Pidgey is okay for in-game use, but competitively it is completely terrible. I think its design is pretty fantastic though, generic, but really good. I'd just prefer to use Fearow or Dodrio because their designs and stats are superior.
I might be in the minority, but I think Hoothoot's family is godawful and would have done much better as a Psychic-type rather than a Normal-type. You know you're bad when using Pidgey is preferable to you. All they really got going for them is their decent Special Defense and Hypnosis, and even then they still can't take an Electric or Ice-type move at all.
Taillow is amazing. First really good starting bird, in third gen it was actually very useful and had pretty great stats as well as the Guts. Swellow has been a mainstay on a lot of my teams when replaying RSE, my favourite being a shiny Taillow that I raised that I found in Emerald. Overall, great design, good stats for what it is, and just an excellent Pokemon in general. Love Swellow.
Speaking of good stats, Starly is pretty much a retread of Taillow, but with better, more balanced stats. Staraptor does have less speed than Swellow, but its power is far superior. The only thing is, I'm not entirely crazy about its design, and I guss its popularity does kind of make me tired of it. Staraptor is still fabulous though, just a bit overrated, but for the right reasons.
Pidove is awful. Definitely the worst starting bird. Its design is so painfully generic and ugly. It's literally just a pigeon, and its evolutions are just fancier pigeons. Guess that's what happens when you base a Pokemon on a bird whose only real purpose in life is to get shot by hunters and get served to a country family... Also, finding a wild Tranquill and having to suffer through an onslaught of Detect and Hypnosis is terrible. Hate the Pidove line.
Fletchling is pretty good. I love its design, simply adorable. I have a grudge against Talonflame for killing a shiny that I ran into, but I can't deny its usefulness. I like Fletchling's line, but its not my favourite.