A Little Bird Told Me

Has “a little bird” ever brought you news? Has someone ever told you a bit of information and cited their source as “a little bird”? Our expression “a little bird told me” has been around for quite a long time. We’ll discover how long, but first, let’s look at how we use it.

Of course, the expression is not literal. Unless we possess the linguistic skills of Dr. Doolittle, we cannot understand bird talk. The phrase, therefore, is an idiom. It sounds light and playful, doesn’t it? It brings the picture to my mind of a dainty goldfinch joyfully bouncing through the air.

We often use the expression when we surprise someone with fun information we know about them but we don’t want to reveal where we heard it. The conversation might go like this:

“Someone got a promotion at work.”

“How did you hear?”

“Oh, a little birdie told me.”

The source remains unspoken, though sometimes both parties know the identity of the “little bird.” It’s all in fun, and they rejoice together at the happy news.

We also use the phrase in a not-so-innocent way. If we stumble upon information that we shouldn’t have but we just can’t keep it to ourselves, we may pass it on and insist that “a little bird told me.” That might be our way of protecting our source, who shouldn’t have told us. Or maybe it’s an attempt at relieving our guilt for spreading gossip or rumors.

Either way, the little bird has been sharing news for a long time. A literary use that comes close to our modern phrase is found in an 1834 novel by Frederick Marryat called Peter Simple. A character wrote in a letter, “A little bird has whispered a secret to me.” [1] But similar expressions can be found earlier.

In 1711, Jonathan Swift wrote in a letter to a friend, “I heard the little bird say so.” [2]

A character in Shakespeare’s Henry the Fourth from the late 1590s, when referring to information he had heard, said, “I hear a bird so sing.” [2]

In a 1583 English pamphlet, Philotimus. The Warre betwixt Nature and Fortune, Brian Melbancke wrote, “I had a little bird, that brought me newes of it.” [1]

A few decades earlier, in a 1546 collection of proverbs, John Heywood included the expression, “I hear by one bird that in mine ear was late chanting.” [3] We have to work a little harder at this one, but the idea is there.

We can trace this expression back much further, though. Roughly 2,500 years earlier. There is consensus that it comes from King Solomon in the Old Testament book of Ecclesiastes [4]: “Do not revile the king even in your thoughts, or curse the rich in your bedroom, because a bird of the air may carry your words, and a bird on the wing may report what you say” (Ecclesiastes 10:20).

Hugh Henry Brackenridge seems to agree concerning the source. In his 1792 novel, Modern Chivalry, he quotes Ecclesiastes 10:20 and then writes, “Hence the language of mothers to their children when they mean to say that they have got the information from a source they do not mean to explain, ‘a little bird told me of it.’” [1]

Neither the mothers nor Solomon seem to be referring to our happy little bird. The mothers have learned of improper things the children have said or done. And Solomon, who was granted great wisdom by God (1 Kings 3:7-12), in the verse from Ecclesiastes cautions us against speaking insults against the powerful and rich in private lest a bird overhears us and reports our words back to them.

We cannot be sure where Solomon came up with the idea of the bird’s role in this, but I find it interesting that evidence suggests carrier pigeons were used in ancient Egypt as far back as the mid-1300s B.C. “Bas-reliefs depict pigeons being released from cages, indicating their use as a means of long-distance communication.” [5] Perhaps Solomon was thinking of this when he used the bird as a metaphor here.

Regardless of where the bird flew in from, Solomon is making the point that when we speak irreverently or contemptuously of someone in authority, our words can be unknowingly overheard or relayed by the very people we share them with—and the news would seem to travel as secretly and swiftly as a bird on the wing. Since a king had power and the rich had means to oppress anyone disloyal to them [6], it would have been a very real danger for negative sentiments to be spread.

If you’ll allow me to follow this idea of feathered messengers listening and telling a little further, we can also extend Solomon’s wise caution beyond those in leadership. Numerous verses instruct us concerning how we should communicate to and about anyone. One verse says, “Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen” (Ephesians 4:29).

I’m sure we have all experienced words said in confidence reaching ears we didn’t intend them to, leading to an endless number of possible negative consequences. After the words are spoken (or written), they are out of our control—like a bird that has taken flight.

Here’s some good news, though. If we speak with truth and grace in every situation, we never need to be concerned about the little birds getting us into trouble. But we can still enjoy the ones that spread fun, happy news.

Would you believe I heard that from a little bird?

[1] Why A Little Bird Told Me

[2] Why Do People Say “A Little Bird Told Me”?

[3] a little bird told me

[4] A Little Bird Told Me

[5] Avian Allies: The Feathered History of Homing & Carrier Pigeons

[6] Matthew Poole’s Commentary

Scripture quotations are from NIV.

Commentary note is from Bible Hub. See Resources.

Feature photo by Matheus Protzen on Unsplash