Right bird radical, the indexing element - simplified form of 鳥, picturing a perched bird with eye, plume and clawed foot. Places 鸰 in the avian family with 鸡, 鸭, 鹅, 鹰. Almost always seen in 鹡鸰 the wagtail - a slim, tail-bobbing songbird.
Left 令 supplies the sound, shifting lìng to líng with tone drop. Carries no meaning - the wagtail is just 'the líng-sounding bird.' Same phonetic family in 龄 (age), 铃 (bell), 零 (zero), 玲 (tinkling jade) - all chime around the líng/lìng nucleus.
