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How to fold an origami eagle

Cut and fold a brown square into wide wings with a white tail fan cut from the flap behind, then pleat each wing up at the shoulder. A small yellow square becomes the white head, its beak hooked down by an outside reverse fold.

You need: 2 squares, white on the back: 15 cm dark brown (body) and 6 cm yellow (head). Scissors, glue and a black pen. Hard, 14 steps, about 20 minutes.

Steps

  1. Body: cut the bottom. Lay the brown square brown side up, as a diamond. Cut straight across it 8.5 cm up from the bottom corner, and throw the corner away.
  2. Body: tail behind. Fold the top corner down behind, so its tip pokes out 5.5 cm below the cut edge. This white point will become the tail.
  3. Body: turn it over. Flip it over from side to side, so the flap you just folded lies on top.
  4. Body: cut the tail. Snip along the top fold from each end, leaving 1.5 cm. Lift the flap and cut only it into a fan 4 cm wide, 3.5 cm below the body, corners rounded.
  5. Body: turn it back. Flip it back over, brown side up. The white fan pokes out below the wings as the tail.
  6. Body: right wing behind. Fold the right wing behind on a crease straight up from the bottom edge, 2 cm right of the middle.
  7. Body: right wing up. Fold the wing back out on a crease from the same point to 1 cm nearer the middle on the top edge. The wing comes out tilted up.
  8. Body: left wing behind. Fold the left wing behind the same way, on a crease straight up from the bottom edge 2 cm left of the middle.
  9. Body: left wing up. Fold it back out on a crease from the same point to 1 cm nearer the middle on the top edge, so both wings rise in a V.
  10. Head: new sheet. Set the body aside. Lay the 6 cm yellow square yellow side up, as a diamond.
  11. Head: fold in half. Fold the bottom corner up to the top corner, so the white side is outside and the fold runs along the bottom.
  12. Head: cut the shape. Cut through both layers: round off the left corner and the top point, then cut straight down to the right corner, leaving a long point for the beak.
  13. Head: hook the beak. Outside-reverse-fold the long point down, creasing from the bottom fold 2 cm in from the tip. Its yellow inside shows as a hooked beak.
  14. Glue on the head. Glue the head onto the middle of the body, its bottom fold 0.5 cm below the body's top edge and the beak pointing right.

Soar!

Draw a black eye just behind the beak. Hang your eagle from a thread, or stick it on a window with its wings raised.

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