Slingshot

The slingshot is the main weapon/utility the birds use in order to attack the pigs. The player can pull back on the slingshot strap, then release to fire a bird in whatever direction the player desires. The slingshot has first appeared in Angry Birds, and every game after that (except Angry Birds Transformers and few other), even its spinoff, Bad Piggies.

History
In The Angry Birds Movie, the slingshot was first introduced during a dance party. Later, during the Raid on the Eggs, Red was flung towards the beach. Later, in the Battle of Pig City, birds were flung to Pig City, destroying structures and the castle. Terence eventually broke it for being too big to go on it, but it was later repaired. The newborn Blues then used it to launch themselves at sea.

In the years after the battle, as Bird Village expanded, the Birds used slingshots to catapult themselves to other parts of the village, effectively creating a mass transit system out of them.

Angry Birds/Angry Birds Seasons/Angry Birds Rio/Angry Birds Space/Angry Birds Star Wars
The player can change the direction and angle the bird will launch at by simply moving the bird up or down. The player can also change the firing speed. Pull the bird back, slightly to make a weak launch, and pull it back farther to make a stronger launch (the latter often recommended). In Angry Birds Rio, if the player is already using the slingshot, he/she can't cancel the process.

Angry Birds GO!
The slingshot is used to begin races in  Angry Birds Go!  The King Sling also appears as a Power-Up in the game, which increases the distance when the player is released from the slingshot and begins the race.

Angry Birds POP!
The slingshot is used in Angry Birds POP! to fling bubbles to pop bubbles.

Angry Birds 2
It is possible to cancel a shot even after the bird is readied, but pulled back. This can be done by moving it back towards its starting point, in the event that a different bird is desired at that time. The slingshot can be leveled up, and it will change style, see Angry Birds 2 for more information.

Slingshot Power-Ups
In Angry Birds, there are two power-ups that change the abilities of the Slingshot: the King Sling and the Sling Scope. The King Sling grants maximum velocity to flinged birds while the Sling Scope allows targeting as you pull back on the slingshot. Angry Birds Seasons and Angry Birds Rio do not feature the King Sling, but they do use the Sling Scope. In the Facebook version of Angry Birds Star Wars, there's an equivalent to the King Sling known as the Lightsaber Sling.

The Angry Birds Movie 2
"Hey Alex, how's the commute treating you?"

- Ella talking to Alex while both are in mid-air in transit The slingshot transit system is a new method of transportation invented in Bird Village that allows Birds to instantl travel to other parts of Bird Island using slingshots without having to walk all the way.

Operation
"Sorry guys, taking over the blue line. Official business."

- Red disabling a transit slingshot for the Battle of Overseas Pranks Anyone who wishes to quickly travel to a certain area of Bird Island via the slingshot transit system would enter any nearby designated transit slingshot, pull themselves back on its elastic band and aim in a particular direction towards the desired destination, before releasing its tension to catapult themselves there. Each slingshot route contains midway stops that can be accessed by grabbing a perch nearby the desired one, swinging around it to halt all forward motion and allow for an easy dropdown from it. If the desired destination is at the end of a slingshot route, which may take a few hours to reach after launch, there will be a target pad held by shock-absorbing springs to help riders land there safely.

If the threat of Pigs are reported nearby, any transit slingshots close to the adversary may be temporarily put out of service and repurposed as combat turrets, such as the one used to quickly exit Bird Island Beach during the Battle of Overseas Pranks.

Safety concerns
While not addressed in The Angry Birds Movie 2, the film where the transit system is introduced, there are some serious safety issues with the transit system that would make it almost impossible to implement in real life.
 * While the destination target pads may protect against the impact of landing from a proper slingshot launch, their stationary position will not protect against improperly aimed slingshot launches. It is not known how Birds can properly aim transit slingshots towards intended destinations, although it has been implied that multiple unique slingshot routes may have possibly been established and mapped out in a transit network for all Birds to know and memorize.
 * It may not seem safe for Birds with thin, long, scaly legs to land feetfirst onto the destination pads, as they appear to be too thin and fragile to withstand the impact of landing that way, especially when the destination pads are not cushioned.
 * The transit system also appears to have no traffic regulatory system, making it possible for mid-air collisions (that may result in serious injury or death.).
 * Perch stations also appear fragile and can be destroyed if Birds crash into them, and there is a chance that they may not withstand the torque generated by the sudden grip of a Bird's wings as he/she attempts to stop.

