History ComicBook / BirdsOfPrey

** During the UsefulNotes/{{the Silver Age|of Comic Books}} in {{ComicBook/Blackhawk}}, Zinda Blake (Lady Blackhawk) was captured by villainous Nazi operative Killer Shark, who used a chemical potion to brainwash her, forcing her to take up the identity of the costumed Queen Killer Shark. She battles her former comrades several times before she was freed of the effects of the potion. Later in Birds of Prey, she was captured again by Killer Shark (who was revealed to be the grandson of the original), help beat and caught her teammate Huntress (Helena Bertinelli), lead Killer Shark to the original one treasure. Zinda was freed with some help from her teammate Helena Bertinelli, and Killer Shark was defeated. In Blackhawk, Zinda Blake Queen Killer Shark's personality was cold and ruthless to the point that she had no loyalty to Killer Shark, having abandoned him twice and even outright betrayed him. While in Birds of Prey, Zinda Blake Queen Killer Shark's personality is entirely loyal to Killer Shark, with her being completely in love and devoted to him, to the point that it's implied that [[spoiler: she had a sexual relationship with the original Killer Shark and is more than willing to sleep with the current Killer Shark while thinking he his grandfather.]]

** Zinda Blake has no secret or code name at all; Lady Blackhawk is a publicly recognized, and UsefulNotes/{{trademark}}ed, title stemming from membership on the ComicBook/{{Blackhawk}}s.

** Dinah Lance inherited the Black Canary title from her mother, Dinah Drake, the original [[UsefulNotes/TheGoldenAgeOfComicBooks Golden Age]] superhero.

** Katarina Armstrong, a villain, styles herself "Spy Smasher" after the [[UsefulNotes/TheGoldenAgeOfComicBooks original hero]], but Lady Blackhawk [[FishOutOfTemporalWater explains that she knew the original Spy Smasher]] and Katarina does not even compare.

* MonochromeCasting: In a series of conversations about race in comic books on Tumblr, Gail Simone has acknowledged that, in her opinion, it sends a bad message that all of the main characters in the book are straight white women, most of whom have blue eyes. To rectify this Gail has said that she will be using two non-white heroines, [[ComicBook/{{Batgirl 2000}} Cassandra Cain]] (one of DC's few Asian vigilantes) and the [[ComicBook/TheQuestion Question]] ([[TwoferTokenMinority a Hispanic lesbian]]) as guest operatives in coming issues [[http://gailsimone.tumblr.com/post/1579618568/sufferingsappho-ceebee-eebee-having-someone]] and will be working on a long term solution to fix the lack of color in the book. However, in the same Tumblr post where she admitted that the lack of diversity in the book was a problem she pointed out that she had used many minority heroines such as Lady Shiva, Judomaster and Vixen in guest roles during the first volume. She also briefly added Grace Choi from [[ComicBook/BatmanAndTheOutsiders the Outsiders]] to the team's roster when they guest starred in ''ComicBook/SecretSix'' #7. Following the ComicBook/{{New 52}} reboot, the Japanese heroine Katana finally joined the team, and the African American vigilante Strix was inducted into the group after her departure.

* LousyLoversAreLosers: In issue #68, Helena tells Dinah and Barbara that Roy Harper/Arsenal was terrible in bed, and even takes the opportunity to make a pun about arrows. [[note]]This was actually a TakeThat by Creator/GailSimone who was unhappy Creator/JuddWinick wrote that Arenal and Huntress had a one night stand in ''[[ComicBook/BatmanAndTheOutsiders The Outsiders]]''.[[/note]]

''Birds of Prey'' is a Creator/DCComics series running from 1999 to 2009, relaunched in 2010, and relaunched again as part of the ComicBook/{{New 52}} in 2011, created and originally written by Creator/ChuckDixon. It features ex-Characters/{{Batgirl}} Barbara Gordon after she was paralysed at the hands of [[Characters/BatmanTheJoker The Joker]] in Creator/AlanMoore's ''ComicBook/TheKillingJoke'' and reintroduced in the ''ComicBook/SuicideSquad'' series of the early-90's. Now the tech-savvy Oracle, she is a wheelchair using computer genius who leads a [[AmazonBrigade team of superheroines]] from a [[HackerCave high-tech HQ]]. Originally located in the Clocktower in Gotham City, her headquarters was later moved to [[Franchise/{{Superman}} Metropolis]] and then to Platinum Flats.

