ðə pˈɛŋɡwɪn ɡˈaɪd tə dʒˈæz ɹᵻkˈoːɹdɪŋz kˈɑːmɛnts ðˈæt “bˈɜːdlənd” tˈɪpᵻfˌaɪz ðə fˈɔːɹmjʊlə ðæt mˌeɪd ðə bˈænd səksˈɛsfəl, ænd “ɪz wˈʌn ʌv ˈoʊnli ɐ hˈændfəl ʌv kəntˈɛmpɚɹˌɛɹi dʒˈæz tˈuːnz ðæt ˈɛvɹɪwˌʌn sˈiːmz tə hæv hˈɜːd.”
The Penguin Guide to Jazz Recordings comments that “Birdland” typifies the formula that made the band successful, and “is one of only a handful of contemporary jazz tunes that everyone seems to have heard.”