In 2013, Bird was tipped as a potential winner of the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for "fundamental discoveries concerning DNA methylation and gene expression" though the prize later went to James Rothman, Randy Schekman and Thomas C. Südhof.
Pada 2013, Bird disinggung sebagai pemenang Penghargaan Nobel Fisiologi dan Kedokteran potensial atas "penemuan mendasar mengenai metilasi DNA dan ekspresi gen" walaupun penghargaan kemudian diberikan kepada James Rothman, Randy W. Schekman, dan Thomas C. Südhof.