During more than fifty days of staying at home, I’ve become increasingly attentive to the flora and fauna in my yard.  Is this happening to you? 

For the first time I bothered to identify the wild strawberries invading my flower beds as Indian or mock-strawberry, not the luscious Virginia wild strawberry. (Big clue is the white vs. yellow flower.)

Stanley jumps from the bayberry tree onto the bird feeder several times a day.

But in spite of Stanley, we are gifted with a wide variety of bird visitors, too. As I watch them day after day, noticing patterns is inevitable. (To all the bird lovers and watchers out there: I realize that this reveals a certain—shall we say—naiveté. But there are more of us around than you might believe.) Watching our feeder, one of the main characteristics I’ve noticed is, for want of a better term, sociability.

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Writers: Based on sociability, what sort of bird would your character be?

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While finches are happy to share the feeding stations, and linger for communal eating, bluejays tend to chase other birds away, and they don’t settle. They dart in, grab a bite, go back to a tree, and repeat.

I’ve always been interested in birds in a casual sort of way. I have three daughters whom I’ve associated with white throated sparrow, goldfinch, and bluebird based on their coloration and behavior. 

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My grandson is a cardinal, theatrical and flamboyant.  My older granddaughter is a crow, based on her black hair, her preference for wearing black and her keen intelligence. My younger granddaughter is a chickadee, based on her liveliness and sociability.

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And my husband is a red bellied woodpecker, because that bird has red, black, and white markings and links the three grandchildren together.

So, I have my own personality profiles of various birds. Do you?

Although I’m convinced that birds—typically by nature of their species—have personality types, being a scientist at heart, I wanted a bit of authority to back me up here. But while searching online for bird personalities, again and again I came up with the same question—“Which one are you?” And the answer was a multiple-choice of four, the DOPE model: dove, owl, peacock, or eagle. 

So, writers, for what it’s worth, here it is.

DOVES are associated with terms such as neutral, loving, and kind. Although passive in communication, they are highly emotional. Dove people exhibit a long list of personality traits, both positive and negative.

• Positive traits
  • Patient
  • Giving
  • Trustworthy
  • Introverted
  • Avoids risk-taking
  • Respectful
  • Honest
  • Reliable
  • Easygoing 

• Negative traits  
  • Dependent
  • Predictable
  • Follower
  • Gullible 

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OWLS are perceived as logical and intelligent, but conservative, introverted and not communicative. 

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• Positive traits  
  • Calm
  • Meticulous
  • Just
  • Mindful
  • Determined
  • Detail-oriented
  • Careful
  • Curious 

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• Negative traits  
  • Distrustful
  • Self-centered
  • Indecisive
  • Vindictive
  • Short-sighted

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PEACOCKS are showy and outgoing, very active communicators—i.e., talkative—and possess high “emotional intelligence.” These are competitive, emotional birds. 

• Positive traits  
  • Open-minded
  • Energetic
  • Charismatic
  • Social
  • Enthusiastic
  • Adventurous 

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• Negative traits  
  • Scattered
  • Selfish
  • Controlling
  • Dominating 
  • Power-hungry

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EAGLES are bold, decisive, and aggressive. They have high logical intelligence and are very active communicators.  Within the general population (allegedly) 29% of people are eagles.

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• Positive traits  
  • Charismatic
  • Honest
  • Initiator
  • Independent
  • Driven
  • Motivated
  • Compelling
  • Fearless 

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• Negative traits  
  • Blunt
  • Unsympathetic
  • Egotistical
  • Controversial
  • Impatient
  • Pushy
  • Stubborn

You can take the 40-question, 4-bird, DOPE personality test online. Click here. 

Writers note: Be aware that any given personality trait could be either helpful or not, positive or not, depending on the demands of the situation.

Writers’ option: identify a bird of your own choosing and research it, finding how/whether it reflects one of your characters.

Why bother? Assigning birds to your characters helps keep them consistent and distinctive.