Can somebody even verify for me that any time I match the pieces for the bird, I should get the bird? Or is there more to the puzzle that I'm not understanding?
Curiously, if I had collected the bird already, would I observe this behaviour?
You will only get the bird the first time you match the pieces. Match the pieces of the bird a second (third, fourth, etc.) time and it'll, as you say, dismiss as a failure.
Are you *positive* you haven't collected the bird from that room?