Under Dixon the team centered around Oracle [[BrainsAndBrawn and the]] Characters/BlackCanary as they began working together and building a personal relationship in addition to their professional relationship. When Creator/GailSimone took over writing duties she introduced the [[Characters/BatmanHuntress Huntress]], and several storyarcs later [[ComicBook/{{Blackhawk}} Lady Blackhawk]] to round out the core group, with heavy emphasis within the story that their [[TrueCompanions family]] was just as important as their crime fighting adventures. This teaming persisted until Canary's departure, around the time of her marriage to ComicBook/GreenArrow, after which the Birds took on a more [[HeroesUnlimited fluid line up]] with Huntress and Lady Blackhawk as senior field team leaders, and Misfit as regular Bird-in-training. However, the rest of the team was filled in such a way that it seemed like any female character from Franchise/TheDCU might show up next. Comicbook/{{Manhunter|DCComics}} also became a regular during this period, supplemented by other heroes as needed.

In September of 2011, Duane Swierczynski and Jesus Saiz took over creative control of the series with the company-wide ComicBook/{{New 52}} relaunch. The New DC team is composed of Dinah Drake Lance (Black Canary, mother of previous star Dinah Laurel Lance), Tatsu Yamashiro ([[Characters/BatmanAndTheOutsiders Katana]]), new creation Ev Crawford ("Starling"), [[Characters/BatmanPoisonIvy Pamela Isley (Poison Ivy)]], and [[ComicBook/{{Batgirl 2011}} Barbara Gordon (Batgirl)]]. [[Characters/BatmanHuntress Huntress]] (now Helena Wayne, not Helena Bertinelli) has some connection to the team, though her adventures were detailed in her stand-alone miniseries and the ''Worlds' Finest'' ongoing series, with any connections to the Birds currently remaining a mystery. A little over a year after the relaunch, it was announced that Strix, a former member of the [[Comicbook/NightOfTheOwls Court of Owls]] would be joining the team. The series floundered creatively after Swierczynski left, and was cancelled at issue #34.

In 2016, the title was relaunched as ''ComicBook/BatgirlAndTheBirdsOfPrey'' as part of ''Comicbook/DCRebirth'', with Shawna and Julie Benson as writers and Claire Roe as the artist. Like many of the ''Rebirth'' titles, the new series was launched with the goal of hearkening back to the pre-New 52 version of the team, with the group now consisting of Batgirl (Barbara Gordon), Black Canary and Huntress.

** Lady Blackhawk is very defensive of what she terms her "special yell thing," which she brought over from her [[Comicbook/{{Blackhawk}} original team]].

* BornInTheWrongCentury: [[JustifiedTrope Justified]]. Zinda Blake was originally a fighter pilot and hero from the 1950's who was brought to the early 21st century via TimeTravel. Due to her liberal and highly controversial beliefs regarding women's rights, responsibilities and abilities she is more at home now than she was in her original era, but she is struggling to deal with all of her [[Comicbook/{{Blackhawk}} friends and teammates]] dying of old age. Also, she can hardly get anybody to honor her senior citizens discount.

** Zinda Blake has no secret or code name at all; Lady Blackhawk is a publicly recognized, and UsefulNotes/{{trademark}}ed, title stemming from membership on the Comicbook/{{Blackhawk}}s.

** Issue #1 of the third volume opens with Black Canary meeting with Barbara, who has now become the new Batgirl and left for [[Comicbook/{{Batgirl2011}} her own solo title]]. Batgirl appears in issue #4 of the series.

* HeroesUnlimited: Once Black Canary left the team the line-up became very fluid, with Huntress and Lady Blackhawk as central characters supported by a rotating roster of other female heroes. Gypsy begins to appear just before Canary's departure and slowly fades away after she is gone and [[ComicBook/NewGods Big Barda]], [[ComicBook/JusticeSocietyOfAmerica Judomaster]] and [[ComicBook/{{Hawkman}} Hawkgirl]] appear for individual missions. Comicbook/{{Manhunter|DCComics}} and Misfit (an original creation) become semi-regular team members and are joined by Infinity shortly before the series is cancelled. A dozen other heroines (from Characters/PowerGirl to ComicBook/TheQuestion) are shown as receiving invitations to join the team or having been active in past missions.

** Katarina Armstrong, a villain, styles herself "Spy Smasher" after the [[UsefulNotes/TheGoldenAgeOfComicbooks original hero]], but Lady Blackhawk [[FishOutOfTemporalWater explains that she knew the original Spy Smasher]] and Katarina does not even compare.

