The Secret Language of Birds Tarot Cards Revealed
Explore the verified card fronts in tarot order, with the deck’s Queen, King, God and Goddess courts. These Gallery scans show Italian printing; the Schiffer kit listed on Amazon uses English packaging. Choose a group or open a card for a closer look.
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Aurica’s Quick Take
I enter this deck as if I have opened a window at first light and found the air already full of messages. Linda Sutton’s birds do not perch politely at the edge of the tarot; they lean into faces, cross the sky and carry the emotional weather from card to card. The silver-grey frames make each painted scene feel like a small old mirror.
I begin by noticing the bird’s behaviour before reaching for folklore. Is it nesting, hunting, warning, displaying, migrating or simply watching? Then I return to the card’s traditional job and the question on the table. That order matters, because a beautiful symbol should deepen the reading rather than float away from it.
The unusual Queen, King, God and Goddess courts may take a little time to learn, but they also give power and maturity more than one voice. Keep the guidebook nearby, stay curious about the gesture in front of you, and this deck can help your own quiet wisdom find its wings.
A tarot carried on wings
The Secret Language of Birds Tarot begins with an old human habit: looking up and wondering whether a movement across the sky means something. Adele Nozedar builds the deck around augury, folklore and the natural character of birds, while Linda Sutton paints figures and feathers into close, dreamlike encounters.
I love the way these pictures let a human expression and a bird’s movement answer one another. This is not a field guide with tarot labels attached. It is a painted meeting between familiar tarot roles and the older habit of looking to birds for meaning. The pictures deserve time: let the first impression arrive, then give it a clear question to answer.
Artwork that makes symbolism feel alive
These paintings rarely separate person from bird. A face turns toward a beak, wings interrupt the frame, and colour gathers around the moment like weather. That closeness gives each card an emotional pulse: the bird is messenger, mirror, instinct and sometimes the part of us that already knows which way the wind is moving.
Do not rush to identify every species. First notice size, direction, distance and action. A bird flying away says something different from one nesting close to the body; a sharp gaze changes a gentle scene. The guidebook can then add myth without silencing your own clear observation.
Card study
The High Priestess — the still gaze beneath the movement
An enormous owl looks straight out from the foot of the painting, its round eyes shining against the dark. Above it, a violet-blue woman turns her face to the right, one hand resting across her body. Pale owls move through the black space beside her, and a small owl sits close to her shoulder. The warm strip of sky feels far away from this intimate, watchful foreground.
I feel two kinds of knowing here: the woman attends to something outside the frame, while the great owl meets us without flinching. That suits the High Priestess: listen before reaching for an answer. In shadow, silence can become withdrawal, or a hunch can harden into certainty. Beside 5 of Swords, I would ask whether quiet is making room for truth or letting an argument keep its power. Beside 6 of Coins, the question becomes simpler: what help can be offered without speaking over someone?
How the deck reads in a spread
This deck reads beautifully when the question involves timing, perspective, freedom, warning, migration or home. Lay three cards with room between them and watch where wings, faces and flight lines point. The eye often discovers a conversation before the mind has named it.
Keep that conversation grounded by ending with one practical sentence: “The message I can act on today is…” The imagery may soar, but a useful reading still needs somewhere to land.
Four-card story
Four cards that open the sky
The Star places a woman and bird face to face beneath hanging fruit. Ace of Wands gathers living branches and a bird into the first stir of energy; 3 of Wands opens into a pale sky full of wingbeats; 8 of Wands fills its field with birds in motion. I would read this little sequence as hope becoming interest, interest becoming a wider view, and that view finally finding a message.
Let hope choose one direction before asking the whole sky to answer. If this group appeared in a reading, I would finish by naming the first message worth sending.
Beginner guidance and three useful prompts
A curious beginner can learn with this deck, though the large cards and renamed court sequence deserve patience. Work with one suit at a time and keep both the guidebook and a traditional tarot reference nearby. Compare them, rather than forcing one voice to defeat the other.
Easy reading
What message deserves my attention today?
Medium reading
Where do I need a wider view before I decide?
Deep reading
Which old instinct protects me, and which one keeps me circling?
Card study
5 of Swords — when every wing needs room
Five dark birds spread their wings over a rough green-gold field: two high, two low, and one larger bird between them. The central bird seems to occupy the air the others must share. A purple blade lies horizontally near the bottom, its red-gold hilt pointing right. There is no triumphant human figure to tell us who has won; the uneasy spacing does the work.
For me, that changes the Five from a tale about one villain into a question about the space between people. Who is taking all the air? Who has made themselves small? Upright, the card can expose a victory that leaves everyone guarded; its difficult side can also be a refusal to face a necessary disagreement. With 2 of Cups nearby, name the relationship you want to protect before choosing your words. With 8 of Wands, slow the message down: speed is not the same as clarity.
Love, friendship and emotional weather
In relationship readings, the birds make distance wonderfully visible. Notice whether they gather, pair, compete, turn away or shelter one another. Then look at the human figure’s hands and gaze. The combination can reveal closeness that feels safe, attention that has wandered, or a truth waiting to be spoken gently.
Avoid treating every bird pair as romance. Connection can be friendship, kinship, mentorship, memory or the quiet loyalty of someone who stays nearby without taking over.
Four-card story
Four ways the heart learns to listen
A cup and gathered birds begin the suit; two elegant long-necked birds lean toward one another in 2 of Cups. The busier gathering in 6 of Cups brings relationship into a shared space, while 10 of Cups draws the eye toward a tender human-and-bird encounter. Together they invite a question more useful than “Will I be loved?”: how can feeling become welcome, attention and belonging?
