Maybe a stupid question, but what was your process for designing your bird? Besides just anthropomorphizing a species of bird you like, where'd you find inspiration?
No question is stupid uvu
As for the process: I basically started out with the actual design of the Crowned Eagle. I picked it because they're cool, their local, and I decided before hand that I wanted a raptor species of bird. I've had a special interest in birds since I was young that I realised I had been repressing, so I brought it out in full force with Nessa.
Before actually picking the bird that I wanted, I read through a bunch of birds' wiki pages to see their habits and diets. Originally I was thinking about maybe a Pygmy Falcon because they're smol (they're adorable look them up), but I got really attached the the Crowned Eagle and how their babies stay in the nest a whole lot longer than most other birds. That part really got to me for... reasons.
Next I started with the actual design. Her first version likes kinda like what she does now, but with some obvious differences as you can see here. I wanted her to be close to the original, but simple enough to draw that I didn't hate myself every time I drew her. Eventually I started slowly tweaking the design every single time I drew her.
The pink curly feather on the head came about because I was watching Digimon and Piyomon had that cute little feather curl too. It felt like a natural fit. The giant hands also came from the Rito from the newer Zelda games because I love me some BIG hands. The "ear feathers" started looking like that because some of the pictures I looked up of Crowned Eagles kinda have their "crowns" looking like ears, and I really liked the idea. Plus, I've seen some designs of gryphon characters that have those same designs, so having reference to what I wanted helped too.
Eventually, after some simplifications to the design and a few additions, I landed on something that I was really happy with! It was a long journey, but it was well worth it. I've had a few characters before that didn't really click with me for more than a few months, so having her stick with me for so long means I must have hit the nail on this one!
TL/DR
Find a species that you know you like. You'll know it when you get a good feeling just looking at them. Start basic and add elements as you see fit and take inspiration from anything you like. Realise that creating a character is a long process and that any design you create isn't the final version, even if you think it is. You can always change them.
I hope you create a wonderful birdy (or whatever else you make) :>