Fold sequence
Panels read across, then back. The curved connector marks a rotation of the sheet; follow it before starting the next panel.
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Square base start
Crease the diagonal, coloured side up
Bring the top-right corner down to the bottom-left. Press only the centre third of the crease; you will need the corners crisp later.
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Both diagonals
Turn over and mountain the second diagonal
Flip the sheet away from you and crease the remaining diagonal in the opposite direction. The two creases must cross at dead centre.
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Collapse
Push the midlines in; the sheet becomes a triangle
Hold two opposite corners and bring them together. The paper wants to fall into a four-layer triangle — let it, then flatten with the open edge downward.
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Square base
Bring the lower edges to the vertical centre
Working on the top layer only, fold each lower edge in so it meets the middle. You are drawing a kite inside the diamond.
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Cap fold
Fold the top point down over the flaps
Crease firmly across the width of the kite, then unfold all three creases. The ghost lines you leave behind steer the petal fold.
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Petal fold
Lift the lower point; the sides follow inward
Take only the front layer and raise it as high as it will travel. The two side creases reverse themselves — do not force them, guide them.
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Repeat behind
Repeat five and six on the back, then narrow the legs
You now hold the bird base. Fold the lower edges to the centre on both faces so the tail and neck taper to needles.
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Inside reverse
Inside-reverse both points outward and up
Open the spine slightly and invert each point between the layers. Set the left one higher — that is the neck; the right becomes the tail.
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Finished
Shape the beak and open the base to stand
A small outside-reverse makes the beak. Spread the two lower flaps until the bird balances on its own; a heron should look patient, not tense.
Reading this sheet
Panels are numbered and run in a boustrophedon: row one left to right, row two right to left, row three left to right again.
Wherever a row ends, the curved connector tells you to rotate the paper 180° before continuing — the diagrams assume you did.
If it goes wrong
- Creases at panel three not meeting? Re-crease the diagonals; the collapse is unforgiving of a soft centre.
- Petal fold tearing at six? You are lifting both layers. Slide a finger in and separate first.
- Bird refuses to stand? The base flaps are folded too far in — open them a few degrees.
Take it further
The same bird base carries the crane, the flapping bird and the peace dove. Swap panels seven through nine and you have a different animal on the same skeleton.