Red J. Bird

NOTE: Not to be confused with the Pokémon character of the same name.

" “ The Red Bird - a Desert Cardinal species - is the de facto leader of the flock and, more pertinently, he's the angriest bird of the lot! Having found the three eggs on Piggy Island, Red is vastly over-protective of them and typically over-reacts to the slightest threat to their safety, driving him in to a berserk rage. Despite his youth, Red is kind of a father figure to the other Angry Birds. Red knows that no one else will take responsibility, so he is forced to do so. When the eggs have hatched, Red will have done his duty and will be able to forget the burden of leadership and embrace the carefree nature of his age. ” ― About Red • Angry Birds: Hatching a Universe"

Red (full name Red J. Bird according to The Angry Birds Movie 2) is the mascot of the Angry Birds franchise. He's the leader of the titular Angry Birds flock, and the most dedicated to the cause of protecting the eggs, as well as the angriest bird of them all. Although his status and over-protective father-like personality may cause one to assume he is an adult, Red is actually one of the younger members of the flock, who stepped up to the role as leader as no one else was better suited for it.

In the films (which take place in a separate continuity), Red is given a new backstory, where he was an outcast in a community of happy birds, before rising up to the role of a hero and leader when the pigs attacked and raided their village, turning the once happy birds into the iconic Angry Birds.

Red serves as the first and most basic bird in almost every Angry Birds title, meaning that unlike the rest of his flock, Red usually has no special ability. Usually, because there have been occasions where Red has his own ability, such as in the Red's Mighty Feathers episode in the original Angry Birds game, and Angry Birds 2.

Why He's the Leader of the Flock

 * 1) " “ Red’s special skills are his leadership qualities, which at first seems feeble compared to the brute force of Terence or explosive power of Bomb. But wait! Someone has to organize this odd flock of birds! He’s also a bit highly strung and sees small things as a declaration of war – like hearing the sound of the wind and thinking it’s the battle cry of the pig army. So that’s kind of intense! The whole flock tries to keep Red calm and relaxed by telling him to follow a strict program of herbal tea, soothing bath salts and deep-breathing exercises. But this only takes the edge off his anger, and it really doesn’t take much to remind Red of those little pigs trying to get their dirty trotters on the eggs. Even the sight of something green can enrage him! Red always needs to keep his possessions in the best possible condition. Like a proud dad, he spends hours every morning waxing the slingshot and making sure the band is perfectly elasticated. But if a dirty leaf lands on the sling then his eye starts twitching to show he’s edging closer to boiling point. Now he has to re-apply several more coats of polish to make it perfect again! Red also lets his guard down when he’s alone with the eggs and can be seen softly stroking their shells and telling them bedtime stories. It’s another rare moment of sensitivity and it reveals something of a softer side in him. But when the other flock members come a knocking, something clicks inside and instantly he’s back to being his usual serious and alert self. ” ― About Red • Official Angry Birds Website (archived)"AB_Red_Profile_2.png the flock's leader, it is Red's duty to keep his feathery brethren in line, and he does a great job at it. Stern, strict, and a perfectionist, Red will not settle for anything less than the best for the eggs or his flock. Red is also usually the one to come up with plans and strategies to take down the pigs. Despite his extremely serious attitude, Red is also capable of lightening up around the other birds, such as in "Off Duty" and "Slingshot 101", and shows an even softer side when he's around the eggs. Although he may easily lose himself when blinded by rage (ex: "Happy Hippy"), it is still important to remember that he is still a wild animal at the end of the day.
 * 2) " “ I like Chuck, although it does get annoying when he follows me around all the time. The Blues are great. They have so much enthusiasm and energy. Of course, I'd rather they were kept safe in a nest, but every bird needs to do their duty. ” ― Red when asked his favorite bird in the flock • The World of Angry Birds Official Guide"Red has great relationships with the rest of the flock, and sees them more than just friends or allies, but a family as well, probably because they pretty much are. Angry Birds Toons and Angry Birds Comics show that they eat, sleep, and live together, so it's only natural they would all be very close to each other. Though Red may roll his eyes whenever Chuck does something stupid or when Matilda insists him to take it easy, and he may scold the other birds when they fail to meet his standards, Red would be the first to fly in whenever one of them is in danger. This is an important part of the series that contrary to popular belief, actually existed even before the birds were all given proper names.
 * 3) The very fact that his personality can be described in this much detail is proof of just how much the people behind the series cared about crafting an interesting series. Remember, this all started from a simple mobile game where you flings birds at pigs like projectiles, they did not have to go out of their way to characterize each and every one of them, but they did. A lesser series would simply have Red be his own species, as the weakest and most common bird, much like the Peashooters from Plants vs. Zombies or the monkeys from Bloons, but instead they went decided to make him his own character.
 * 4) Although he is the most basic bird in the original game, in Angry Birds Toons, Red is shown to be incredibly powerful. In "Off Duty", Red is shown to be capable of retrieving the eggs and destroying Pig City all on his own in mere seconds, and in "Slingshot 101", he is able to run all the way from a distant mountain back to the nest in a short time. "The Great Eggscape" is also another good example of why Red is a force to be reckoned with.
 * 5) The movies take the character in different direction, where Red is cranky loner and an outcast who rises up to become a hero to birdkind. In The Angry Birds Movie 2, Red has a fear of losing that status and going back to being a loser, but eventually manages to overcome that and grows to work with others as a team, even if he isn't the one in charge and getting all the credit. He even manages to get a love interest in Silver and make peace with the pigs.

Angry Qualities

 * 1) After the first movie, the series started to become more focused on Red, Chuck, and Bomb as a trio instead of them all being part of one big flock. The flock wasn't just some crew or a team or a group of friends, but a family, despite all of them being from different species (except for Red and Terence). The idea that they are all that they have, trying their best to survive on an island that belongs to - and is literally named after - the enemy, is infinitely more charming and interesting than it just being Red as the main hero and Chuck and Bomb as his two stupid sidekicks, and now that part of Red, and by extension the rest of the birds, is something that has been sorely missing from the series for a long while.
 * 2) "Not sure about the dabbing though."

Trivia

 * Red was originally going to be named George.
 * Much like Sonic the Hedgehog, Red runs the official Twitter account promoting the series, and has made many memorable interactions with the series fans, and even other brand accounts, with his rivalry with Cult of the Lamb, being one notable example.