On the Tree Of Life‎,‎ the birds represent the various stages of human life‎.‎ Starting in the lower right‎-hand corner and proceeding counter‎-clockwise‎,‎ the birds symbolize‎:‎

• Infancy
• Childhood
• Youth
• Adulthood
• Old age

 In ancient Egypt‎,‎ the direction east was considered the direction of life‎,‎ because the sun rose in the east‎.‎ West was considered the direction of death‎,‎ of entering the underworld‎,‎ because the sun set in the west‎.‎ They believed that during the night‎,‎ the sun traveled through the underworld to make its way back to the east so it could rise in the east again on the next day‎.‎ On the tree of life‎,‎ note that the birds representing the first four phases of life all face to the east‎,‎ but the bird representing old age faces to the west‎,‎ anticipating the approach of death‎.‎