though, and Garfield chases it.
- 10/26/2019 A bird reaches for a worm, and then Garfield reaches for the bird. The cat then turns around, anticipating something reaching for him.
- 3/29/2022 Jon hears a bird run into the window. Garfield goes to inspect it, needing an extension cord for something. Jon bluntly tells Garfield to put the blender he has back.
Great Getaways[]
Birds have sensed something amiss, and escape Garfield's many attempts to eat them.
- 4/26/1981 A first-person Garfield hears chirping from a window and goes into the windowsill, scaring the bird in it.
- 12/20/1981 A quartet of birds escaped Garfield by hiding under the water in a birdbath.
- 3/19/1984 Garfield chases after a bird, who flies up a tree. Garfield cannot stop in time and slams into the tree.
- 3/20/1984 Garfield swipes at a bird on a birdbath, but cannot catch it and instead gets covered by the bowl.
- 4/2/1987 Sweety Bird flies away from Garfield. Jon puts his hand out and Garfield slams into it.
- 3/11/1989 Garfield is about to catch a bird in a birdbath, only for another bird to warn the first one of the danger. Both birds escaped.
- 1/5/1994 Garfield asks a bird to cover itself in breadcrumbs while he heats the oven up. The bird flies away, with Garfield asking how it would rather be cooked.
- 8/24/1996 Garfield runs up to a bird, warning it about a cat around and urging it to hide between the two slices of bread he brought. The bird flies away, making Garfield consider getting a new line or looking for dumber birds.
- 10/3/1996 Garfield runs up to a bird and warns it of a cat around. He suggests it hide in his mouth, but the bird flies away instead.
- 7/8/1997 A bird flies away from a birdbath that was filled with chicken stock, thus ruining Garfield's sparrow gumbo.
- 4/12/1999 A bird flew away from a birdbath that was filled with cooking oil, foiling Garfield's plan for sparrow fondue.
- 4/13/1999 Garfield wears a birdhouse on his head to try to catch some birds. Jon tells him to come back.
- 4/14/1999 Garfield tries to convince a bird that he's a REALLY big sparrow. The bird does not buy it and flies away.
- 9/28/2004 Garfield tiptoes toward a bird, who notices and offers him a coupon for a free cheeseburger. The cat happily accepts, only to realize that it is expired and the bird is gone.
- 8/27/2005 Garfield asks a bird if it wants to try out its frying pan. The bird sarcastically plans to get its friends, and then flies away.
- 10/15/2013 Garfield pretends to be a birdbath, even setting up tiny lounge chairs, next to a birdhouse. The bird, however, is not fooled.
- 6/25/2016 Garfield lunges at a couple of birds, but instead devours the bread crumbs they were eating. The birds note how much worse that could have been for them.
- 2/28/2017 An injured bird's lawyer tells Garfield about his attack last evening, and how its client, the hurt bird, "is willing to settle out of court for six grubs and a beetle." Garfield is not impressed.
- 11/30/2021 Garfield holds a decoy bird up to a birdhouse and whistles, but the bird inside can see him through its video doorbell.
Garfield Plays Himself[]
Garfield, at times, does himself no favors while trying to catch birds.
- 1/21/1981 Garfield sees a large bird and attacks it, but the bird is so big it carries him off.
- 1/22/1981 Garfield imagines the headline about him getting carried off, and the duck imagines itself getting a hernia.
- 1/23/1981 Garfield thinks flying will be easy, so he lets go of the duck carrying him. He drops like a bomb, and the duck smirks.
- 4/21/1982 Garfield hides in a bush, waiting for birds, but Odie sniffs him, preparing to take a leak.
- 10/31/1982 Garfield spots a bird and gets an idea to disguise himself as a bird to catch a bird. He covers himself with glue and feathers and adds some swim fins for a beak and feet. He waddles outside, but is attacked by other cats.
- 12/16/1983 Garfield shoos a large bird away from a branch, thinking that his current situation is not safe, and then gets flung upward.
- 12/2/1986 Garfield, the early cat, goes outside to catch the early bird, only to encounter the early dog.
