Board Thread:General Discussion/@comment-107.130.236.19-20160224003834/@comment-26397825-20160501044419

In the Directors commentary, they specifically say that they wrote the entire grave scene not as a tribute to Monty originally. Then others read it and mentioned how it seemed like a tribute, and they realised it was. Then they added the birds just as a tribute to Monty.

The original script did not have the birds in it, that was added solely as a tribute to Monty.