How to Fold an Origami Sparrow

Creating origami items delights people because every origami piece expresses the exclusiveness of its creator. For centuries this art has allowed every age group the opportunity to make something distinctive. The flying crane became one of the most popular origami items, while many find the origami sparrow to have equal charm.

Difficulty: Moderately Challenging

Instructions

1. Select a 6-to-8-inch square origami paper with the same color on both sides; otherwise the origami sparrow's head will not match its body.

2. Fold the paper in half diagonally. Crease. Fold the two furthest corners to each other and crease again. You now have a triangle with corners (A), (B) and (C). .

3. Lay the fold (A) horizontal to you with the open points facing down. Take one of the open corners (B) and fold it straight up, matching (B) with the corner of (A) and crease well. This crease makes a line horizontal to (A). Repeat on the other side.

4. Fold in the bottom 90 degree angle of the small triangle just created to match its longest side. Repeat on the other side. These create the stand for the sparrow.

5. Open the top folded crease (A). Take the 90 degree unfolded corners (the sparrow's head) and fold them over so the shape looks like an envelope. Crease the middle one-third and then unfold it. Re-fold (A) so the sparrow can sit on its stand again.

6. Create the beaks and the tail end by folding the corners of (A) in approximately one inch. Then reverse the fold. Open the beaks and adjust their angle. Tuck the tail end into the body.

7. Push the body into shape by pressing on the crease at the base of the neck. Push the paper out from the inside, with patience, gently forcing the sparrow into a rounded shape.