Line 303
νέρτος ἱέραξ φάττα κόκκυξ ἐρυθρόπους κεβλήπυρις
This line constitutes the opening of the parabasis, where the chorus of birds addresses the Athenians with a catalog of their own species. The syntax is a paratactic asyndetic list of nouns in the nominative case, functioning as a direct address or a vocative-like enumeration of the bird types present. The specific inclusion of the 'red-footed' (ἐρυθρόπους) quail (κεβλήπυρις) alongside the hawk, owl, and cuckoo serves to establish the diverse, chaotic, and distinctly Athenian character of the chorus, contrasting with the more uniform or majestic avian imagery often found in tragedy. The term κεβλήπυρις is a rare compound form, attested only here in Aristophanes and in some later lexicographical sources, referring specifically to the common quail (Coturnix coturnix), and its inclusion highlights the playwright's reliance on precise ornithological terminology to ground the absurd premise in a recognizable natural world.
Birds. Aristophanes. . 2026-09-08.