** In Issue #25 [[ComicBook/BlueBeetle Ted Kord]] flies the Beetle around Bludhaven with Oracle and recreates several of Nite Owl's scenes from ''Comicbook/{{Watchmen}}'' in the process. For bonus points Nite Owl was originally supposed to be Ted Kord.

** [[https://vignette.wikia.nocookie.net/marvel_dc/images/c/c2/Birds_of_Prey_Vol_2_10.jpg/revision/latest?cb=20110310200257 Vol 2 #10]]: The cover depicts a veiled Barbara holding the Oracle mask with Black Canary, Huntress, Lady Blackhawk, ComicBook/{{Batgirl|2009}}, ComicBook/RedRobin, Robin V, Comicbook/HawkAndDove, and both Batmen stacked in fighting stances behind her.

* {{Tontine}}: Apparently the [[Comicbook/{{Blackhawk}} Blackhawk Squadron]] had a tontine, a bottle of champagne, "won" by Zinda Blake when she was flung into the future.

* WolverinePublicity: The 2016 relaunch is dubbed ''Batgirl and the Birds of Prey'', likely to capitalize on the popularity of the ''Comicbook/{{Batgirl|2011}} of Burnside'' {{ReTool}}ing.

** Id: Huntress/Helena Bertinelli — brilliant but impulsive and emotional, fundamentally amoral.

* SuperWeight: Black Canary is Super Weight. Her Martial Arts put her at the top of Iron Weight alone. Her Canary Cry alone could secure her a spot in either Abnormal or Super, depending on how strong it's depicted, but as she's one of the best fighters on the planet without her Cry, she averages out to Super Weight.
** Lady Blackhawk is on the lower end of Iron Weight, Hawk and Dove are on the upper edge (just shy of SuperWeight). Huntress is right in the middle of the class.
** Misfit is Super Weight, having the ability to teleport with incredible accuracy, and which comes with mild regeneration powers. with implications that she could be Hyper Weight. The extent of her 'bouncing' could be potentially incredible (She was able to locate Oracle somehow) but she got [[PutOnABus put on a school bus]] before she was fully fleshed out, leaving unanswered questions about her backstory and the exact nature of her powers, along with how she was able to find Oracle.
** Black Alice is Hyper Weight. She can steal powers from any other magic user. And this does mean STEAL, rendering the individual helpless while she is channeling their power, and ANY is also the operative word, as she can steal powers from Hyper Weight characters. She could be potentially World Weight, but is held back by the fact that this phenomenal power is being channeled through an emotionally unstable teenager, who may know how to use the power itself, but is very unimaginative in it's application.

** Canary's comments early in the relaunch that she had not been herself lately referred to the same series as well as ''Rise of Arsenal'', where she dumped Ollie in his jail cell and abandoned Roy Harper as a lost cause after he slipped back into addiction.

** While thinking about her last encounter with the Calculator (See note immediately above) Oracle explains that the last time the superhero community [[LaserGuidedAmnesia erased the memories of a villain]] it nearly destroyed them all. This refers to ''ComicBook/IdentityCrisis'', where Characters/{{Zatanna}} used magic to alter the personality of Dr. Light and wound up damaging his mental competency. Dr. Light himself appears in Black Canary's hallucination at the end of the issue.

* DatingCatwoman: Huntress and Catman have an extremely flirtatious relationship that has sometimes verged extremely close to outright romance. Many other characters, minor and recurring, currently or previously dated people on the opposite side of the morality line, with various degrees of success.

* BareYourMidriff: One of Huntress's costumes is a leotard with a weird little cutout for her midriff -- this was lampshaded in series and Simone eventually changed the costume. Huntress' explanation for the change: "Seven-hundred sit-ups a day". Its continued presence (and absence) seems to [[DependingOnTheWriter depend on the writer]] (and [[DependingOnTheArtist artist]]), and Simone said that there were plans to get it changed again once the relaunch moved past its first few issues. Unfortunately, the New 52 relaunch removed Huntress from the series before this promised change could take place.

* PoisonousFriend: Huntress was this to Black Canary pre-reboot. She was extremely loyal to the Canary personally, to the point of be willing to fight a duel to the death against Shiva (a form of suicide), but there was no question that she remained one, if not the, darkest antihero in the DC universe. There were many occasions where one of the other members of the team had to stop Huntress from killing someone. On another occasion, Canary had to stop Huntress from brutalizing an already beaten {{Mook|s}}. Interestingly, however, Huntress did moderate her behavior so that Canary would be comfortable working with her; Canary did not ''really'' see Huntress' dark side until Huntress was about to throw Yasemin off a building, and Canary had to talk her out of it. Canary made her final decision to leave the group directly after this incident, which seems not to have been a coincidence.

