birds

禽 is composed of a variant of 亼 (gather) and 离(separate). 亼 depicts an open mouth facing downward, while 离 depicts the scene of a bird struggling to break free from a net. The bird has just escaped the net, only to be immediately blocked and sealed by the mouth above, unable to get away. Thus the original meaning of 禽 is to capture or seize. Later, this meaning was replaced by the character 擒. Today, 禽 is only used as a general term for birds.