Warning: because of later revelations, spoilers are unmarked.
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Main Characters
Birb
A young bird who was adopted by a peacock. Often bullied by the other peacocks for not looking like one, Birb decides to find his true origins.
- All of the Other Reindeer: Among the peacocks, he was never accepted or considered an equal, and was frequently mocked by the peafowls. Though their parents shutted them up, even they were questioning Uncle Pea's decision to adopt him and always gave him judgemental stares.
- Badass Adorable: In a universe where singing is power, he definitely kicks ass while being a total cutie.
- Beware the Nice Ones: Birb is one of the sweetest creatures you'll see in the forest. He goes around spreading cheer while trying to find his real identity. In the climax, he takes on the Owl and wins.
- Bully Hunter: Birb, having been bullied in his childhood for not being a peacock, naturally doesn't care for bullies and meanies who tease and boss others around. He first saves Egbert from a gang of bullies, confronts the birds who are laughing at Cassie, and fights the Magpies every time they try to get in his way.
- Cheerful Child: Plucky little Birb spreads joy everywhere he sings.
- A Dog Named "Dog": Or rather, a bird named Birb.
- Genocide Survivor: He and his mother were the only songbirds who were left alive after the Owl tried to genocide their kind. Furthermore, Birb was the one who ended up defeating the Owl and foiling his conquest plans.
- Moses in the Bulrushes: Back when he was an egg, his mother hid him among the bushes to make sure the Owl would not be able to kill him. He was eventually found by Uncle Pea, who took him under his wing.
Egbert
A walking chicken egg who is rescued from some bullies in Gallus Palace by Birb and decides to accompany him.
- A Dog Named "Dog": Egbert is named for being a walking egg.
- Eggshell Clothing: Egbert's an ambulatory egg; the only part of him that's visible are his long legs.
- Punny Name: Egbert is, well, an egg. Until he hatches in the endgame.
- The Silent Bob: Somehow, Birb's able to understand him perfectly when all he says is "..." or "!!"
Uncle Pea
The peacock who adopted Birb and cares for him.
- Papa Wolf: Even though he's trapped in a cage and held hostage, Uncle Pea looks ready to rip apart the Owl for capturing Birb and tells his adoptive son to not give the last note to the Owl.
The Owl
The wisest bird in the whole forest. He agrees to help Birb find his parents, but he will need the four notes to complete his artifact first.
- Bait the Dog: The Owl promises Birb he'll find Birb's family if Birb helps him complete the Artifact. Then the Owl realizes what Birb is — a songbird— tries to kill him and Eggbert, and later takes Uncle Pea hostage to get the last note.
- Big Bad: He is the real culprit behind the disappearance of Birb's parents and species, as he killed them all save Birb's mother and wants to finish the job so he can conquer the forest.
- Deity of Human Origin: Well, Owl origin. When the Owl gets the last note he needs from Birb, he gains a lot of power from the artifact he had in his room and uses it to become the most powerful bird in the world. It takes Birb a long time and everything he's got to defeat the now almighty Malevolent Owl.
- Diurnal Nocturnal Animal: Birb can see him any time of the day.
- A Dog Named "Dog": He is an Owl and is simply called the Owl.
- Evil Gloating: He reveals his true intentions to the innocent Birb like this.
- Faux Affably Evil: Even after he reveals his true colors and makes an attempt on Birb's life, when he sees him again, he still continues to talk to him in a friendly, courtesious manner, just like during his tenure as Birb's advisor, and even apologizes for trying to kill him. However, there is no genuine affableness in his tone; he just needs Birb to complete the artifact, and he threatens to kill his mother and Uncle Pea in case of refusal.
- Final Boss: He is the last song battle in the game.
- Final-Exam Boss: The final battle against the Owl's One-Winged Angel form contains every single style of birdsong in the game.
- Flourish Cape in Front of Face: The Owl does this with his wing in one of his animations.
- It's All About Me: As his true colors come to light, the Owl is revealed to be nothing more but a self-absorbed egomaniac who believes himself to be entitled to be the only one to possess the power of music, even willing to completely exterminate the songbirds just so that he would be the one to bear the power.
- Not-So-Well-Intentioned Extremist: During his Motive Rant, he declares that the songbirds and their ability to sing others' birdsong just makes everybirdy else overindulged and dependent, hence why he killed them all. This sounds like a Well-Intentioned Extremist viewpoint, until he continues on to say that he should be the one with that power.
