“Tink-Tinkje and the Bird King: A Trickster’s Flight”

The birds wanted a king—men have one, animals have one, so why shouldn’t they? But choosing proved impossible. Ostrich is too large and can’t fly. Eagle is too ugly. Vulture is too dirty and smells terrible. Peacock has hideous feet and a dreadful voice. Owl is ashamed of the light. Finally, they settle on a contest: whoever flies highest will be crowned king.

Vulture, confident in his power, ascends for three whole days straight toward the sun before declaring victory—only to hear a mocking “T-sie, t-sie, t-sie!” from above. There’s Tink-Tinkje, the tiniest bird, who secretly clung to Vulture’s wing feather and rode upward unnoticed. For five days this battle continues, Vulture straining to new heights, the little trickster always somehow higher, until the great bird collapses in exhaustion.

Furious at being cheated, the birds sentence Tink-Tinkje to death and chase him into a mouse hole. They post Owl as guard—he has the largest eyes and can see best. But warm sun brings drowsy sleep, and z-zip—the trickster escapes! His cheeky cry rings from a nearby tree while White-crow, disgusted beyond all words, vows eternal silence and keeps it to this day.

A delightful trickster tale from Southern Africa that explains why some birds don’t speak and why the smallest sometimes outwit the mightiest—not through strength, but through cunning and a well-timed ride.

https://mythopia.io/story/1265/the-tale-of-the-bird-king-how-tink-tinkje-outsmarted-the-vulture