The Story Of The Deceitful Bird With Moral For Kids

Our parents and grandparents have always instructed us in our childhood not to cheat and lie to anyone that it will only bring us problems. Once just an instruction, it later came to us that it is, indeed, life’s most important lesson. Lying, cheating, and being greedy can bring monumental consequences in one’s life. That’s what we will teach our kids today with the popular ‘The Deceitful Bird’ story in English. The story tells of a bird who gets cunning and decides to keep a secret from his flock about the grain they were all searching for. His greediness gets the best of him and finally takes his life.

Stay with us to read ‘The Deceitful Bird’ full story and its moral value.

Origin And History Of The Deceitful Bird Story

The Deceitful Bird story is one of the many collections of Jataka tales. Native to India, the Jataka tales belong to a voluminous text of literature which accounts for the previous lives of Gautam Buddha in both human and animal forms.

Story Type Of The Deceitful Bird Story

The Deceitful Bird is a moral story, which makes it a perfect bedtime story for kids. This story has a surprise ending which will keep kids engaged till the end.

Story Characters

The story revolves around the deceitful bird, the king, and his flock.

The Deceitful Bird Story For Children

Once upon a time, a large flock of birds resided in the Himalayan foothills. The birds were facing a food shortage in that area, so the king of the birds asked his flock to search for grains. “My dear birds, I have come forward to ask you a favour. We are facing a shortage of food. Go outside and look for grain. Please inform me if you come across any, and we shall share it.”

The birds nodded, and soon, all of them flew away in search of food. Some went to the north, while some went to the south. One of the birds from the flock flew a little bit far and came across a road. That road was busy with passing carts loaded with grains. While the carts were passing through the road, he saw some grain fall out of them.

The yearning for food got the best of him. “Oh goodness! There is so much food out here. If I tell my friends about this, they will soon come here, and I will have to share all of the grain with them,” thought the greedy bird and flew back to his flock.

Other birds also came empty-handed. When he was inquired by the king, the selfish bird replied, “When I was searching for food, I came across a road busy with passing carts.” The birds got ecstatic. “Was there any food?” asked one bird. “Yes, there was, but with so many carts rushing by, it would be impossible for us even to try.”

The flock got disappointed, and one of the birds said, “We can’t go there. It is not worth risking our lives.” The other birds nodded in agreement. On the other hand, the greedy bird was overjoyed to see his lie work. Every day after that, he would silently fly off to that road and eat his fill.

Soon after, the selfish bird became fat, and the other birds got suspicious of him. They reported their suspicion to the king. The next day as the deceitful bird flew off as usual to eat his fill from the road, the king followed him silently. He caught the bird cheating on his flock when he saw him eating the grain.

The king silently watched the whole scene unfold.

While the greedy bird was eating, a loaded cart came down the road. The bird saw the cart approaching him, but stood there. “It is far away from me. In that time, I can eat more,” said the deceitful bird and continued eating.

The bird didn’t realise that the cart was speeding up, “Oh no!” The cart ran over him before he could escape. He landed on an old birch in very poor condition. When the king went to him, the bird was ashamed and said, “I am very sorry your Highness!” He died just after apologising.

The king returned to the flock and narrated everything he saw that had happened with the greedy bird. At last, he added, “I hope you all understand that greediness can lead one to his own destruction.”

Story Summary

Here is the summary of ‘The Deceitful Bird’ story:

A long time ago, a flock of birds lived in the Himalayan foothills. There, they experienced a food shortage, which prompted the king of the birds to ask the flock to search for food. All the birds flew away to search for anything they could eat. One bird flew a bit far and found a road through which carts loaded with grains were passing by.

The desire to eat so much grain made him selfish, and he decided to lie about it. He told the king and his friends that the road had too many carts going at a speed which could be dangerous for the flock. Every day after that, he used to go to that road and eat his fill. Eating loads of grain made him fat and got him under his friends’ suspicion. One day, the kind decided to follow him silently; what he found surprised him. He saw the deceitful bird eating the grain. Suddenly, a cart came speeding up towards the bird, which he ignored and continued eating. Before he could say anything, the carriage ran over him. The wounded bird felt ashamed of his acts, apologised to the king, and died. The king went back to the flock and narrated everything.

Moral Of The Story

The moral that we learn from this short story is that ‘greed is evil’. ‘Selfishness leads one to his own destruction’. Hence, we should never lie, care for our loved ones by sharing things, and be honest with people.

Sharing is a social behaviour that reflects a person’s kind personality. Sharing or helping people in times of need makes a person more significant, strengthens his relationships, and grows the seed of humanity in others. Therefore, we should be kind to and help people and animals as much as possible. Sharing also teaches us about compromise and equality. This way, children can learn to negotiate and cope with disappointment.

How Can Children Apply The Moral In Their Real Life?

This story with pictures teaches us that we should never be selfish. Only kindness, generosity, and honesty will ensure a better life. With the help of this short story, children can learn to share food with poor people and animals, take turns when playing, lend a hand in any work, and pass on affection to those who need it.

In everyday life, you can teach your child to give food and water to stray animals or birds. This will develop humanity and sensitivity towards animals and other beings in their life. You can also ask them to share the household work with you, like folding clothes or organising the room. When playing games, teach them to be honest and not cheat.

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A Wise Parrot Moral Story for Kids
The Dog And The Rabbit Story with Moral for Children
The Story Of The Blue Jackal for Children with Moral