Mommy and Daddy Byrd's kids Sister and Brother hatch swiftly and easily, but their youngest, Pikkuli, needs some encouragement. Eventually Pikkuli does break the eggshell, but he's scared of everything new. Will he ever step outside the nest?
Daddy teaches the fledglings to fly. Sister and Brother learn quickly, but Pikkuli is too scared to try. Disappointed, he hops through the forest towards a pond. Who will he meet there? Can birds learn to swim - even when they can't fly?
Pikkuli looks for a playmate but no-one has time. At the pond, Pikkuli meets curiously uneven-looking bird, Honkkeli, at the pond. Honkkeli almost drowns. Can Pikkuli help him?
Pikkuli moves around by hopping even though he is a bird. Everyone tries to encourage him to fly because that is what birds are "supposed" to do. Pikkuli doesn't know how to fly but he knows how to fish. Pikkuli and Honkkeli catch a great pile of fish.
Pikkuli is afraid of the dark. Not just that, his big Brother frightens him by making monstrous shadow figures. Mummy and Daddy try to help.
Pikkuli is learning how to express his feelings. Daddy tries one thing after another with Pikkuli, but to everything Daddy suggests, Pikkuli's answers is "Nooo!"
Pikkuli has the swing on first thing in the morning. He would like to play and tap on anything and everything, but everyone else is unbearably dull, not liking his music... Then Pikkuli finds Woodpecker, who is frantically tapping on an old car wreck.
Pikkuli is in a bad mood - his favourite mug breaks! He tries to hide his sadness, but he huffs and yells to everyone. Finally Mummy manages to console and comfort Pikkuli and together they glue the mug back together.
Pikkuli is jealous of his siblings' pretty cone toy birds. He steals his Brother's toy bird, and a fight starts between the otherwise good-natured siblings. They are arguing and sulking - until Honkkeli hops along and gets everyone to play together.
Pikkuli and Honkkeli find a caterpillar. Pikkuli wants the caterpillar as a pet and starts to train it. He takes Caterpillar home, feeds it and takes it for a walk. Pikkuli leaves to go and play by the pond, leaving Caterpillar behind, unattended.
Pikkuli wants to help his family and friends cleaning up. Despite his good intentions, everything ends up a horrible mess. But by coincidence, he happens to help others anyway.
Pikkuli admires the beauty and difference of the Swan family. In comparison, his own family seems silly and ordinary. Pikkuli muscles in to the activities of the Swan family and tries to be like them, but the Swans do not care for Pikkuli and move on.
Everyone has their own nest and hut, so Pikkuli wants to build his own. His friends come to help build it. The hut turns out really nice, but Pikkuli wants it all to himself and shoos his friends away. But then Pikkuli feels really silly alone in his hut.
Soon it will be Pikkuli's birthday. He is dreaming of bigger and better presents. The familly is getting annoyed, and the last straw is when Pikkuli tells all the guests what presents they should bring. In the morning, Pikkuli wakes up alone!
Pikkuli is taken to daycare to Mrs. Grouse even though he doesn't want to. Pikkuli is unable to keep up with the Chicks and doesn't know the customs of the Grouse family. And he's homesick too.
Pikkuli and Daddy are engaged in a wild game, when they hear the Hazel Grouse Chicklings singing in a choir. Pikkuli and Daddy notice that the Chicklings would like to move about and improvise, but the strict choir director Mrs. Hazel Grouse won't let them.
Owl and the other wood dwellers are having a wood party. In the midst of the party preparations, Honkkeli hurts his leg on a broken bottle. The animals notice that the forest is really trashed up by humans.
The Byrd family is planning a day at the beach, when Daddy gets the flu. Mommy decides to go to the beach with only the kids, but Pikkuli wants to stay at home and take care of Daddy.
Pikkuli keeps his toy duck - Sleepy Duck - with him anywhere he goes and no one is allowed to wash it. One day, Pikkuli can't find Sleepy Duck anywhere. Sister has taken Sleepy Duck and washed it and put ribbons on it to make it pretty.
Mole tends to his garden. Pikkuli accidentally destroys Mole's cultivation and Mole feels angry and disappointed. Pikkuli doesn't understand Mole's anger, but as Mole cries Pikkuli begins to feel sad, too. How could he comfort Mole?
Pikkuli starts comparing his own parents to the Long-tailed Tit couple that are continuously in love. Pikkuli is worried, as his own parents have rows all the time. They dig a trap hole in to which their parents fall.
The Long-tailed Tit couple fly past the Byrds' nest and stop by with Hawaii leis on their necks, to tell all about their lovely sun holiday. Pikkuli starts to dream about traveling south with his family.
Pikkuli is used to being the smallest one in the family, having his way, and getting all the attention. Then, the Long-tailed Tit couple bring their adorable little Nestling into care with the Byrds.
Pikkuli, Frog and Flying Squirrel are shooting rowan berries with cow parsley blowguns at a target board. Mrs. Hazel Grouse scolds the children about the shooting game. The threesome sneak after Mrs. Hazel Grouse to the pond, where she is washing clothes.
Pikkuli and Honkkeli play together when suddenly they hear captivating, rhythmic drumming. Pikkuli know that it's Woodpecker and Pikkuli wants to join Woodpecker and insists on Honkkeli to also come and play drums. But Honkkeli is not so good at drumming!
It's the beginning of autumn and Pikkuli, Honkkeli and the seven chicks are playing hide and seek. The chicks follow Pikkuli wherever he is trying to hide and Honkkeli always finds them. Trying to find the best hideout ever, Pikkuli hops into a hole.