''Birds of Prey'' is a Creator/DCComics series running from 1999 to 2009, relaunched in 2010, and relaunched again as part of the ComicBook/{{New 52}} in 2011, created and originally written by Creator/ChuckDixon. It features ex-ComicBook/{{Batgirl}} Barbara Gordon after she was paralysed at the hands of ComicBook/TheJoker in Creator/AlanMoore's ''ComicBook/TheKillingJoke'' and reintroduced in the ''ComicBook/SuicideSquad'' series of the early-90's. Now the tech-savvy ComicBook/{{Oracle}}, she is a wheelchair using computer genius who leads a [[AmazonBrigade team of superheroines]] from a [[HackerCave high-tech HQ]]. Originally located in the Clocktower in Gotham City, her headquarters was later moved to [[Franchise/{{Superman}} Metropolis]] and then to Platinum Flats.

Under Dixon the team centered around Oracle [[BrainsAndBrawn and the]] ComicBook/BlackCanary as they began working together and building a personal relationship in addition to their professional relationship. When Creator/GailSimone took over writing duties she introduced the ComicBook/{{Huntress}}, and several storyarcs later [[ComicBook/{{Blackhawk}} Lady Blackhawk]] to round out the core group, with heavy emphasis within the story that their [[TrueCompanions family]] was just as important as their crime fighting adventures. This teaming persisted until Canary's departure, around the time of her marriage to ComicBook/GreenArrow, after which the Birds took on a more [[HeroesUnlimited fluid line up]] with Huntress and Lady Blackhawk as senior field team leaders, and Misfit as regular Bird-in-training. However, the rest of the team was filled in such a way that it seemed like any female character from Franchise/TheDCU might show up next. Comicbook/{{Manhunter}} also became a regular during this period, supplemented by other heroes as needed.

Gail Simone eventually left the series and was replaced as writer by Sean [=McKeever=] and later Tony Bedard. Under Bedard's pen, the team moved to the new locale of Platinum Flats, where they were joined by the mysterious Infinity and focused on fighting the "Silicon Syndicate". However, soon after the location move the series was cancelled, along with the ''ComicBook/{{Nightwing}}'' and ''ComicBook/{{Robin}}'' titles, in the wake of ComicBook/FinalCrisis and the death of Franchise/{{Batman}}. The separate characters were either transferred to other titles or quietly dropped from active publication and the final arc was left unresolved.

The title was revived in May 2010 under Gail Simone and Ed Benes, initially featuring a ''ComicBook/BrightestDay'' banner, with Oracle, Black Canary, Huntress and Lady Blackhawk back in Gotham and Hawk and Dove as new regulars. This was a popular move. Gail's final issue was #13, released June 8, 2011, after which there was a two issue guest arc by [[ComicBook/{{Manhunter}} Marc Andreyko]], naturally featuring Manhunter.

In September of 2011, Duane Swierczynski and Jesus Saiz took over creative control of the series with the company-wide ComicBook/{{New 52}} relaunch. The New DC team is composed of Dinah Drake Lance (Black Canary, mother of previous star Dinah Laurel Lance), Tatsu Yamashiro (ComicBook/{{Katana}}), new creation Ev Crawford ("Starling"), [[ComicBook/PoisonIvy Pamela Isley (Poison Ivy)]], and [[ComicBook/{{Batgirl 2011}} Barbara Gordon (Batgirl)]]. ComicBook/{{Huntress}} (now Helena Wayne, not Helena Bertinelli) has some connection to the team, though her adventures were detailed in her stand-alone miniseries and the ''Worlds' Finest'' ongoing series, with any connections to the Birds currently remaining a mystery. A little over a year after the relaunch, it was announced that Strix, a former member of the [[Comicbook/NightOfTheOwls Court of Owls]] would be joining the team. The series floundered creatively after Swierczynski left, and was cancelled at issue #34.

The series served as the basis for a live-action TV series which took a different approach to things. The core of the team is Huntress (daughter of Batman and Catwoman, as per her pre-ComicBook/{{Crisis|on Infinite Earths}} backstory), Dinah, a touch-telepath and the daughter of Black Canary, and Oracle (Barbara Gordon, forced to give up being Batgirl after becoming paraplegic). Harley Quinn serves as the BigBad. Tropes for this iteration of the concept can be found in the article ''Series/BirdsOfPrey2002''.