History
The slingshot transit system was invented at some time during the Great Egg War as the village expanded and modernized, and by the time that war came to an end, the system saw widespread use. A network of multiple, unique slingshot routes were created to service various destinations in the village and the island.

Behind the scenes
"Even with the stuff on Bird Island that was reused from the first film, which was quite a bit, we wanted it to feel like time had passed and there was an update to their world. For example, on Bird Island, now they’re using slingshots as their main method of transportation. That wasn't part of the first film. They had a slingshot, but now it's part of their everyday use, almost like a subway station. They stand in line and then take the Blue Line, the Yellow Line, the Green Line or whatever. We updated what we had on the first film to bring the audience a new experience."

- Pete Oswald, production designer of The Angry Birds Movie 2 In an article for Animation World Network, production designer Pete Oswald revealed that the slingshot transit system was put in place to give audiences a good sense of how much the village and Birdlife had changed since the amount of time that had passed from the events of the first film. He specifically wanted to treat the transit system as if it were truly the Bird equivalent of subway systems and/or transit bus routes that humans use daily in cities today.

Previous Shot Traceline
"Just look where the last bird went and adjust from there."

- Red During a typical level in either of the two major titles in the Angry Birds series and the 2014 Angry Birds Stella spin-off game, players may need to rely on a traceline that reflects the trajectory of the last Bird launched to make accurate shots.

Appearance
After the player fires their first Bird with the slingshot, the game then retains their trajectory, marked out as a trail of white dots, which resemble smoke a bit.

The Traceline is indirectly alluded to in The Angry Birds Movie, specifically by Red as he coordinated the opening salvo of the Battle of Pig City. He uses the Traceline in an attempt to guide Stella towards the vicinity of where Bubbles was launched into Pig City, hoping to inflict more damage.

Strategy
The player can take advantage of the presence of this traceline to either determine a better shot angle if the previous shot was a poor one, or line up a shot of the same angle and power if the previous shot was effective and repeated shots of such trajectory are needed to achieve the desired destruction and defeat of the Pigs.

Trivia

 * If the player hits the bird on the Slingshot with another bird or a glass of debris from the Pig fortress, it causes the bird on the slingshot to rotate. See this page for more information.
 * When the birds are launched in Bad Piggies, they pull back and fling automaticlly.
 * The Slingshot appears in every Angry Birds Toons episode with the birds so far except for Egg Sounds and Run Chuck Run.

Appearances

 * Angry Birds
 * Angry Birds Seasons
 * Angry Birds Rio
 * Angry Birds Space
 * Angry Birds Star Wars
 * Angry Birds Friends
 * Angry Birds Chrome
 * Angry Birds Volcano
 * Angry Birds: Wonderful Pistachios
 * Angry Birds Vuela Tazos
 * Angry Birds Google+
 * Angry Birds Heikki
 * Angry Birds Telepizza
 * Bad Piggies
 * Angry Birds Toons
 * Angry Birds Go!
 * Angry Birds Epic (cameo on the Blues' attack)
 * Angry Birds Stella
 * Angry Birds POP!
 * Angry Birds 2
 * Angry Birds Action!
 * The Angry Birds Movie
 * The Angry Birds Movie 2
 * Angry Birds Blast!
 * Angry Birds Evolution (On Bird Town's Scout Launcher)
 * Angry Birds For Facebook Messenger
 * Angry Birds Champions
 * Angry Birds Dream Blast
 * Angry Birds Island
 * Angry Birds Casual