Small Crochet Bird Keychain Free Pattern
This is such a cute small crochet bird free pattern that you will love! It’s super quick to crochet – and so easy. Fair warning – it may be hard to stop at just one.
Our small amigurumi bird pattern was inspired by Juna’s first grade class. They were learning about tools and so Kiran and I were invited as guest speakers to talk about the tools that we use for crochet (you haven’t felt like a celebrity until you have introduced yourself as a toy maker to a group of 6 year olds!). Their class name this year is Bird Guardians and so, the night before, we decided we wanted to take a small gift for the class. Since I had virtually no time, I needed something that worked up fast so I decided to design a tiny crochet bird for them to hang in their classroom – and so this amigurumi bird pattern was born. The kids loved it!
Since I designing this pattern, I have made SO many of these birds (the other night I crocheted five little birds while watching TV before bed!). But don’t worry – these adorable little amigurumi birds will put to good use. They would be great as crochet keychains, backpack charms, quick crochet gifts, as random acts of crochet kindness, or for our next craft show! They’ve really become one of my go-to amigurumi patterns.
They also make a great crochet teachers gift (and don’t miss our free printable gift tags!).
(Can you tell I’m a little obsessed with this small crochet bird pattern? But the feet!! How can I not be??)
About this Easy Crochet Bird Pattern
This small crochet bird pattern is super easy to make! The body is crocheted in one piece – you just have to sew on the wings and beak. The legs (oh the legs! they really are my favourite part) are embroidered on very simply.
This pattern is very easy and is a good pattern for beginners. The amigurumi techniques used to crochet this bird pattern are very basic and so it should be easy enough to crochet.
It’s fun to play with the colours – any colour will do! (That’s my favourite part about bird – the diverse colours! They’re so majestic!). So feel free to use all your scrap yarn lying around that doesn’t work for a larger project. And who doesn’t love a pattern that uses up that scrap yarn??
You can crochet this bird in less than 30 minutes – so if you’re last minute like me, this is a great last minute gift! (Kiran went on holiday recently and crocheted a whole bunch of these birds on the beach for some of the hotel staff to say thank you.)
This little bird comes out to just about 2.5 inches using DK yarn and a 2.75 mm hook. However, you can use thicker or thinner yarn (with the relevant hook) to crochet a larger or smaller bird.
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Crochet Bird Free Pattern
Learn how to crochet a bird, step-by-step.
This pattern is for your personal use only and cannot be sold, copied, or reproduced in any way without permission from the designers. You may sell finished objects made from this pattern in small quantities but please give credit to chaicoffeecrochet.com as the pattern designer.
Tools & Materials You Will Need
- Yarn: You need a tiny amount of DK yarn in the head, body, and beak colours
- 2.75mm crochet hook
- Tapestry needle
- Stitch marker
- Polyfill stuffing
- Two 6mm safety eyes
- Keychain ring
Crochet Stitches Used and Abbreviations
This pattern is written in US terms and crocheted in continuous rounds unless specified otherwise.
For this pattern, you will need to be familiar with the following stiches:
Ch: Chain
SC: single crochet
INV DEC: invisible decrease
INC: two SC in the same stitch
HDC: half double crochet
HDC INC: two HDC in the same stitch
Finished size: Approximately 2.5 inches
Pattern notes & TIPS
- Difficulty level: Easy
- Finished size: Approximately 2.5 inches tall using DK yarn and a 2.75mm crochet hook
- This pattern is written in US terms.
- This pattern is crocheted in continuous rounds unless specified otherwise. In order to be able to keep track of your stitches, put a stitch marker at the start of each round.
How to Crochet a Small Bird
Beak
Use the beak colour.
Round 1: SC, ch 1, SC into a magic circle
Fasten off and leave a long tail for sewing.
Body
Using the head colour
Stuff as you go
Round 1: 5 SC into a magic circle (5)
Round 2: INC in each stitch around (10)
Round 3: (SC, INC) five times (15)
Round 4-6 (3 rounds): SC around (15)
Change to body colour
Insert eyes between Rounds 5 and 6, five stitches apart. Sew the beak on between rounds 5 and 6 of the body, centered between the eyes. Pinch the beak and sew it over just one stitch for a more pointed look.
Round 7-9 (3 rounds): SC around (15)
Round 10: (3 SC, INVDEC) three times (12)
Round 11: SC around (12)
Round 12: (2 SC, INVDEC) three times (9)
Make sure your bird is well stuffed
Round 13: (SC, INVDEC) three times (6)
We will now be working on the tail feathers of your bird. You should now be at the side of the body. If you’re not, sl st as many times as you need so that you are to the side of the body of your bird.
Round 14: Pinch the opening closed. You should have 3 stitches on each side. Ch 1, 3 SC through both layers to close.
We will now crochet the rest of the bird in rows.
Row 15-16 (2 rows): Ch 1, turn. 3 SC. (3)
Fasten off and weave in the ends
Wings (Make 2)
Use the body colour
Round 1: 4 SC into a magic circle. Ch 1, turn. (4)
Round 2: SC, (HDC INC) twice, SC (6)
Fasten off and leave a long tail for sewing.
Sew the wings onto the body of your bird, approximately between Rounds 7 and 8.
Use the beak colour and embroider on the legs between Rounds 11 and 12.
If you would like to make a keychain, you can add it by inserting the jump ring onto the top of your bird’s head or by sewing on the keychain ring using a piece of yarn the colour of the bird’s head.
Your small crochet bird is now ready!
We hope you enjoyed this small amigurumi bird free pattern! We would love to see your crocheted bird keychain, so share them on our Facebook group Amigurumi with Chai Coffee Crochet or tag us on Instagram @chaicoffeecrochet We like to share a selection of makes from our patterns in our stories and highlights.
Is it easy to crochet this bird?
Yes, this bird is very easy to crochet! The pattern is very simple and it would be a great pattern for beginners. You just need to use basic amigurumi techniques of the magic circle, slip stich, single crochet, single crochet increase, half double crochet, and half double crochet increase. You also need to know how to change colours. However, this pattern is very simple!
How long does it take to crochet a bird?
This bird is really quick to crochet, in under 30 minutes! So it is a really quick small crochet gift to churn out. It is really perfect for those last-minute gifts and craft fairs.
How do I add a keychain to this small crochet bird?
To turn your small bird into a crochet keychain, you can get a keychain with a jump ring. Using pliers, separate the two loops of the jump ring. Insert the jump into into a stitch at the top of your bird and use the pliers to firmly close the jump ring. And ta-da! Your keychain is ready.
If you don’t have pliers, you could always use a long strand of yarn and sew the keychain onto the top of your bird’s head.
What are other quick and small amigurumi patterns that I can make?
If you enjoyed this pattern and are looking for mini crochet patterns, we have a bunch! You could try our no-sew crochet fish, our small crochet bee, a little crochet butterfly, our small crochet airplane, or our small no-sew amigurumi ghost. All of these take under an hour (and most take no more than 30 minutes!).
If you would want to try a slightly larger project, try our Kozu Palm Pals mini doll series or our Kozu Palm Pets small animals series! If you add a keychain ring, they make for such cute crochet backpack charms!