In September 2010, Simone wrote an episode of ''WesternAnimation/BatmanTheBraveAndTheBold'' which featured the team in a leading role. Though the character interactions were similar to those featured in the comics, Oracle was omitted from the team due to her absence from the show's established canon (and, according to the creators, rights issues). However, her role as the third member of the team was filled by ComicBook/{{Catwoman}}, who herself occasionally worked with the Birds, primarily during Chuck Dixon's run.

A movie set in the Franchise/DCExtendedUniverse was released on February 7th 2020, titled ''[[Film/BirdsOfPrey2020 Birds of Prey (and The Fantabulous Emancipation of one Harley Quinn)]]''. It's the first R-rated DCEU movie, and features a rather creative cast of ComicBook/HarleyQuinn, ComicBook/BlackCanary, ComicBook/{{Huntress}}, [[ComicBook/TheQuestion Renee Montoya]], and [[ComicBook/Batgirl2000 Cassandra Cain]]. Barbara Gordon is not featured as she has not yet been introduced to the DCEU.

* {{Arrogant Kung Fu G|uy}}irl: Comicbook/LadyShiva, who is constantly training and retraining herself to eternally improve her martial arts abilities. She also challenges any combatants whom she deems worthy, testing herself against them, testing ''them'' against ''her'', and learning from them/removing them as threats for the future.

* BatFamilyCrossover
* BatmanGambit: Cheshire had a complex and well-developed plot to destroy the life of a US Senator, whom she claims is her biological father that raped her mother, take revenge on Black Canary, whom she hates for the relationship Canary shares with her daughter, and kill Lady Shiva along the way, whom she will use as a decoy to fake her own death. The plan moves along (relatively) smoothly, but falls completely off the rails when a few small details drop out of place at the climax when all her enemies come together.

* BattleCry

* BefriendingTheEnemy: Comicbook/BlackCanary attempts this with Comicbook/LadyShiva. Shiva [[VillainTakesAnInterest is interested in Canary]] because of her rapidly-increasing martial arts skill and wants to face her in a DuelToTheDeath and later comes to owe her an important debt. Canary tries to use this to befriend and reform Shiva, but Shiva knows this and actively resists.
* BetterThanSex

** One issue had a scene where Huntress used duct tape to truss up and silence the Penguin.
** Gail Simone wrote a Birds of Prey episode of ''WesternAnimation/BatmanTheBraveAndTheBold'' which had Black Canary tied up and gagged by mobsters.

* {{Brainwashed}}: Sovereign Brushaw, under the influence of ComicBook/{{Brainiac}}, ran a compound in Oregon populated by mind-controlled children, teenagers and superheroes.
* BrainwashedAndCrazy

* BreakHerHeartToSaveHer: After a fashion. Issue #11 of the relaunch features a team-up of Huntress and Catman, who had a history of flirtation and mutual attraction in their past encounters, tracking down a team of museum thieves that had taken a hostage. At the end of the issue Huntress reveals that she has deduced that Catman was a member of the thieves all along and warned him to never cross her path again. [[spoiler: However, it is then revealed that Catman planned the whole event for this specific outcome, since he wanted Huntress to think of him as truly bad person and therefore not get involved in his horrendous life.]]

* BrokenAesop: This is a bit of a mix of Broken Aesop and HardTruthAesop, but the moral of ''The Battle Within'', the arc from issues 76 to 85, appears to be the fairly stock aesop of "You should accept your friends for who they are and not try to change them," except that what Oracle was trying to change about ComicBook/{{Huntress}} is her tendency to kill people. In the end, Oracle apologizes to Huntress, and, in the ''Dead of Winter'' story arc (issues 104-108), actually tells Huntress to use deadly force against the ComicBook/SecretSix if she thinks it appropriate, possibly making this the HardTruthAesop that [[MurderIsTheBestSolution sometimes killing people is a good idea]].

* CanonImmigrant: Issue 37 of the first volume brought in an InNameOnly version of the Condiment King from ''WesternAnimation/BatmanTheAnimatedSeries'', a LeanAndMean [[AgeLift teenaged]] [[AdaptationalJobChange former fast food worker]] [[AdaptationalVillainy turned willing criminal]] [[AdaptationNameChange named Mitchell Mayo]] who was RedAndBlackAndEvilAllOver.[[note]]''ComicBook/DetectiveComics'' #1000 would bring in a TruerToTheText version of the original (an adult named Buddy Standler who's stocky and clad in blue and white), though it's unclear if he was a comedian like in ''B: TAS'' or even if this version was BrainwashedAndCrazy like the original Standler or this version was himself a case of AdaptationalVillainy[[/note]]

* ClarkKenting: ComicBook/BlackCanary. The original Canary costume involved wearing a long, blonde wig to cover her short, dark hair; removing the wig when out of costume changed not just the color and length of her hair, but also the general shape of her head. However, after several years of using this method to disguise herself she became unhappy with wearing an itchy wig so often and [[ComicallyMissingThePoint just dyed her hair blonde]].

