A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush
Other phrases about:
Animals
Parts of the body
Numbers
The natural world
It's better to have a lesser but certain advantage than the possibility of a greater one that may come to nothing.
Origin - the short version
This 16th century proverb is one of the oldest and best-known in English. It warns against taking unnecessary risks - it is better to keep what you have (a bird) than to risk getting more and ending with nothing (two birds out of your reach).
Origin - the full story
This proverb, like many others, warns against taking risks and suggests that you should keep what you have and not risk losing it by going after more. The other reading of the meaning is that it refers to medieval falconry where a bird in the hand (the falcon) was a valuable asset and certainly worth more than two in the bush (the prey). It may well be that both of these meanings were intended by the coiners of this proverb, which may go some way to explaining why it has resonated over the centuries and is still in common use.
The first citation of the expression in print in its currently used form is found in John Ray's A Hand-book of Proverbs, 1670, in which he lists it as:
A [also 'one'] bird in the hand is worth two in the bush
