Some bird expressions are about crows, chickens and ducks. For example, when I am driving, I always "travel as the crow flies" -- I go the most direct way. Anyone who "eats crow" has to admit a mistake or defeat.

Now let’s talk about my sister. She is not very young. She is no "spring chicken." She will work any job for "chickenfeed" -- a small amount of money. She is easily frightened. For example, she is too "chicken-livered" to walk down a dark street alone at night. Often she will "chicken out" -- she will not go out alone at night.

My sister was an "ugly duckling." She looked strange when she was a child, but she grew up to be a beautiful woman. Sometimes she thinks too much about having something in the future before she really has it. She "counts her chickens before they are hatched." Sometimes her chickens "come home to roost." That means her actions or words cause trouble for her. However, my sister does not worry about what people say about her. Criticism falls off her "like water off a duck’s back."

Politicians are sometimes considered "lame ducks" after losing an election -- they have little time left in office and not much power. Congress holds a "lame duck session" after an election -- important laws are not passed during this period.