Reindeer are great… but have you tried chickens on a Christmas card? Let’s have some feathered festive fun with these Bird Christmas Card Ideas!

Welcome back to this year’s Same But Different Christmas Series (SBDC)! If you’re new to the series or want to catch up, you can find this year’s playlist here – and last time, we created some almost edible Gingerbread House cards!

I’ve gathered five fun and festive bird Christmas card ideas – from penguins to a grumpy little owl who’s so over the holidays Are you ready to take a peek at the flock?

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You can jump straight into the video here or watch it in HD on YouTube HERE. Scroll for more pics and details.

#CHRISTMASBIRDS

Birds aren’t just for spring cards, with a few tweaks, they make wonderful Christmas designs. Here are some ideas to spark your creativity.

Idea #1 – Penguin Parade: Layered Die-Cuts on a Frosty Background

Let’s start with one of the easiest holiday bird ideas – layered die-cut penguins. For the background, I used a 3D embossing folder and added white ink to the flat side before embossing. This means the colour lands on the background areas instead of the raised pattern, giving a soft frosty look without stealing the spotlight.

To step it up, I added small pop-ups behind each penguin so they sit forward on the card, giving that cute “waddle-off-the-card” dimension.

And yes, I realised afterwards that I forgot to give my girl penguin a flower… so she’s rocking a minimalist holiday look this time.

Idea #2 – Festive Wreath: With an Aussie Cockatoo Twist

Simple stamping and coloring, makes for quick and easy holiday card designs. And when it comes to birds, any foliage can be used to give them somewhere to perch. Think branches, leaves, wreaths, flowers… even Christmas trees.

I think wreaths are a great all-year-round image to use in card making, and they make a beautiful perch for a bird. Wreaths can be die-cut and assembled with simple foliage, but this one is an ‘all-in-one’ stamped wreath, easily ink-blended using coordinating stencils. It may look like it took ages, but it came together very quickly.

To step it up, I added a die-cut negative-space border to frame the card front. It’s a small detail that adds interest and keeps the design clean and simple. And because I couldn’t resist an Aussie twist, I swapped the bird for a sulphur-crested cockatoo – a fun and festive way to bring a little Southern Hemisphere style to a traditional Christmas motif.

Idea #3 – Caroling Chickens: A Fun Street Scene

Who can resist the “Chickens of Christmas”? (That’s what I call them… they always make me think of a Gary Larson comic strip. 😄) A cute caroling trio of chooks definitely ticks the box for a unique holiday card, and it shows how well birds can work in fun, whimsical scenes. Many bird images in this style could easily be turned into a festive moment using simple masking and a street scene stamp.

#AARRRGH! I did have a little ink accident while making this panel – and the fix didn’t quite go to plan – so I had to get creative to save it. You’ll see exactly how I rescued this one in the video!

Idea #4 – Rockin’ Robin: No-Line Pencil Coloring

For this card, I wanted a softer and more traditional look, so I stamped the bird in a pale brown ink and colored it with pencils to create a no-line effect. The gentle shading really suits holiday cards, giving the bird a warm and natural feel. (This stamp is actually a chickadee, but with the right colours it becomes a perfect little robin!)

To set the scene, I ink-blended a deep teal background for a dramatic winter sky and added die-cut pine branches around the bird. A splatter of white paint gives that snowy finish!

Bonus Card – Joyful Owl: Or Not So Joyful

Owls aren’t usually a go-to for holiday cards, but you know me – pop a Santa hat on any bird and suddenly it’s Christmas. This little fellow already looked wonderfully unimpressed, so I made him the “O” in JOY. Which made me smile!

You could easily try this idea with other festive words like NOEL, HOLLY, SNOW or even HO HO HO – lots of playful options!

This little fella may not be full of festive cheer, but he still makes a brilliant Christmas card (and honestly, we all feel like this owl at some point during the holidays).

PRO TIP: Don’t have letter dies or the right-sized image to replace a letter? Try perching your bird on top of the word instead. It works beautifully on tall letters like J, M, H, or Y and still gives you that bold graphic sentiment look.

