NGH
How do I solve the bird tile puzzle in the ceiling? 19 hints left

Hint 1

You need two things to solve this puzzle: the three tiles that are missing, and the order to push the tiles.

Hint 2

You have two of the tiles already, most likely.

Hint 3

The hoopoe tile you got from the left table in the antiquities tent, and the vulture tile you got from the mural at the end of tunnel 2. (Pry it off with the pick from the antiquities tent, if you didn't already.)

Hint 4

The last tile you won't find for a long time --

Hint 5

-- after you solve the cobra puzzle and reach the final sarcophagus, in fact.

Hint 6

As for the order to press the tiles, you'll find that in the drawer that opens when you solve the scale puzzle here in the cat tomb.

Hint 7

The journal page after December 23 tells you that you need to find the "eight birds amongst a hunting scene" to "reveal the hidden order." That hunting scene has got to be the mural at the end of tunnel 2 that shows a cat surrounded by birds --

Hint 8

-- and they're the same kinds of birds as are shown on the tiles in the ceiling. That's it! Now you just have to match the bird's description in the journal with its location in the ceiling tiles, and you've got it. Read to the end of this hint for a picture showing the order to press the tiles.

Hint 9

The first line in the journal says, "Held in the paws." The bird in the cat's paws has a round red crest and looks a little like a road runner; in fact, it's a hoopoe, which is the fourth tile in the middle row. Click on that tile, and it stays pushed in. What's next?

Hint 10

The second line says, "Roosting in the reeds." There are two birds in the reeds on the left, a blue egret walking through the water and a red ... ibis, maybe, perched on top of them. In this case, it's the ibis who's roosting; that tile is the first tile in the first row, so it's next.

Hint 11

The third line is "Soaring on colored wings." Two birds are flying, but one has black and white wings and the other has blue and red wings. So the one with colored wings is the falcon, which is the middle tile in the last row. Do you see how this is working?

Hint 12

The fourth line is "Perched high on the boat." There are several birds in the boat, but the highest one is the vulture, the last tile in the last row.

Hint 13

The fifth line is "Caught in the jaws." That's the sort-of duckish thing in the cat's mouth (hey, I'm not an ornithologist, you know), which is the first tile in the third row.

Hint 14

The sixth line is "Flying above the reeds." That must be the other flying bird, the water bird with the short crest, which is the middle tile in the middle row.

Hint 15

The seventh line is "Standing in the boat," and the journal writer has drawn a picture of a goose to help us out. That's the middle tile in the top row.

Hint 16

Finally, the eighth line is "Wading in the water." And there's the blue egret, the next-to-last tile in the bottom row. Ta-dah!

Hint 17

If you did something wrong and died, here's the order to press the tiles:

Hint 18

Hint 19

If you got them all correct, you've just opened a new tunnel. Excitement!

Guide help

This is the low-spoiler guide for "How do I solve the bird tile puzzle in the ceiling?" puzzle in Nancy Drew: Tomb of the Lost Queen. Unlike in normal walkthrough, you get gradual hints on how to solve the puzzle. Click the big button below to see your first hint. If the hint contains a spoiler, you will be warned about it before clicking.

Progress

Hints written by Lynn S. HendricksBuy me a coffee
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