- 9/18/1988 Garfield sees a bird in the distance, and shows off his hunting prowess. He sneaks through the lawn, into the tall grass, and strikes, only to realize his target was a plastic flamingo.
- 10/1/1989 Garfield traps a bird in cement, but the bird flies itself and the cement into the air. Garfield watches, but then gets his head crushed by the cement.
- 1/23/1993 A group of seven birds around a birdbath overheard Garfield say that he'll eat one. They all immediately flew away afterwards.
- 1/21/1997 Garfield tosses a bird to catch it with his mouth, only to have it fly away instead.
- 4/15/1999 Garfield spots a bird in a birdbath and eats it, except it was a rubber ducky for another bird's bath.
- 2/3/2005 Garfield grabs a fake bird in a birdbath, claiming that his decoy is not working.
- 8/9/2016 Garfield spots a bird and bites it, only to find out that after losing several teeth that it is a very hard lawn ornament.
Beastly Birds[]
Some birds have done impressive things, things that scare even a hungry Garfield off.
- 2/9/1993 Garfield starts climbing a tree where a bird is singing at the top, saying, "Ready or not, here I come!" There are sounds of a violent fight, and a badly injured Garfield is thrown out of the tree. "He was ready..." groans Garfield.
- 3/4/1994 A couple of birds spot Garfield and insult him. Garfield leaves, traumatized.
- 8/30/1994 A sign warns to beware of the bird. Garfield does not buy it, but is convinced when the bird spits out a spiky dog collar.
- 8/17/2005 Garfield sneaks up on a bird, who is telling its friend that he beat the stuffing out of a cat. This scares Garfield into getting a cheese sandwich.
Birdbaths[]
The birdbath is a common item that both Garfield and birds use, albeit for different purposes.
- 12/20/1981 Garfield checks the birdbath for birds, but no birds are there. Disappointed, he decides to check later, unaware that the birds were hiding under the water.
- 5/12/1983 Garfield tells a seemingly tiny bird to get out of a birdbath, only for the bird to stand up, revealing that it has a small head on a large body.
- 12/17/1983 Garfield dives down from a tree into a birdbath, scoring 13.5/20 from the bird judges.
- 3/20/1984 Garfield gets stuck under the bowl of a birdbath after a failed attempt to catch a bird.
- 5/5/1985 Garfield states how grateful he is to not be a bird, claiming that they don't ever have fun as he jumps from the birdbath. He is unaware of the birds waterskiing in the birdbath.
- 1/12/1986 Garfield glares at three birds in a birdbath and shoos them away, noting that he hates seeing birds enjoying themselves. He gets in himself and realizes the water is freezing. He pulls himself out and the water has instantly become a circle of ice around his waist. The birds from earlier return and ice skate on it, irritating the cat.
- 4/26/1986 Garfield sits in a birdbath, contemplating life. A bird waits impatiently for him to leave.
- 5/31/1987 Garfield sees three birds splashing in a birdbath, which gives him an idea. He removes it and replaces it with himself, holding his mouth open in the shape of a bowl and filling it with water. This attracts a large bird, too large for him to swallow.
- 3/11/1989 Garfield is on the edge of a birdbath, about to catch a bird, only for another bird to give away his intentions.
- 5/25/1989 A bird with an abnormally large head eats him dunks its head in the birdbath.
- 10/1/1989 Garfield puts cement in the birdbath. A bird gets its feet stuck in it, and Garfield goes to capture it, but the bird, using brute strength, flies itself and the cement into the air. Garfield, surprised, watches, but then gets his head crushed when the bird gets tired.
- 5/12/1991 Garfield wakes up to bee birds in the mousehole and mice playing pool volleyball in the birdbath. He comments that their timeshare is getting out of control.
- 9/26/1991 A bird flies over to a birdbath and finds mustard in it. Garfield creeps in the bushes behind it.
- 11/13/1991 Garfield swaps a birdbath's bowl with a charcoal grill. A bird lands on it, confused.
- 6/4/1993 Garfield emerges from behind a massive birdbath. He claims he is hoping to catch a turkey vulture.
- 7/8/1997 Garfield filled a birdbath with chicken stock, but a bird figured it out and flew away.
