Birds in Books

I think birds are so widely used for a number of reasons. First there are many different well known types such as, blue jays, cardinals, robins, hawks, falcons, finches, eagles, owls, etc. In addition each of these types has their own "personality". For example, eagles are heroic, ravens are evil, pigeons are stupid, and parrots are copycats. These different "personalities" makes them easier to identify with when used in different works of Literature. Another reason birds are widely use is there are all different shapes, sizes, colors, abilities and types of birds to use in the story/poem. As far as Literature goes, I can clearly see why birds are abundant in these works.