Do spells really level up?

There is a difference.
You can see that difference when you fire a spell right at the beginning of a level, before you fire any other bird.
The spell will fill the Destructometer VERY slowly and give VERY few points, because it acts like a level 1 bird.
However, if you fire a spell right after a bird, then the spell will act like the bird you just fired. So if you have a level 5 Bomb and fire a spell after Bomb, then the spell will act like a level 5 bird.
If you fire a spell after a level 7 bird, it will act like a level 7 bird.
That fact is why I try to fire spells right after my highest-levelled birds, since that will net more points and more Destructometer filling.

Apparently it does – at least that’s what I noticed…
Always fire spells after firing a bird. Don’t use spells as the first card – wherever possible, of course.

Yoshi, we discussed this a few weeks ago. I totally agree about using them second.

I don’t notice much, if any, difference in scores between bird and spell use or in the order in which they’re used.

@bankler
I DEFINITELY get a much lower score outcome if I fire the spell before anything else. Total destruction in a room can’t net just 50,000-60,000 points when my highest levelled bird is at level 6.