* CodeName

** Dinah Lance is ComicBook/BlackCanary; [[NonIndicativeName her name has no direct connection to what she does or her powers]].

** While thinking about her last encounter with the Calculator (See note immediately above) Oracle explains that the last time the superhero community [[LaserGuidedAmnesia erased the memories of a villain]] it nearly destroyed them all. This refers to ''ComicBook/IdentityCrisis'', where ComicBook/{{Zatanna}} used magic to alter the personality of Dr. Light and wound up damaging his mental competency. Dr. Light himself appears in Black Canary's hallucination at the end of the issue.

* {{Crossover}}
** Issue #10 of the second volume closes with a gathering of the "Bat Family," the primary superheroes of Gotham City, each of whom have their own on-going series. Present are Franchise/{{Batman}} (Dick Grayson), Franchise/{{Batman}} (Bruce Wayne), ComicBook/{{Batgirl| 2009}} (Stephanie Brown) and [[ComicBook/{{Robin}} Red Robin]] (Tim Drake). Misfit (Charlotte Gage-Radcliff) is also present, her first appearance in the relaunch, but she does not have an independent series of her own.
** Issue #1 of the third volume opens with Black Canary meeting with Barbara, who has now become the new Batgirl and left for [[Comicbook/{{Batgirl2011}} her own solo title]]. Batgirl will appear in issue #4 of the series.

* CutShort

-->'''Oracle:''' Oh, you're down and you're not coming back, huh? You remember ComicBook/{{Batgirl}}, Dinah? A tough honey. Tough enough to hang out with [[Franchise/{{Batman}} the Dark Knight himself]].\\

* {{Deathseeker}}: It's implied Lady Shiva's constant desire to find worthy opponents is because she wants one to kill her.

* {{Determinator}}

* EroticDream: Issue 3 (Volume 2) has The Penguin, while knocked, dream about getting some of Huntress, Black Canary, Dove and Lady Blackhawk. Naturally the girls are disgusted.

* EverybodyKnewAlready
** At the height of Huntress's [[TheInfiltration infiltration]] of the Gotham Mafia, Barbara Gordon brought her father into the Clocktower and revealed to him her secret life as Oracle. He was suitably surprised and impressed, but when she also told him about her time as ComicBook/{{Batgirl}} before her paralysis he explains that he figured ''that'' part out years ago. After all, you do not get to be police commissioner by being a slouch. Barbara is glad he accepts her, but regrets how much time and energy she put into hiding her activities when he already knew.

* GoodParents: When Barbara Gordon is being [[GrandTheftMe hijacked by Brainiac]], ComicBook/BlackCanary uses a picture of Babs's father Jim Gordon, to help pull her back from oblivion. As she explains it, and as we see throughout the series, if there ever was a father, ''this'' man was it.

** Strix was a former assassin and a member of the Court of Owls, but strove to change her ways after an encounter with Batgirl and Comicbook/{{Catwoman}}.
* HeroesUnlimited: Once Black Canary left the team the line-up became very fluid, with Huntress and Lady Blackhawk as central characters supported by a rotating roster of other female heroes. Gypsy begins to appear just before Canary's departure and slowly fades away after she is gone and [[ComicBook/NewGods Big Barda]], [[ComicBook/JusticeSocietyOfAmerica Judomaster]] and [[ComicBook/{{Hawkman}} Hawkgirl]] appear for individual missions. Comicbook/{{Manhunter}} and Misfit (an original creation) become semi-regular team members and are joined by Infinity shortly before the series is cancelled. A dozen other heroines (from ComicBoko/PowerGirl to ComicBook/TheQuestion) are shown as receiving invitations to join the team or having been active in past missions.

* HowDidYouKnowIDidnt: When Cheetah has tackled Black Canary and threatens to rip her throat out Huntress shoots Cheetah in the shoulder, face and throat.
-->'''Black Canary:''' Hey, how'd you know about Cheetah's healing factor?\\

* IHaveYourWife

* IfYouKillHimYouWillBeJustLikeHim

* TheInternetIsForPorn: Barbara might regularly save the world with her on-line connections, and with her world-wide influence she might actually be more dangerous than Franchise/{{Superman}}, but by far the greatest single moment of this series is when we learn that she and [[ComicBook/BlueBeetle Ted Kord]] "cyber did it" one time.

