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How to fold an origami pied wagtail

A colour-change flap folds out as the white flank, a snipped tail folds slim, and a pleat bows the black head before it perches on a folded branch.

You need: 1 square sheet, 15 × 15 cm, black on one side; a brown strip 15 × 2.2 cm; scissors, glue and a white pen. Hard, 17 steps, about 25 minutes.

Steps

  1. Crease the middle. White side up, turned like a diamond. Fold the top corner down to the bottom corner, crease and unfold.
  2. Half a kite. Fold the lower-left edge up so it lies along the middle crease.
  3. Fold in half. Fold the top corner down onto the bottom corner again, the flap inside. The long fold on top is the back.
  4. White flank. Fold the front layer's lower edge up along the hidden flap's edge, from the left point. A white wedge now shows on the side.
  5. Crease the tail. Fold the left part over on an upright crease 8.4 cm from the left point, through all the layers.
  6. Open it. Unfold it again.
  7. Snip. Cut up the crease 1.8 cm from the bottom edge, through all the layers.
  8. Slim the tail. Fold the tail's lower edge up on a crease from the left point to the top of the snip. The tail turns slim and black.
  9. Round the rump. Fold the corner below the snip behind, from 1 cm up the cut edge to 1.6 cm along the bottom edge.
  10. Black wing. Fold the white flap's top front corner down, on a crease from the back 1.1 cm right of the snip to 3 cm down the flap's front edge.
  11. Round the belly. Fold the bottom corner behind, from 1.5 cm along the bottom edge to 1.2 cm up the front edge.
  12. Head: fold in. Fold the right point over to the left on a crease from the back, 4 cm from the point, slanting down to the throat.
  13. Head: fold out. Fold it back to the right from the same point, on a crease that slants less. The head bows and the beak points ahead.
  14. Sit up. Turn the wagtail so its head rises and the long tail slopes down behind.
  15. Branch. Set the bird aside. Take the brown strip, white side up, lying long.
  16. Fold the branch. Fold the bottom edge up to the top edge, so the branch is brown and thick.
  17. Perch it. Glue the branch behind the bird, its top edge just under the belly.

Wag, wag!

Draw a white eye with a black middle on the head, and two dark toes gripping the branch.

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