Money folding is its own little corner of origami, and like the rest of the craft it has a few signature moves that show up again and again. The bird beak is one of them — the finishing touch that turns a folded bill into a swan, a rooster, or a peacock with a face you actually recognize.

It is a quick, forgiving fold: a couple of turns, two dotted-line folds, and one final collapse where a mountain fold and a valley fold do all the work. Six steps, any bill you have on hand, and suddenly your money birds are looking sharp.

Learn how to make an origami bird beak with the instructions below. This move applies to almost all money folds, and this page is referenced by many origami instructions. Let’s get started.

Step 1

Unfold the model.

Step 2

Bring (b) to (a). Then turn over.

Step 3

Fold along the dotted line. Then turn over.

Step 4

Unfold as shown below.

Step 5

Fold again on the creases. The black dotted line is a mountain fold; the red dotted line is a valley fold.

Step 6

The origami bird beak is done. If you like this origami peacock, give it a thumbs up!