With Halloween quickly approaching, the procrastinators among us are frantically searching for a brilliant, yet easy-to-execute costume idea. Since this is a birding (among other things) blog, I thought I’d offer a bit of inspiration—costume ideas I’ve collected from around the internet. I’m afraid not all of these look simple and easy to pull off at the last minute, but some were just too creative to pass up. Hopefully, these will get your creative juices flowing!

Perhaps a tropical bird appeals to you. You can buy this colorful parrot at chasing-fireflies.com. (If you prefer to make your own, more basic parrot, check out the pattern at makeit-loveit.com.)

Granted, you’ll need some sewing skills to construct the flamingo on the left, but the results would be well worth it! I found this suggestion at backyardchirper.com. Or, if that looks like too much work, here’s an easier version created from a leotard and tutu, that I gleaned from halloween24.com. And if you really don’t want to sew, try butchering a stuffed flamingo for the head and neck, and skip the wing.

One black-and-white body suit (think sleepers for kids, sweats or a leotard for grown ups) can be a penguin, a magpie, or a puffin, depending on the mask—and masks can be purchased or constructed from papier-mâché or cardboard. You could make the basic coverall or buy one. The magpie shown here is from the UK, so you’d have to add some white to the wings to turn it into the Yellow-billed Magpie found in California (or dye the beak black), but it was only £6.90 on eBay, and they ship to the US. (A puffin suit was being offered on Amazon for a whopping $1,045 plus $50 shipping. It was nice, but really?)

If you chose a red “bib” instead of a white one, you’d have the basis for an American Robin costume. Batman not included.

Many bird costumes are merely comprised of a body suit of some sort and cape-like wings. These two were on Etsy but have sold already. Happily there are plenty of other ones from the same vendor, or just look online. (I Googled “owl costume” to get the one on the left.) Or you could make your own wings. No sewing is required, just felt, scissors, and a glue gun.

Finally, if you want incredible cuteness, it’s hard to beat the toddler’s bluebird costume at the top of this page. I found it on Overstock.com. You can buy it for $29.49,  or make it from a simple coverall pattern.

Now that we live in a neighborhood again, I’m looking forward to greeting the trick-or-treaters coming to our door. (Pete is looking forward to leftover peanut butter cups.) With these costumes, maybe I can be birdwatching at the same time!