• Guide

Can you catch birds in Animal Crossing: New Horizons?

Curious what that yellow bird in your plaza means or if you can even catch birds in Animal Crossing: New Horizons? Here's what you need to know.

Josh Hawkins

April 28, 2020 11:00 AM

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With so many fish, birds, and other things to collect in Animal Crossing: New Horizons, you would think that players had plenty to keep them busy. It would appear that isn’t the case, though, as many players have found themselves wondering ‘can you catch the birds in Animal Crossing: New Horizons?’ Thankfully, we’ve got the answer that you’re all looking for.

Can you catch birds in Animal Crossing: New Horizons?

As you explore your deserted island getaway, you’re bound to see some sights – like all the pretty birds flying around. One notable bird that many players have probably been curious about is the yellow bird that perches up on the message board in your plaza every now and again. If you’ve tried catching this bird with your net, then you’ve probably ended up being disappointed as it flies off whenever you get close.

That’s because you can’t catch birds in Animal Crossing: New Horizons. There’s no real reason to catch them – as they aren’t needed for anything in the museum or otherwise. That being said, birds aren’t without their own meanings. In fact, the yellow bird that sets up perch on the message board is very important to the game, and is there to act as a notification to let you know when something new has been posted to the message board in your plaza.

So, if you’re just messing around and working on your island, and you notice the yellow bird set up on top of your message board, go ahead and approach it – without your net out – and interact with it. You’ll find some new messages waiting for you to read, allowing you to keep up to date with all the things happening on the island.

Now that you know you can’t catch birds, make sure you check out the rest of our Animal Crossing: New Horizons guide content for even more helpful info, including a full list of all the fish and where to catch them.

Josh Hawkins

Guides Editor

Joshua holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Creative Writing and has been exploring the world of video games for as long as he can remember. He enjoys everything from large-scale RPGs to small, bite-size indie gems and everything in between.