Big Bird is generally referred to as a canary. However, when he visited the Neighborhood of Make-Believe on
Mister Rogers' Neighborhood, he told King Friday XIII that "actually, I'm a golden condor." One cartoon insert compared and contrasted Big Bird with "
The Noble Ostrich." In an appearance on
Hollywood Squares, when
Peter Marshall asked "What kind of a bird are you, by the way?", Big Bird immediately replied that "I'm a lark."
(YouTube) Also, when
Oscar the Grouch (who often calls him "Turkey") learned from Maria that Big Bird went missing on "Christmas Eve on Sesame Street", he reminds her that Big Bird is "part homing pigeon". Also, in this special, Oscar seems to (unintentionally) show that he has a soft spot for Big Bird, as he says he's going to find and bring him back home.