Similar Chinese Characters: 马 乌 鸟

马 and 鸟 Radicals:

马 is simplified from 馬 (meaning "horse"). It can appear on the right-hand or left-hand side of a character, as well as at the bottom. See the following examples:

驴  lǘ  donkey 

吗  ma  a particle used to make a general question 

骂  mà  to scold 

鸟 (niǎo) is simplified from 鳥. It means “bird”. The simplified version is based on the cursive script form. As a radical, 鸟 often appears in the names of birds’ species: 

鸡  jī  chicken 

鸭  yā  duck 

鹅  é  goose 

Other Examples of Usage:

 

这匹马  zhè pǐ mǎ  this horse 

骑马  qí mǎ  to ride a horse 

鸵鸟  tuó niǎo - ostrich 

布谷鸟  bù gǔ niǎo  cuckoo 

鸟笼  niǎo lóng  birdcage 

乌 is not so frequently used. It is a part of the following words: 

乌鸟  wū niǎo  crow (black bird) 

乌龟  wū guī  turtle

The character for bird neatly represents a perched bird 鸟, an ancient pictograph.

鷹 eagle, hawk, falcon

老鷹 eagle, hawk

鷹狀標飾 eagle