Songbird



"Songbird, Songbird see him fly, drop the children from the sky, when the young ones misbehave, escorts children to their grave. Never back-talk, never lie, or he'll drop you from the sky!""

- A Columbian nursery rhyme

Songbird is a 30-foot winged creature or construct of undetermined origins that is feared by the citizens of Columbia, and is Elizabeth's guardian. It is an influential character in BioShock Infinite.

Design
Voxophone recordings and blueprints found at Fink Factory show that Songbird was created by Fink Industries. As with most of Fink's technology, it was based off designs discovered through a tear. The blueprints were described as showing "a merger of machine and man, that was the lesser of man yet the greater of both parties", suggesting Fink had witnessed a design sheet for a Big Daddy.

Songbird's mechanical features are similar to that of the Big Daddy, with color-changing eyes to indicate its mood. Green eyes indicate friendliness toward a person or object of focus, most namely Elizabeth; yellow indicates awareness but indifference to Songbird's surroundings; and red to indicate heavy hostility, chiefly toward Booker.

History
When Elizabeth was imprisoned in Columbia, Songbird was created for the sole purpose of keeping her in prison, and became the most feared creature in the city. During that time, it was the Elizabeth's only company, bringing her such things as books and food. Although it held her captive, the creature was her caretaker and protector. As a child, Elizabeth viewed Songbird as a friend, but later came to hate it for keeping her imprisoned. When she escapes, Songbird is intent on bringing her back, even if it means destroying anyone and anything near her, including Booker DeWitt.

Its name derives from the tune that plays on a steam calliope organ in Elizabeth's room in Monument Tower whenever Songbird arrives.

Events of Bioshock Infinite
Songbird begins pursuing Booker and Elizabeth the moment she escapes from her room, destroying a huge portion of her tower in the process. Though it is capable of sundering entire portions of Columbia by ramming into them and emerging unscathed, it has one weakness: water. Designed for low-pressure environments, submersion in even a few feet of water critically injures it in a short span of time. This weakness allows Booker to escape from Songbird once he falls into the waters of Battleship Bay.

Once Booker and Elizabeth finally reach their airship after the revolt at Fink Manufacturing, they begin to fly out of Columbia. Suddenly, a statue on the ship calls Songbird by playing a specific tune built into it. Songbird flies by the airship as Booker and Elizabeth frantically try to make it go faster. Songbird then attacks it and destroys it, causing them to crash land in the streets of Emporia.

At the end of Port Prosperity, Elizabeth and Booker look for a code to unlock an elevator. Yet another statue plays the tune, which alerts Songbird to their location, and they barely escape detection. Elizabeth is shaken and dismayed by the encounter, and to console her, Booker assures her he will stop Songbird. Elizabeth responds that he can't possibly defeat the creature, and that if it came down too it, she would rather Booker kill her than let Songbird take her back.

As Booker and Elziabeth pass the gate into Comstock House and head for the bridge, Songbird launches a surprise attacking, flying from below and pinning Booker. It then grabs and throws Booker through a nearby building, quickly tearing its way inside to finish him off. Before Songbird can do so, however, Elizabeth yells out an apology, begging Songbird to take her back to the tower and spare Booker's life. Songbird seems pleased, changing his eye color to green before grabbing Elizabeth and flying away.

Songbird is not encountered again until Booker and Elizabeth take over Comstock's airship, The Hand of the Prophet. Through a note written by her future self, Elizabeth realizes she can control Songbird by playing it the notes C, A, G, E on a device called the Whistler. She and Booker use Songbird to defend against a Populi attack on the airship, then to destroy the Siphon which had been limiting her powers.

Booker loses the device in the resulting confusion, causing Songbird to attack the pair; in self-defense, Elizabeth transports the three to Rapture's Welcome Center and traps the creature in the water outside, where it is slowly being killed by the pressure. In his last moments, Songbird accepts his death, changing his eye color to green and allows the pressure to take him. In the background a Little Sister can be seen mourning the loss of her Big Daddy. This comparison most likely symbolizes Elizabeth changing her perspective of Songbird, now seeing him more as a friend than a foe.

Trivia

 * Despite original expectations that the Songbird would be a boss character of a nature similar to the Big Daddies, it is never actually engaged by Booker at any point in the game. It appears strictly in cutscenes and scripted events.
 * Originally, when first revealed in October 2010's issue of Game Informer, Songbird was referred to as simply "Him." The name didn't change until May 23, 2011, when interviews and a preview of the gameplay demo had finally revealed the name as Songbird.
 * In the Debut Gameplay Trailer, Songbird was given a voice similar to that of Big Daddies from Rapture. This was later changed by the time of the E3 2011 Gameplay Trailer to the inverse - being loud, high-pitched, screeching noises.
 * Despite the above, Songbird still retains many Big Daddy-esque features: its eyes resemble portholes, and it also shows different moods by using the colors green, yellow, and red. It has also been noted by Ken Levine that Songbird and Elizabeth share a similar relationship to the Big Daddies and Little Sisters of Rapture.
 * Unlike Big Daddies, Songbird is a unique entity, as it resembles a giant gargoyle rather than a man in a diving suit. Songbird also does not use weapons to obtain its means, only its tremendous size the force in its fists and claws. Compared to Big Daddies, Songbird is incredibly fast, even when seemingly passive.
 * A 12 foot tall, 10 foot deep, and 10 foot wide Songbird was constructed to promote BioShock Infinite at 2011 Penny Arcade Expo East.
 * Songbird appears to have eyelids. During the E3 2011 Gameplay Trailer, after pinning Booker down, it blinks several times. Why this would be required with what appears to be solid glass eye ports isn't known, although it might simply serve as extra protection.
 * As mentioned above, The Songbird is vulnerable to a high water pressure. This state causes Songbird's right eye port to become noticeably cracked at Battleship Bay.
 * Ken Levine has mentioned that he based the visual design of Songbird off of the appearance of early aviators. This was to make Songbird feel like it really belonged to the world of Columbia, much like how the Big Daddy was quite a suitable addition to the world of Rapture.
 * The Songbird is mostly made out of leather, as said by Ken Levine in an interview.
 * The Songbird made an appearance in PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale.
 * It has been theorized that Songbird's death in Rapture can actually be heard within the original game. During the death scene of Kyle Fitzpatrick in BioShock, a faint background noise can be heard that sounds strikingly similar to the sound Songbird emits when he dies in BioShock Infinite. It is unknown whether this was actually planned by the developers, but if it was, it would mean that Elizabeth warps Booker and herself into Rapture during the events of BioShock, making the sounds of Songbird audible to Jack.
 * Critics have stated that this sound happens as an ambient noise in Fort Frolic. It can be heard during the the death scene of Fitzpatrick and then later in the same level after this scene.