* LegacyCharacter

** Charlotte Gage-Radcliffe attempted to become the new Comicbook/{{Batgirl}}, but Barbara's opposition leads her to assume the title Misfit instead.

* MultiStageBattle: Hawkgirl dukes it out with Scandal Savage after the former tried to capture the latter, with Hawkgirl getting a beating and the fight ending after the pair are hit by the Secret Six's van, [=KOing=] Hawkgirl. They continue their fight once the Birds and the Six start battling shortly afterward, and Hawkgirl gets the upper hand. The fight ''still'' doesn't get resolved since Scandal gets taken out by a stray bullet from ComicBook/{{Deadshot}}.

* {{Nigh Invulnerab|ility}}le: Hawk and Dove are the physically strongest of all the Birds, and Hawk once [[spoiler:put himself in a helicopter with the express intention of it being blown up]].

* OhCrap
** In issue #1 of the relaunch, Black Canary and Huntress find themselves facing an Asian woman who is a very skilled martial artist, but whose identity is obscured. Based on her ancestry and skills two possible identities come to Canary's mind: [[ComicBook/{{Batgirl 2000}} Cassandra Cain]] or ComicBook/LadyShiva. After she makes this deduction she acknowledges that there is a very good chance neither she nor Huntress will get out of the situation alive.

* OlympusMons: Black Alice has the ability to steal the magical powers of anybody in Franchise/TheDCU. This includes the claws and fur of Cheetah, the sorcerous powers of Felix Faust, and even the wondrous strength of Franchise/WonderWoman. However, when she says she can take the powers of anybody, she does mean ''anybody'', and she once took the powers of ComicBook/TheSpectre. An emotionally traumatized, angry teenage girl now has ''the literal power of God's wrath.''

* OneManArmy: Black Canary. When she swapped lives with Lady Shiva her [[TrainingFromHell training]] culminated in her singlehandedly stopping an army, with ''[[TankGoodness tanks]]'', from destroying the village where her training took place. A lot of writers often forget that Canary is a member and former ''leader'' of the Franchise/JusticeLeagueOfAmerica, composed of some of the most powerful individuals on the planet, and she is regarded as one of the top twenty martial artists alive; she is not a street fighter, she is one of the Big Guns.

* PhotographicMemory: It is not mentioned that often, but Oracle has one. [[BlessedWithSuck Her eidetic memory actually backfires on her]]: she constantly relives getting shot and paralyzed by ComicBook/TheJoker.

* PlentyOfBlondes

* RedSkiesCrossover: The series relaunch in 2010 was initially published under the ''ComicBook/BrightestDay'' banner, the story of which deals, at least in part, with the heroes resurrected in the aftermath of ComicBook/BlackestNight. The ''Birds Of Prey'' title was itself resurrected in the aftermath of ComicBook/BlackestNight, but with the exception of having Hawk and Dove on the team it has no connection to the storyline of the event. Apparently realizing this, several issues into the series the ''Brightest Day'' banner was removed from the title.

** It's originally implied that another of her secondary powers to Bouncing is the ability to teleport to a location based on VERY simplistic guidelines. She initially finds Oracle, despite Oracle being a highly secretive member of the Bat Family (yes, even by their standards) and Misfit never showing any particularly remarkable intellect. As such, it's possible that all she needed to do was "Bounce to Batgirl" and that brought her straight to Oracles sanctum. This would explain why she's so accurate and never telefrags. Further, once her powers were revealed to be magic based (and that she was related to the highly powerful Black Alice) helped provide justification. However, this was likely dropped, as Oracle never comments on the possibility of this incredibly useful application. There was never an explanation as to how she found Oracle, [[PutOnABus as she eventually left the cast and all of her plot threads were left hanging.]]
* TheReveal

-->'''Current:''' No, ''you'' listen, dammit. You didn't say it'd be [[ComicBook/BlackCanary the Canary]] '''and''' [[Franchise/{{Batman}} the Bat]], Calculator!\\

* SecretIdentity

* SecretKeeper: Barbara eventually reveals to her father her activities as Oracle, which stunned him greatly but also made him very proud. However, when she then goes on to reveal that she used to be Comicbook/{{Batgirl}} [[EverybodyKnewAlready he explains that]] ''[[EverybodyKnewAlready that]]'' [[EverybodyKnewAlready part he already knew]].
* SelfMadeOrphan: Misfit is technically one, though she did it accidentally. When her apartment building caught on fire she tried to "bounce" away with her mother and little brother. That is how she found out that any living thing she bounces with her ''dies'' en route. She clings desperately to Barbara Gordon and the Birds Of Prey because she needs both a surrogate mother figure and the opportunity to atone for accidentally killing her family.

