Drying
Let the birds dry on the edge of the cup for one day; remove and wait until they’re completely hard, 2 to 4 days, depending of the size and thickness of your finished piece. (Mine took 4 days.) Or bake them with the birds on the edge of the cup one of the following ways to speed up the drying time: at 175 degrees for one hour, 150 degrees for 2 to 4 hours, or heat the oven to 350 degrees and turn it off, letting the clay cool in oven. (My air-dried birds were harder than the baked ones.)