Detective Cordelia Cupp is an avid birder in The Residence, and this unique hobby plays a significant role in the whodunit’s mystery. This Netflix series pokes fun at the murder mystery genre as it embraces its various tropes (though with a twist). One such trope is the Sherlock Holmes-like quirkiness of the central detective, and Cordelia Cupp certainly fits the bill. The only thing she loves more than solving impossible murders is looking for birds to check off her rather extensive list. The White House turns out to be a prime birding location in The Residence, but this hobby wasn’t just random.

Uzo Aduba’s The Residence character, Cordelia Cupp, is a great detective because she is a great birder. She is patient and observant and knows precisely what behavior patterns to look out for while searching for a rare bird species or a murderer. While the staff and residents of the White House were often exasperated by Cupp’s birding, she pointed out on several occasions what could be learned from birds. In the end, Detective Cordelia Cupp’s various mentions of birds created meaningful parallels within her investigation in The Residence.

Every Bird Mentioned In The Residence Episode 1

Episode Title: The Fall Of The House Of Usher

The first episode of The Residence, “The Fall of the House of Usher,” introduced audiences to Aduba’s Cordelia Cupp, and the first shot of this character caught her birding on the White House grounds. While the detective didn’t make any meaningful references to a relevant bird in this episode, she did explain why this was such an exciting opportunity for her. President Theodore Roosevelt had also been a birder, and Cupp had brought with her a list of all the birds old Teddy had glimpsed at the presidential mansion. Some of the first that Cupp mentioned checking off her list are the following:

Warbler
Screech Owl
Purple Grackle
Buff-Collard Nightjar
Song Sparrow

The handful of birds that Cordelia saw during the first episode of The Residence are meaningful in that they represent this first stage in the detective’s investigation. She hadn’t honed in on any specific species and was, instead, observing the common birds that took minimal effort to find. There were hundreds of guests at the White House during Wynter’s murder. During this first episode, Cordelia Cupp could only mentally check off those who clearly had nothing to hide.

Every Bird Mentioned In The Residence Episode 2

Episode Title: Dial M For Murder

The Residence episode 2 is the first that focuses on one bird in particular. “Dial M for Murder” picks up with a Falcon flying over the White House grounds leading up to A.B. Wynter’s death. Through the bird’s perspective, we see a few interesting things play out—a couple make love behind a tree, someone smokes a cigarette under a pine, and a mysterious figure rummages around in the greenhouse. All of this turns out to be important by the end of The Residence, but it’s the falcon’s hunting habits that wind up helping Cordelia with her investigation.

Cordelia told Edwin Park that a Falcon has the marvelous ability to look at a flock of thousands of birds and pick out the weakest to target as prey. Using this same skill, the detective noticed Chef Didier Gotthard behaving suspiciously.

Near the end of The Residence episode 2, Cordelia asks that the coroner bring Wynter’s body out the front door. She knew this would cause everyone in the White House to gather, providing her the opportunity to watch everyone’s reactions. Cordelia told Edwin Park that a Falcon has the marvelous ability to look at a flock of thousands of birds and pick out the weakest to target as prey. Using this same skill, the detective noticed Chef Didier Gotthard behaving suspiciously.

Every Bird Mentioned In The Residence Episode 3

Episode Title: Knives Out

Custom image by Yailin Chacon

Detective Cordelia Cupp used another bird as an example in The Residence episode 3, “Knives Out.” After learning all about Chef Gotthard’s potential involvement in Wynter’s murder, Edwin Park was eager to label the man a suspect. However, Cupp was more hesitant. The pastry chef had tampered with evidence, but Cordelia felt that there was information she was missing. To explain her reasoning to Park, the detective outlined her birding process. She noted the importance of research and used the example of the Yellow-throated Longlcaw.

Cordelia showed Park a picture of a Yellow-throated Longclaw, and then asked him to identify a bird whose picture she captured recently. When asked whether these two images depicted the same bird, Park answered that they did—but he was wrong. Cordelia explained that the bird she saw was an Eastern Meadow Lark and that the Yellow-throated Longclaw is native to Africa. The birds simply look highly similar, which is why it’s important for birders to do their research. Cordelia essentially said that just because someone looks like a suspect doesn’t necessarily mean they are.

