Depictions of Xi Wangmu often include a bird—the birds in the earliest depictions are difficult to identify, and by the Tang dynasty, most of the birds appear in a circle, often with three legs, as a symbol of the sun.
Xi Wangmu is typically illustrated with a bird—a bird's appearance is indistinct in early depictions, whereas by the Tang dynasty, most birds are shown within a circular framework, usually with three legs, representing the sun.