What are these cast iron bird things??

I seem to have seen a lot of these around and finally bought one.

Does anyone know what these were made for besides decoration?

I'm thinking only paperweight or decorative but they have a hollow at bottom that struck me as possible some other functionality. Like car ornament but not what one usually associates with that!

There seem to be a lot of them around local antique shops.

About 3.5" high by 4" wide.

 

On first site, my thought was snowbird. Placed on the roof to retain snow from falling and creating an accident. However, there would normally be a prong on the bottom to wedge it under a shingle. So......I'm not sure what you have. Perhaps a fence post finial.

 

I was thinking along the lines of @milestoneks last thought.....a metal fence, but the hole doesn't seem to be one to fit the top point of the metal fence spike!!! Kinda look like rusty Partridges!!

 

Maybe it was a Scandanavian custom since there are and were many that settled here in WA State.

 

Possibly just decorative home/garden items. I came close to buying similar on Amazon.

 

You were spot on with what I was thinking. Possibly reproductions of something from the past , but in my eye trying to be passed off as antiques.......

 

Maybe when people spent more time outside to take advantage of natural light, they were used to hold down groups of paper and other things that would blow away in the wind.