In the Twelve Labors of Hercules, capturing the Stymphalian Birds was the sixth labor.
The Stymphalian Birds lived around Lake Stymphalia in Arcadia. They were dangerous birds with metallic feathers and, in many accounts, sharp bronze beaks or claws. Their large numbers made them a threat to people and crops in the surrounding region.
Hercules struggled to force the birds into the open. Athena gave him a bronze rattle, made by the divine smith Hephaestus in some versions, and its frightening noise drove the birds into the air. Hercules then shot many of them with arrows, while the survivors flew away from the region.
The task is often confused with the Erymanthian Boar, which is usually fourth, and the Cretan Bull, usually seventh. Numbering can vary slightly among ancient lists, but the Stymphalian Birds are conventionally assigned to the sixth labor.