Fredbird was introduced on April 6, 1979, by the Cardinals, then owned by Anheuser-Busch, to entertain younger fans at the games.

He quickly became popular with fans for his dancing, habit of "beaking" the heads of supporters, and for throwing T-shirts into the stands.

In later years, he has been joined by "Team Fredbird", a group of young women employed by the club who help him with his T-shirt toss and occasionally in other duties.

After every Cardinal home victory, Fredbird takes a flag with the team's logo onto the field and waves it around.

He came under slight controversy in 2015 when he was seen holding a sign saying "Police Lives Matter" when the Cardinals said that Fredbird was not involved in any sort of political activity.