Bird charges play a large and important role in heraldy. Almost every species known has been emblazoned in some form or another. Species in use range from doves and owls to peacocks and swans. Over all, the charge most frequently seen is that of the eagle, followed closely by that of the falcon.

As important as the species' of birds themselves are their postures, shown here by the different eagle charges.

eagle	falcon	raven	dove	popinjay
heron	crane	stork	martlet	martlet volant
ostrich	swan	pelican in her piety	peacock	owl
cock		moorcock	pheonix

Postures of Birds as Exemplified by the Eagle

eagle close	eagle rising, wings elevated & addorsed	eagle rising, wings addorsed & inverted	eagle rising, wings elevated & displayed	eagle rising, wings displayed & inverted
eagle displayed	eagle displayed with wings inverted	Ocasionally specific birds will have variations of posture unique to themselves. For the eagle these include:	double-headed eagle displayed	Napoleonic eagle