Every Bird Mentioned In The Residence Episode 4

Episode Title: The Last Of Sheila

In The Residence episode 4, “The Last of Sheila,” Cordelia Cupp thinks back to a birding adventure she had with her nephew. They were on the hunt for a Tuamotu Sandpiper, but Cupp’s nephew quickly grew bored and distressed, believing that it would be impossible to find the bird since it hadn’t shown itself just yet. Still, this didn’t deter Cordelia, who continued to take notes in her birding journal about what she saw. The detective’s nephew finally expressed his concern their trip could end with them never finding the Tuamotu Sandpiper, but Cordelia promised this wouldn’t be the case.

Just as in her search for the Tuamotu Sandpiper, Cordelia didn’t lose confidence.

Cordelia’s White House mystery seemed every bit as impossible during this episode of The Residence. There were so many pieces to fit together, and it was quickly becoming apparent that they couldn’t keep the state dinner guests trapped in the mansion much longer. Still, just as in her search for the Tuamotu Sandpiper, Cordelia didn’t lose confidence. She was ultimately rewarded with a significant lead—though it would take some time before it would be paid off.

Every Bird Mentioned In The Residence Episode 6

Episode Title: The Third Man

By the events of The Residence episode 6, “The Third Man,” A.B. Wynter’s death had been ruled a suicide. Cordelia Cupp reluctantly left the White House and embarked on another adventure (this time to South America) to find a specific bird. She called it her nemesis bird—the Giant Antpitta. It’s implied that Cordelia had been searching for her nemesis for years but had so far never caught a glimpse of it. During this adventure, she saw a Golden-headed Quetzal, but not the Giant Antpitta.

Just as Detective Cordelia Cupp had a nemesis bird, A.B. Wynter’s murder had become her nemesis case. She knew the man hadn’t killed himself, but she had run out of time to prove otherwise. Thankfully, the “third man” appeared and revealed that he had seen a man dragging a body on the second floor of the White House. Cordelia’s chance to solve her nemesis case had returned, so she (temporarily) abandoned her search for the Giant Antpitta.

Every Bird Mentioned In The Residence Episode 7

Episode Title: The Adventure of the Engineer’s Thumb

Detective Cordelia Cupp returned to the White House in The Residence episode 7, “The Adventure of the Engineer’s Thumb,” and as she did so, she chatted with a fellow birder on the phone about everything she had seen in South America. While none of these were the Giant Antpitta, Cordelia noted that “everything fits together.” This paralleled with Wynter’s case. The detective hadn’t yet identified the murderer and had instead only identified a person of interest—the engineer, Bruce Geller. She suspected he wasn’t the murderer, but everything was still related.

The birds Cordelia identified in The Residence episode 7 are:

El Oro Parakeet
Long-wattled Umbrellabird
Pale-headed Brushfinch
Pale-footed Swallow

Every Bird Mentioned In The Residence Episode 8

Episode Title: The Mystery Of The Yellow Room

The final episode of The Residence, “The Mystery of the Yellow Room,” saw Cordelia Cupp finally identify A.B. Wynter’s killer. Before this, however, she had to have one last look at the birds on the White House grounds. Just as in the first episode, she identified several from Theodore Roosevelt’s list. They weren’t nemesis birds, but they were special to see nonetheless. This moment calls back to the fact that there were still a handful of people who could have killed A.B. Wynter. To find out who the true culprit was, Cordelia had to get them all together and observe.

The negligible birds Cordelia said she checked off her list in The Residence episode 8 were the Fish Crow, Downy Woodpecker, and the Saw-whet Owl.

There was one bird that Cordelia mentioned in The Residence episode 8 that was key in her solving the murder. She hadn’t seen a Mockingbird (that we know of), but she told Park that this particular bird will flap its wings when it knows a camouflaged insect is nearby, causing the big to blink and reveal its location. Cordelia said she would do the same, in a sense, and that they must look for the “blink” from the murderer. Through this bird-inspired method, Detective Cordelia Cupp discovered that Lilly Schumacker killed A.B. Wynter in The Residence. Birding saved the day.