Under Daoism, the Feiqinsi (飞禽司 ) or Flying Birds Department is one of over 70 departments of the celestial bureaucracy. The department is in charge of looking after the earth's feathered denizens. As the introduction at Beijing's Dongyue Temple explains:
The flying birds are one of the myriad types of living creature. This department is the general organisation in charge of looking into the propagation and premature death of birds. The aim is to admonish people to be kind to birds, not to wantonly slaughter them or keep and confine them. Birds should be set free in the mountains and forests. When ill or injured they should be fed or looked after. The department has significance in maintaining the ecological balance.
The photo below shows the Flying Birds Department as depicted in Dongyue Temple. The official seated at the top presides over a number of citizens who are holding birds or bird cages.