Notice where connection feels mutual, where memory is doing the speaking, and where there is room to welcome someone as they are now.
Audience fit: who will love it
This deck is a lovely match for bird lovers, folklore readers, artists, visual journalers and intuitive tarot readers who enjoy symbolism with texture. It also suits anyone who wants nature imagery without losing the human face of a reading.
It may feel less comfortable if you prefer pocket-size cards, minimalist pips, plain keywords or a strict familiar court system. The official cards are large, and Queen, King, God and Goddess create their own rhythm of maturity and power.
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Bird behaviour gives familiar tarot questions a fresh emotional doorway. | The Queen, King, God and Goddess courts need deliberate study. |
| Painted people and birds offer rich details for reflective reading. | Large cards may be awkward for smaller hands or a small table. |
| A substantial guidebook supports the folklore and symbolism. | Readers who want plain keywords or familiar scenic cues may need another reference. |
Card study
6 of Coins — meeting another creature halfway
Six small brown birds sit in three facing pairs against a textured green ground. Their fine beaks seem to draw invisible lines across the spaces between them. A small golden coin rests near the centre; there are no grand robes, outstretched human hands or scales to make the exchange obvious. The picture feels modest, almost domestic, as though enough can begin with attention.
I read the Six through that repeated act of facing one another. Fair support asks us to notice who is present, what they need and what we can honestly give. Its shadow is a gift that quietly asks for control, or a habit of receiving without seeing the giver. Beside 3 of Coins, turn goodwill into shared work with clear roles. Beside the High Priestess, listen before offering a solution. A useful next step might be one specific offer, made without demanding gratitude in return.
Work, money and creative direction
For practical questions, let the Coins bring the flight imagery back to earth. Ask what resource is nesting, what opportunity is ready to move, and what must be built before enthusiasm takes off. In work readings, a bird’s posture can show whether the moment calls for patience, a clear announcement or a change of vantage point.
Creative readers may enjoy drawing one card for the idea, one for its environment and one for the next piece of craft. The deck is strongest when inspiration becomes a small, visible action.
Four-card story
Four grounded forms of sacred care
Ace of Coins carries a seed-like promise of value into the bird world. The three birds arranged around a golden coin in 3 of Coins make me think of finding a shared rhythm; the facing pairs in 6 of Coins bring care into exchange. Goddess of Coins ends the sequence with the watchful presence of a woman and owl. I read a movement from having something to offer, through learning a craft, toward sharing it with generosity and good judgement.
Let the next act of care be small enough to do and clear enough to trust: a useful tool, an agreed task or a fair offer.
Buying guidance for the exact edition
- Author
- Adele Nozedar
- Artist
- Linda Sutton
- Publisher / year
- Schiffer / 2011
- Official kit
- 78 cards and a 208-page guidebook
- Listed card size
- 4 × 5.5 inches
- ISBN
- 9780764339004
The official kit is the 2011 Schiffer edition, ISBN 9780764339004, by Adele Nozedar with paintings by Linda Sutton. Its deep navy landscape box carries an inset image of a woman and bird, silver framing and both creator names. Schiffer lists large 4 by 5.5 inch cards, and the kit includes a 208-page guidebook. Our Gallery shows Italian-printed fronts with the same paintings and mottled frames; do not assume every listing has that printing. Check the language, ISBN and contents of the copy you are buying.
The shopping buttons open the Amazon listing for The Secret Language of Birds Tarot by Adele Nozedar. The supplied Amazon URL has no affiliate tag, so affiliate attribution is not verified. Compare the ISBN, navy box, creator credits, language and included contents before ordering, and check the seller’s current price, condition and availability at the destination.
Aurica’s golden rule for this deck
Watch the bird first; name the omen second.
Behaviour is the bridge between picture and meaning. Notice what the bird is actually doing, return to the card’s traditional task, and let folklore add depth only after the scene has spoken plainly.
Final thoughts
The Secret Language of Birds Tarot feels like a painted conversation between instinct and imagination. Its birds bring alertness to the Majors, motion to the suits and a quiet tenderness to moments when a human face meets another kind of intelligence.
I recommend it to readers who want symbolism they can feel before they explain it. Approach each card with patience, listen for the quietest detail, and let the message you find become one kind step in the world below the sky.
See The Secret Language of Birds Tarot on AmazonSee The Secret Language of Birds Tarot on AmazonThe Secret Language of Birds Tarot FAQ
Who created The Secret Language of Birds Tarot?
Adele Nozedar wrote the deck and guidebook, with paintings by British artist Linda Sutton. Schiffer published the kit in 2011.
What comes in the official kit?
The kit brings together the cards and a 208-page guidebook. Schiffer lists the cards at 4 by 5.5 inches, so leave a little more room on your reading table than you would for a smaller deck.
Does it follow a traditional tarot structure?
Yes. It follows the familiar Major and Minor Arcana structure, with Cups, Wands, Swords and Coins. Its courts use Queen, King, God and Goddess, so readers should allow time for that hierarchy to become familiar.
Is it suitable for beginners?
It can be, especially for a beginner drawn to birds, folklore and visual symbolism. The large cards and unusual courts add a learning curve, so the guidebook and a simple traditional reference are helpful at first.
What readings suit this deck?
It feels especially alive in questions about messages, timing, transition, instinct, freedom, home and perspective. Start with the visible behaviour of the bird, then connect it to the card’s tarot role and surrounding spread.
What should I check before buying?
Match the listing to EAN 9780764339004 and the deep navy landscape box credited to Adele Nozedar and Linda Sutton. The official Schiffer page currently lists that exact kit, but price and availability can change.
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