How to Make Birds Legs from Wire

You can make your own birds legs from wire by following the steps in this tutorial! 

You will need 

  • Wire
    (here we have used cotton-covered copper wire, but the length and type you require will depend on the size of your bird project!)
  • Wire cutters
  • Pliers (optional)

It is best to make the bird's body first so that you can see how big the legs need to be!

 Follow the steps given below and/or watch our handy video tutorial!



Ankle: Hold the bird over the table, about the height you would like it to stand. Stand the wire next to the bird and make a right angle bend in it, about half way up the birds body. The bend becomes the ankle of the bird.

Middle Toe: Work out how long you would like the middle toe and bend directly backwards at this point - to aid balance it can help to make the toes slightly longer than on a real bird.

Twist the wires of the toe together to make them strong.

Back toe: Again, make slightly longer to aid balance. Bend the wire back towards the ankle, and twist the toe as before.

 

First side toe: Bend the wire around the front of the ankle.

Make a bend at the end of the toe (you can use the first toe as a guide for length).

Bend the wire around the back of the ankle this time, then twist the first side toe as before.

Second side toe: Make a bend at the end of the toe, again using the middle toe as a guide for length. Make sure the wire finishes in front of the ankle.

Bend the wire tightly underneath the foot, and back up the leg. Wrapping this tightly gives stability to the rest of the foot.

 

Body: Leaving the last 1/3-1/4 of the wire at the top untwisted, make a right angle bend so that the wire will run under the body.

Second leg: Leaving about half the body width space between the two legs, bend the wire down again. Make legs the same length and repeat steps as before.

The legs and toes can be further bent to give a more realistic look, such as gripping toes. They can be covered with florist tape, or wrapped with wool.