The secretarybird in the animated film Flow suffers a broken wing after a duel with the leader of its flock, which leaves it unable to fly and abandoned by its group. It then joins a crew of animals traveling on a boat, serving as their protector and captain. During a life-threatening storm near the film's end, the bird unexpectedly regains the ability to fly and leaves the boat. The cat protagonist is washed ashore and climbs a stone pillar, where it briefly reunites with the secretarybird. Both are then engulfed by a cosmic light; the cat returns to the ground, but the bird ascends into the light and disappears
. The bird's ending is open to interpretation. The most common view is that the bird is ascending to the afterlife, embracing death after losing its ability to fly and being abandoned by its flock. Another interpretation suggests the scene might be a dream or a vision the cat has after nearly drowning, imagining the bird's fate as it likely drowned in the storm. A further theory is that the bird sacrifices itself to appease the spirits, allowing the floodwaters to recede, symbolizing a selfless act for the survival of others
. Thus, the bird's fate is symbolic and subjective, representing themes of sacrifice, survival, and transcendence within the film's surreal narrative.
