Why do we say "A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush"?

Meaning:

It's better to possess something tangible now than to hold out for something potentially better in the future.

Background:

In English, variations on this proverb have been traced back to the mid 15th century. The first known use being in The Life of St Katherine by J Capgrave (1450):

"It is more sekyr a byrd in your fest, Than to haue three in the sky a-boue."

But earlier usage can be found in Latin dating back to at least the 13th century: Plus valet in manibus avis unica quam dupla silvis ('a bird in the hands is worth more than two in the woods'); and The Phrase Finder points to the 7th century Aramaic Story of Ahikar which includes the sentiment (translated into modern English): "Better is a sparrow held tight in the hand than a thousand birds flying about in the air."

While lacking references to birds, there are earlier proverbs that caution against abandoning what you have for what you don't, such as a line in Plutarch's Moralia that translates "He is a fool who leaves things close at hand to follow what is out of reach."

Plutarch (c. AD 46 - c. 120) was a Roman citizen of Greek origin who is remembered today primarily for his two surviving works: Parallel Lives, a series of 48 paired biographies of famous men, one Greek and one Roman, who followed similar paths, such as Alexander the Great and Julius Caesar, and Demetrius and Mark Anthony; and Moralia, a collection of 78 essays and speeches.

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