英语翻译Many birds have beautiful feathers,red feathers,red feat

英语翻译
Many birds have beautiful feathers,red feathers,red feathers,green feathers,yellow feathers,purple feathers,pink feathers and brown feathers.They are beautiful and they are happy.
But one bird,Chirpy,is sad.She has no feathers.She says to the other birds,"Can you give me some feathers,please?"
"OK,"said the birds with beautiful feathers.They give chirpy a red feather,a green feather,a yellow feather and a purple feather.They give her a pink feather and a brown feather,too.
Chirpy is happy now.She says to the birds,"Look,I have beautiful feathers now.I do not need you any more"Chirpy flies out of the forest.
Chirpy goes to play on the grass.A big cat looks at Chirpy and smiles.
请问
第三自然段"OK,"said the birds with beautiful feathers.
能否换成"OK,"say the birds with beautiful feathers.
为什么?
不是说英语时态上要一致吗?(这里是一般现在时)
[参考回答：
网友1 回答 应该是say 这里的the birds是复数的
全篇都是一般现在时 所以这里也应该是啊网友2 回答 这个嘛……我也不是什么语法高手.但我认为原文这样不是错的.是那只鸟,过去说“OK”,然后现在给羽毛.
英语上不一定要时态一致!得根据具体情形.同一个句子都不一定要时态一致,例如：I know he was on hospital我（现在）不知道他（过去）已经住院了.前面是一般现在时,后面是一般过去式.
我个人认为网友2 I know he was on hospital 应译为“我知道（现在）他在住院（过去）”,不知对否,如不对,如何译或是如何理解?