A birdie is a miniature lantern that's ideal for hiding in small parts of a set or along the downstage edge of the stage. It provides a surprisingly bright soft-edged pool of light. Although the beam is sometimes unevenly spread, the benefits of having a punch of light where no normal lantern can go are massive.

Where does the name come from? Well, you see the birdie looks a little like a parcan, but is a lot smaller? You could say, it's "One under Par" - which, as every golfer knows, is called a "birdie".

The birdie is a uses a PAR16 lamp (i.e. the lamp is a reflector lamp which is 16 eighths of an inch across = 2 inches or 50mm).
In the UK, Birdies usually take MR16 lamps, which are 12 volts. Each birdie then has a transformer connected to it to feed it with the correct voltage.
In the USA, Birdies usually take 120 volt lamps.

The MR16 lamp has a dichroic reflector which does not reflect heat along with light - the heat dissipates through the reflector and out of the rear of the light fitting. This means the beam from a birdie is much cooler than that from a standard theatre lantern, making it much more suitable for sensitive areas (e.g. museums, old buildings).

SOME BIRDIE BEAM ANGLES (MR16)

There are a massive range of MR16 lamps available due to their widespread use in a lot of industries. Check manufacturers websites for more information.

• GE Lighting
• Philips
• Sylvania