- 4/12/1999 Garfield filled a birdbath with cooking oil, but a bird noticed it and left.
- 4/15/1999 Garfield sees a duck in the birdbath and eats it, only to realize it was a rubber ducky for a bird that wanted to take a bath.
- 9/3/2000 A worm went into a birdbath. A bird, Garfield, and a dog followed.
- 1/4/2009 A couple of birds fly to a frozen birdbath. They then hear tapping from under the ice. They peer into the ice, and Garfield pops out, gasping for breath, and scaring both birds.
Large Loons[]
Garfield has encountered some very big birds. It never usually ends well for him.
- 6/11/1980 Garfield attacks a chicken that he thinks is helpless. It is not.
- 5/12/1983 Garfield tries forcing a bird to get out of a birdbath, only for the bird to stand up, revealing how huge it is.
- 12/14/1983 Garfield, while stuck in a tree, is thankful to be on a sturdy branch, but then a large bird joins him, bending the branch.
- 12/15/1983 While in a tree, a massive bird tells Garfield that it eats cats, which makes Garfield chirp like a bird.
- 12/16/1983 Garfield shoos a large bird away from a branch, and then gets flung into the air.
- 5/31/1987 Garfield removes a birdbath and stands with his mouth open in the shape of a bowl, only for a large bird, too bathe in it.
- 5/25/1989 Garfield spots a bird dunking its head in the birdbath. He taps it on the shoulder, and the bird with an abnormally large head eats him.
- 10/22/1989 Garfield spots two birds and tries some bird calls to lure them. He assumes it does not work, but several other birds, some relatively big, line up behind him.
- 9/3/1991 Garfield, while trying to catch a bird in a next, comes face-to-face with its large parent, who promptly knocks him out of a tree.
The Birds and the Trees[]
A couple of running gags, birds and trees, are sometimes intertwined.
- 12/14/1983 Garfield notes how thankful he is that the branch is sturdy, but then a large bird lands on it, bending it.
- 12/15/1983 Garfield asks a bird on the branch with him what he eats. When given the answer, "Cats," Garfield chirps like a bird.
- 12/16/1983 Garfield gets launched into the air after shooing a bird away from a branch backfires.
- 12/17/1983 Garfield dives headfirst into a birdbath from a tree. He gets scores of 7 and 6.5 from the judges.
- 4/3/1987 Garfield sees a bird in a tree. He attacks it, only for it to escape, leaving Garfield hanging.
- 4/4/1987 Jon sees Garfield hanging from a tree branch and Sweety Bird, resting on his head. He goes to get his camera, and Garfield professes his hatred of life.
- 3/11/1990 After getting stuck in a tree trying to capture a nest, Garfield hangs next to a knothole. A bird looks out of the knothole and tickles Garfield's tummy, causing him to let go and fall hard out of the tree.
- 9/3/1991 A large bird knocks Garfield out of the tree after catching him attempting to eat a bird.
- 2/8/1993 Garfield explains why cats climb trees, the main reason being the birds within.
- 2/9/1993 Garfield climbs a tree to get a bird, only to get pummeled by it.
- 2/13/1993 Garfield spots a bird on a branch and tiptoes over to it, about to eat it, but the branch under him breaks and he drops. The bird flies in place.
- 8/22/2009 Garfield finds a nest of robin eggs and gathers them up. He then looks for the nest with bacon in it.
- 10/8/2013 A couple of birds try to decide what to do with Garfield after finding the cat stuck on a tree limb. They consider pecking his fingers, tickling him, greasing the limb, and sawing it off. Garfield is unamused.
- 1/19/2016 A bird tells Garfield that it has been nice to visit, but now it needs to go home to the wife and eggs. Garfield is not impressed with its joke.
Title Panel Birds[]
Birds have appeared in numerous Garfield title panels.
- 1/12/1986 Garfield looks into a birdbath and sees a periscope looking back at him.
- 6/8/1986 Garfield is in kiddie pool, looking annoyed as birds flock over him.
- 10/19/1986 Garfield wears a bird disguise, hoping to join a trio of birds in the birdbath.
- 5/31/1987 Garfield glares at a bird that holds onto his tail with its beak.