* SlidingScaleOfIdealismVersusCynicism: Huntress explicitly states to Catman that there is a scale, with [[ComicBook/{{Shazam}} Captain Marvel]] & Franchise/{{Superman}} [[IncorruptiblePurePureness at one end]] and ComicBook/TheJoker at the other. The middle of that scale, where she herself lives, is filled with {{gr|eyAndGrayMorality}}ay, but she is at least trying to change her position. Catman, she explains, needs to pick a side, since you cannot just hover in the middle forever.

** [[https://vignette.wikia.nocookie.net/marvel_dc/images/7/71/Birds_of_Prey_Vol_3_12.jpg/revision/latest?cb=20120820191931 #12]]: ComicBook/BlackCanary, ComicBook/{{Catwoman}}, Oracle, a disguised parademon, and a train are all depicted arranged on the cover at various sizes.

** [[https://vignette.wikia.nocookie.net/marvel_dc/images/f/ff/Birds_of_Prey_Vol_1_91.jpg/revision/latest?cb=20090105203029 Vol 1 #91]]: ComicBook/{{Huntress}}, Oracle and a blindfolded man are stacked at various sizes lighted by a spotlight on the center of the cover.

* SuperheroParadox

* SuperWheelchair: Averted. Barbara has never had anything except a normal wheel chair, propelled by muscle-power and without any extra gadgets. In early 2011 Gail Simone requested submissions from fans of the series to design Barbara's new chair, which she planned to make her "official" chair, and she listed several guidelines for the design. Oracle's wheelchair must be "fairly light, functional, and modern. Expense is not an issue, but obtrusiveness is, she wouldn't want anything that people will notice, in the same way that she doesn't really dress to be noticed when going outside. We want something maneuverable and versatile." The idea of "hidden missile launchers" was specifically forbidden because "It doesn't fit her character... Oracle is not [[Franchise/XMen Professor X]] or the [[Manga/LoneWolfAndCub Baby Cart Assassin]]."

* TakeThat
** Canary's comments early in the relaunch that she had not been herself lately referred to the same series as well as ''Rise Of Arsenal'', where she dumped Ollie in his jail cell and abandoned Roy Harper as a lost cause after he slipped back into addiction.
** Following a controversial scene in ''ComicBook/JusticeLeagueCryForJustice'' in which ComicBook/GreenArrow mentions [[Franchise/GreenLantern Hal Jordan]] having a drunken threesome with Lady Blackhawk and Huntress, Gail Simone wrote a scene in ''Birds of Prey'' #7 which had Huntress say that Hal was passed out drunk. Helena declines to elaborate and, while not an explicit {{Retcon}}, this does raise some doubt about Hal's story.

* ThouShaltNotKill

* TheVamp: ComicBook/TaliaAlGhul is a recurring character in the Batman mythos, [[DatingCatwoman one of the Batman's more long-term and complicated relationships]], and she often fluctuates between ally and enemy as Batman and her father, Ras al-Ghul, battle one another. For her guest appearances in ''Birds Of Prey'', however, she has decided to exploit her extremely well-formed figure to manipulate and dominate the men she targets, starting with the father of Black Alice.

* WithFriendsLikeThese

* WorkingTheSameCase

* ImpliedRape: While not outright stated, it is heavily implied when Zinda Blake (Lady Blackhawk) was captured by villainous Nazi operative Killer Shark and brainwashed into being his partner and taking on the identity of the costumed villainess Queen Killer Shark they had a sexual relationship. During a flashback, when Zinda was brainwashed, she was hugging Killer Shark in a suggesting way, and Zinda's friend and teammate Huntress (Helena Bertinelli) stated she was brainwashed into thinking she was Killer Shark's lover. It's said that Zinda does not have memories of her times as Queen Killer Shark; however, it's implied she wants revenge for being used by him. When Zinda was again brainwashed into being Queen Killer Shark by Kill Shark, who was revealed to be the grandson of the original, her brainwashed personality was shown to be completely loyal to Killer Shark. Zinda was completely in love and devoted to Killer Shark, to the point that it's implied that she was more than willing to sleep with the current Killer Shark while thinking he was his grandfather (though thankfully, Killer Shark was defeated before that can happen).