Mat 13:4 And when he sowed, some [seeds] fell by the way side, and the fowls came and devoured them up:

I am a little worried about getting useful stuff from this parable because Christ explains it later. However, there are even double meanings within the double meanings explained in later verses.

Alternate version: And by this same scattering, some certainly fell down by the roadway and the winged ones arrived and devoured them.

Notice that the verse actually doesn't mention "seeds," leaving this to refer to whatever is scattered. Looking closer at the Greek, it also doesn't say "birds" but "winged ones," which Christ uses elsewhere to refer both the birds and to spiritual beings.

"Fell" is piptô, which means "to fall," "to fall down," and "to fall upon."

"Fowls" is from the Greek, peteinos, which means "fully-fledged," "able to fly" or "winged." In the form used, peteinon, it refers to any winged thing. There was clearly a conscious choice here not to use the Greek word for bird, which is ornis, or, in the diminutive, ornithion. All the English words referring to birds coming from Greek begin with this "ornith" prefix, incluidng ornithology, the study of birds.

"Devour" is from katesthiô, which means "to eat up" and "to devour." It is a term applied to animals of prey. It also means "to corrode" or "to be gnawed."