Birds symbolize the air, Netzach, the intellect, thoughts, which fly through the skies of our mind, whether positive or negative.
Papageno is the mind itself, which captures and processes thought, whether for good or for ill (most cases for ill, since in The Magic Flute he often gets into trouble!)
Both black ravens, thoughts of ill omen, and immaculate doves, virtues of the Holy Spirit, can be captured by our mind, depending on whether it is solar or lunar.
For thirty years I sought God. But when I looked carefully I found that in reality God was the seeker and I the sought. -Bayazid al-Bastami