This paper investigates the word frequency of bird names in the Chinese Buddhist classics. Findings show that among the 53 kinds of birds present, cranes, swan geese, swallows, and warblers occur most frequently, in particular in the Chan volume of the Chinese Buddhist classics. These images of birds are most commonly found in poems composed by Chan monks and are of a literary, artistic, and religious nature. To date, there have been no specialist studies into the images of birds in Chan poems, therefore this study will fill this research niche. By focusing on the occurrence and images of swan geese, swallows, and warblers, this study first investigates the use of these three birds in the Chinese Buddhist classics, and then provides a discussion of the symbolic meaning of these birds in poems by Chan monks. This sheds light on the Chan Buddhist connotation of the birds and helps gain a better understanding of the intentions of Chan monks, the esthetic appeal of these images, and artistic thought in composing poems.