In Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater, to survive and regain stamina, the player must consume food. This article provides information about the birds in the game.
Magpie[]
- Ration Name: BIRD D
- Initial Taste: Bad
- Danger Level: None
- Stamina Recovery: Low
- Capture: Yes
Magpies are members of the crow family, distinguished by their dark blue and white bodies and long tails. Their preferred food is insects, although they also consume small fish, acorns, and fruit. They can be found from Dremuchij South to Zaozyorje North, often hiding in grass or on branches above eye level, and they will fly away if spooked.
Parrot[]
See Parrot
- Ration Name: BIRD A
- Initial Taste: Not too bad
- Danger Level: None
- Stamina Recovery: Medium
- Capture: Yes
The Alexandrine Parakeet, originally from Indochina, is distinguished by its green body and red beak. Known for being very talkative, it makes a good pet and is also the End's parrot.
Red Avadavat[]
- Ration Name: BIRD C
- Initial Taste: Bad
- Danger Level: None
- Stamina Recovery: Low
- Capture: Yes
The Red Avadavat is a small bird native to Southern China and Southeast Asia. During Operation Snake Eater, set in August, it is in its mating season, causing the males to exhibit a brilliant red color. The bird is initially found in Graniny Gorki Lab Exterior, in the grass near the fence, and is also present in Svyatogornyj South. Additionally, Johnny the guard will give Snake one as a ration.
Sunda Whistling-Thrush[]
- Ration Name: BIRD E
- Initial Taste: Tasty
- Danger Level: None
- Stamina Recovery: Moderate
- Capture: Yes
The Sunda Whistling-Thrush is a bird native to Java and Sumatra, distinguished by its large blue body and long beak. Despite being quite plump, they make a good meal and are found early in the game in Dremuchij North. They have a tasty flavor and provide a decent stamina recovery. The last place to find them is Zaozyorje North.
White-Rumped Vulture[]
- Ration Name: BIRD B
- Initial Taste: Tasty
- Danger Level: None
- Stamina Recovery: High
- Capture: No
The White-Rumped Vulture is a type of vulture found in India. Its diet primarily consists of dead animal carcasses. Despite being a fairly large bird of prey, it is unlikely to attack Snake but will feast on the carcasses of dead guards. They are too large to capture alive. These birds are only found in the Krasnogorje Mountain Base, Mountainside, and Mountaintop areas (ergo, desert-based areas).
As a special note, vultures that have eaten from the corpses of dead guards will restore more stamina, and this can provoke an amusing (if gruesome) comment from the enraged guard during The Sorrow battle. Another interesting observation is that if the guard has been killed via poisoning, the vulture will not die from the poison, nor will Snake be poisoned from eating the vulture. When calling Para-Medic, she ponders whether a vulture feeding on a human carcass means that eating the vulture also constitutes eating human meat. If Snake already ate a vulture before the call, he will grimace in regret as Para-Medic asks the question.
Behind the scenes[]
In the Metal Gear Solid HD Collection, collecting all five birds will earn the player a trophy/avatar (depending on the console version) commemorating it called "A Bird in the Hand."