That’s It From My Perch (for now!)

I hope these ideas inspire you to try a few festive feathered designs of your own. Whether your birds are cute, elegant, quirky or a little bit grumpy, they all deserve a spot on a Christmas card. I’d love to hear which one you’re keen to try, or tell me which bird I should feature next!

Happy Papercrafting,

Special thanks to my crafty assistant, Chad (aka ChatGPT), for helping me stay on track with my Gemini brain, grammar, and spelling… well, all the things! 😄

P.S. Need supplies? Here are the links to the products I used today (some of these are affiliate links, so I’ll earn a small commission if you make a purchase – thanks for supporting my channel 🥰)!

*Certain content that appears on this site comes from Amazon, this content is provided ‘as is’ and is subject to change or removal at any time. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Cardstock: Altenew – Jet Black | Frayed Leaf | Bamboo | Chamomile – Concord & 9th – Peacock | Parsley.
Inks: Altenew – Aloe Vera | Firefly | Grass Field | Shattered Shell | Ginger Root | Heart Beat | Raspberry Sunset | Teal Tempest.
Stamps: Penny Black – Carolers | Hometown Christmas | Joyful Holiday – Ellen Hutson – G’day Mate – Gerda Steiner – Owl Rather Be With You – Katzelkraft – KTZ119.
Dies: Spellbinders – Venise Lace – Penny Black – Pine Branch – Crystal Frames.
Alcohol Markers: Copics – 0 | C1,3 | T2,4 | E31,40,50 | Y00,02,19,26,32 | YR24 | G24 | B0000 | BG10 | R05,29 | W2,4 – Altenew – Artist Markers – C029.
Prismacolor Pencils: Black | Olive | French Grey 50,70,90% | Warm Grey 20,50,90% | Marine Green | Kelp Green | Light Umber | Espresso | Sepia | Periwinkle | Permanent Red | Poppy Red | Scarlet Lake | Crimson Lake.

Cozy Waddles SSS | SB UK | SB US	Season Sparkles SSS | SB UK | SB US	Simple Pop-Up Die Set SSS | C9	Nesting Postage Die SSS
Birds of the Season ALT | SSS	Birds of the Season Die ALT | SSS	Mistletoe Wreath Full Bundle ALT	Fa La La Fringe Tree Dies SSS | C9
A2 Layers Die SSS	Chickadee Chirps ALT | SSS	Wrapped With Love ALT | SSS	Caps Bold Alphabet Die ALT | SSS
Neenah Solar 110 AMZ | SSS	Neenah Solar 80 AMZ | SSS	Altenew Cardstock ALT | SSS	Concord & 9th – Cardstock SSS | C9
Tuxedo Black SSS	Nocturne SSS	Unicorn White SSS	Fresh Dye Inks ALT | SSS
Large Blending Brush ALT | SSS	Watercolor Brushes Round ALT | SSS	Mini Blending Brush Set ALT | SSS	Copic Markers SSS
Gloss Spray – White SSS	Splatter White SSS | SB UK | SB US	Gelly Roll White Pens SSS	Prismacolor Pencils AMZ | SSS
Gamsol SSS	Perfect Picker ALT | SSS	Tweezers ALT | SSS	Copic Multiliner SSS
Fine Blade Scissors ALT | SSS	Nuvo Crystal Glaze SSS	Bone Folder ALT	Score Board ALT | SSS
MISTI SSS	Mini MISTI SSS	Platinum 6 ALT | SSS | SB UK | SB US	BetterPress SB ALT | SSS | SB UK | SB US
9″ Fiskars Paper Trimmer AMZ	Precision Glue Press AMZ | SSS	Bearly Art Glue AMZ | SSS	Glue Tape ALT | SSS
Foam Squares – Black mix SSS	Foam Tape NEW sizes! ALT | SSS	Linear Life: Tropical Garden Bundle ALT	Adhesive Sheets ALT | SSS
Satin Masking Tape ALT