- Ominous Owl: The Owl, beneath his gentle facade, is a megalomaniac who craves power and desires to become a dominant bird of the forest, and to achieve his goals, was willing to commit a genocide against the songbirds, and almost murdered a hatchling out of pure hatred for his kind.
- The Owl-Knowing One: The birds know him as the wisest bird in the forest, and he lives among the books and powerful artifacts. He also serves as the mentor to Birb, guiding him to power the artifact he found under the promise that he'll help him find his true family. Though, as it turns out, he's actually a genocidal maniac who wants to bring the entire forest under his talon, and was willing to murder Birb out of spite once he learns that Birb is a songbird.
- Person of Mass Destruction: The Owl slaughteted almost all lyrebirds in a single day.
- Predators Are Mean: He's one of the most notable bird of prey characters in the game, and, true to his nature, is an absolutely vile genocidal megalomaniac who exterminated the entire species just to get what he wants, and when he learns that the hatchling he assisted the entire time turned out to be the surviving member of said species, he tried to murder him without a second thought.
- Red Eyes, Take Warning: His eyes turn completely red when he reveals his hatred of the songbirds and true nature.
- Scary Teeth: The Owl, when deciding to destroy poor Birb, reveals that, in spite of having a normally proportioned beak, his "smile" can reach Cheshire Cat levels of wideness and is, of course, full of pointy teeth.
- Slasher Smile: Pulls out some nasty-looking malicious toothy grins as one of his animations post-reveal.
- Take Over the World: Or at least the forest. His ultimate goal is to become the dominant bird of the forest.
- Treacherous Advisor: He was using Birb to power his artifact so he could bring the forest under his talon; once Birb is revealed as a lyrebird, his sworn enemies, he tries to kill him.
- Vile Villain, Saccharine Show: In a game about cute birds solving problems with the power of Magic Music, a villain who committed genocide is the last thing one would expect. But once the Owl reveals his true nature, the game takes a dark and somber turn.
- Villain with Good Publicity: He is known as the wisest bird in the forest, and the other birds all seem to like him, even if some disagree with his hateful views of the songbirds. Almost nobody knows that he was the one who wiped them out, causing the famine that threatens the forest.
Masked Bird
A mysterious bird who leads the Magpie gang and repeatedly shows up to impede Birb's progress.
- Disc-One Final Boss: For most of the story, she seems to be the Big Bad as the leader of the Magpie Gang who try to stop Birb from getting all the notes. It turns out she is Good All Along- the real villain is the Owl.
- Genocide Survivor: She and her unhatched chick (who would eventually become Birb) were the only songbirds who survived through the Owl's genocide.
- Good All Along: She and the Magpie Gang were opposing Birb's quest in order to stop the Owl from gaining the notes needed to take over the forest.
- Luke, I Am Your Father: She is Birb's mother, who is also revealed to be Good All Along.
- Silent Antagonist: At first, she never says a word when encountering Birb, preferring to let the Magpies do the talking. She only starts speaking when she ceases to be an antagonist.
- White Mask of Doom: Wears one that resembles a plague doctor mask, adding to the creep factor and hiding the scar given to her by the Owl. She takes it off after her song to Birb.
The Magpie Gang
A troublemaking trio of birds who, under orders of the Masked Bird, show up to stop Birb from collecting the notes.
- Because I Said So: Though they have genuine well intentions behind trying to put an end to Birb's quest, they are not very good at communicating the reasons behind it; when Birb asks them why he must stop his quest, their answer is, quoted verbatim, "Because the Magpies said so."
- Final-Exam Boss: They serve as a recurring example: whenever they challenge you, they copy the various styles of birdsong you've encountered thus far.
- Good All Along: They were opposing Birb's quest in order to stop the Owl from gaining the notes needed to take over the forest.
- Jerk with a Heart of Gold: They are not known to be the nicest birds, with their feather description claiming that it's "quite the opposite, in fact", and the other birds even state that the Magpies are well-known bullies. Despite that, their intentions to prevent the Owl from taking over the forest are genuine, and they are concerned for Birb's safety as well. They are also the ones who inform him and his mother about Uncle Pea's kidnapping, showing that, deep down, they do care about other birds' well-being.
- Quirky Miniboss Squad: They show up repeatedly to stop Birb in his quest by challenging him to a sing-off.
- Red Eyes, Take Warning: When facing off against each of the Magpies, their eyes gradually start bulging out and turning red as they concentrate on out-singing you.