- 7/16/1989 Garfield, wearing a hen disguise and holding a frying pan and spatula, asks a hen if he can sit on her eggs.
- 2/25/1990 Garfield lies in the aftermath of tipping a plastic birdbath on himself. The birds around him mock him.
- 3/11/1990 Odie wears a bird outfit, flapping his arms. Garfield hides behind a tree, waiting for the birds to arrive so that he can capture them.
- 2/2/1992 Garfield lies on a pedestal, hiding under a roof and extending his tongue out like a stick for a bird to rest on. A bird flies above it, slightly suspicious.
- 6/12/1994 A bird sits in a birdbath, questioning why there is an orange-slice-and-cherry skewer next to it. Garfield holds a long straw, prepared to suck it up.
Other[]
- 2/25/1983 Jon puts some birdfeed in a birdfeeder, which Garfield calls, "Baiting the trap."
- 7/28/1996 After Jon witnesses men with birds get attract the ladies, he sticks Garfield's ice cream cone on his face and tries flirting with another woman. Garfield is not amused.
- 6/9/2004 Garfield decides that for his birthday, he wants a featherless canary, since it will not tickle him when he swallows.
- 4/2/2006 Garfield is napping and Odie decides to sleep next to him. Before he can doze off, he hears a bird chirp in the window. He lets out a loud bark at it, greatly scaring Garfield.
- 5/20/2010 A bird, spider, and fish gang up against Garfield, who is unimpressed.
- 6/1/2010 Garfield finds a bird and calls it the worst songbird ever. It wasn't by choice.
- 8/23/2012 Garfield attempts to be a fierce jungle cat, but Odie skipping and a bird chirping ruins the vibe for him.
- 2/8/2022 Garfield gets a call on his cell phone. He demands that the early bird on the other end of the line stops calling him before returning to bed.
- 2/9/2023 Jon sees a mourning dove hit the window. Garfield takes the moment to teach the readers a lesson, that being to never text and fly.
- After witnessing Jon feed a bird some birdseed, Garfield proceeded to do the same, causing a giant bird to bite his paw with its beak.
- When a baby chicken assumed that Garfield was its father and rejected a piece of lasagna offered to it by him, Garfield told it that no son of his would refuse lasagna and ordered it to go back to its mother.
- When Garfield once tried to chase a baby chicken, a group of adult chickens surrounded him and attacked.
Birds in Media[]
Garfield's love for birds remains in his TV shows.
Garfield and Friends[]
A couple of episodes of Garfield and Friends center around Garfield attempting to catch birds, and several quickies are centered around birds.
Ludlow[]
Ludlow is a young bird that Garfield has hunted a couple of times. He is typically depicted with the innocence and naivete of a young child, ignorant of the real world or the dangers about it (namely Garfield). He is also shown to be considerate, leaving Garfield's house because he feared his father would be worried about him.
Ludlow's Father[]
Ludlow's dad is not named in the series, but he is shown to be protective and caring toward his son. He also has a hatred of cats, for rather obvious reasons. He is also shown to be a vicious fighter, considering when he thought Garfield ate Ludlow, he beat the cat to a pulp. He even did that when Garfield saved Ludlow from another cat.
Quickies[]
Bird[]
Garfield watches some birds in a birdbath. He sneaks up to them, but they fly away, but Garfield gets an idea. He removes the birdbath, stands where it once was, and opens his mouth like a bowl. He then fills his mouth with hose water to make himself resemble a birdbath and waits, complimenting himself on a great idea. A large bird--too large for him to eat--spots him and flies into his mouth, and Garfield realizes the mistake he might've made.
Birdhouse[]
Garfield's latest plan to catch a fine, feathered treat is to disguise himself by wearing a birdhouse on his head and waiting. He soon gets company, a couple of birds (presumably husband and wife, based on how they interact with each other) looking for a new home. The female, Mona, falls in love with it, and the male, Brett, decides to add some paint and wallpaper to truly make it home. Garfield is caught off-guard by this, and then returns inside with wallpaper and paste plastered on his face.
Fall from a Tree 1 & 2[]
Despite being two separate Quickies, they are based on the same strip and tell generally the same story. Garfield hears some baby birds chirping in a tree and climbs up it in an attempt to catch and eat them. However, as he steps on the branch where the birds are, he loses his balance and falls off of it. He manages to grab hold of a branch before hitting the ground, and a bird pokes its head out of a knothole next to him. The bird tickles Garfield, and the cat giggles, eventually letting go and falling to the ground. He returns inside, banged up, and tells Jon that he thought he'd die laughing.
Bird Calls[]
Garfield hides in a bush and spots a couple of birds flying over him. He inspects his book of bird calls for a moment and then starts whistling, tweeting, and greebling, hoping to lure some birds over to him. After no luck in getting a bite, he checks his book again, thinking he messed up the bird calls somewhere. He is unaware of the line of strange-looking birds behind him.
[]
Garfield wakes up to find birds in the mousehole. Confused, he inspects the birdbath and sees mice playing pool volleyball in it. He notes how crazy their timeshare has gotten.
The Garfield Show[]
Birds typically appear for nothing more than a brief cameo, but there are at least a couple of instances where they took a major role.
Paxton[]
Paxton is a parrot that appeared once in Season 2. He is the pet of Jon's boss, but stayed with Jon and Garfield after Jon's boss left the country. While pet-sitting, Paxton would spread his pessimistic attitude to anything and anyone, Garfield, Herman Post, even the mice in Jon's home. When Jon decides to take Paxton to Dr. Whipple to change his attitude, the bird flees, flying out the open window and spreading his sorrow to everyone he passes.
Garfield would eventually find Paxton in the park, (thanks to following the trail of depressed people) grabs him, and takes him to Dr. Whipple. However, not even he can change the pessimistic parrot's attitude and he returns Paxton to Jon, weeping. Dejected, Jon and Garfield take him home and are forced to endue Paxton's negativity until Odie returns after a visit with Doc Boy. Odie greets Paxton in his doggy way and quickly takes a liking to him, which melts Paxton's heart. The two embrace, and Paxton finally has something he has never had before: a friend.
Six months afterwards, Garfield, Jon, and Odie watch Paxton on TV. He is now a motivational speaker, dedicating his career to Odie, the pup who changed his depressed tune to a song of optimism.
Mother Garfield[]
Garfield is woken up by Harry raiding his trash cans. When confronted, Harry asks if he can hunt a bluebird in Garfield's yard. He gets the green light from Garfield, who claims to have given up bird hunting, and tries catching the bird, but is unsuccessful. He heads off to a different house, and Garfield decides to go after the bird after all.
The bird returns to the yard and Garfield tries hunting it down, but she escapes into the neighbor's yard. Garfield follows, but cannot lay his paws on it. What he does find is a nest with a trio of eggs, so he decides to wait for the bird to return, unaware that she had gotten stuck in the neighbor's garage while chasing a worm. Hours pass with no sign of her, and Garfield decides to head back inside, citing that the eggs are not his problem.
After returning, he overhears Jon and Odie watching a documentary about bluebirds, and that without constant heat, the eggs will die. Garfield insists that it is not his problem, but he cannot get to sleep since his mind is on the eggs. He returns to the nest and, seeing the eggs without their mom, decides to gently sit on the eggs himself, if only temporarily.
The next morning, the eggs hatch and Garfield is a mother to the bluebird chicks, though he tries telling them that he is not. He returns to his bed, noting that he is not cut out to be their mom, unaware that the birds followed him. Frustrated, he takes the birds back to their nest and tells himself that they'll be OK as he goes back home.
Garfield, however, cannot get his mind away from the chicks, and seeing Harry sneaking around only makes things worse. He races outside and rescues the birds from Harry, resulting in a chase. Garfield soon gets cornered in the neighbor's garage, and Harry rips the chicks away from him. Luckily, the mama bluebird swoops in and pecks Harry's head, forcing him away. She then attacks Garfield, but seeing her chicks call him "Mama" puts her at ease. He gives her the chicks, and he smiles at them.
Later on, the bluebird chicks are old enough to fly away on their own, and Garfield sees them off, telling them to come back soon. He then swears the audience to secrecy, since he claims to know where they live.