Birds vocabulary

Birds

A creature that is usually able to fly is called a bird. Birds are covered with feathers and have two wings.

Birds can include:
  • Chicken: a domestic bird that is kept for its meat or eggs. The adult male chicken is called cock (US rooster). The female chicken is hen. The baby chicken is chick.
  • Turkey: a large domestic bird that is kept for its meat, eaten at Thanksgiving.
  • Goose: a water bird like a duck. The male goose is called gander.
  • Duck: a bird with webbed feet that lives near water. The male duck is called drake.
  • Pheasant: a large bird that has a long tail.
  • Eagle: a strong bird of prey that has a hooked beak and keen eyesight.
  • Hawk: a medium-sized bird of prey that catches small animals for food.
  • Crow: a black bird that has an unpleasant cry.
  • Owl: a bird with round eyes, which hunts its prey in darkness using strategy.
  • Pigeon (dove): a grey or white bird that lives in cities. The white dove is used as a symbol of love and peace.



Pigeon
Dove
A French word
A Germanic word
Larger species
Smaller species

  • Sparrow: a small brown-grey bird, that is especially common in cities.
  • Hummingbird: a small bird that creates humming noise by beating wings.
  • Canary: a small pet bird that has yellow plumage.
  • Parrot: a tropical pet bird that has the ability to imitate human voice.
  • Swallow: a small bird that has pointed wings and a tail with two points.
  • Ostrich: a large flightless bird with long neck and long legs, which lives in Africa.
  • Penguin: a black and white flightless bird that lives in Antarctica. Penguin uses its wings for swimming.
  • Peacock: a large colorful pheasant that can spread out tail feathers like a fan. The female of peacock is called peahen.
  • Flamingo: a tall, pink bird that has a long, curved neck and long legs.
  • Gull (seagull): black and white bird that lives near the sea.
  • Swan: a snowy white bird with a long thin neck, that is close relative to the geese.
  • Heron: a tall bird with a long neck and long legs that is typically seen near water. Heron is an expert fisher.
  • Woodpecker: a bird that has a sharp and strong beak to dig holes in trees.


Main parts of birds


  • Beak (also bill): the pointed or curved part of a bird’s mouth which is used for eating or killing prey.
  • Feather: one of the plumage that covers most parts of the body of birds.
  • Plumage: the layer of feathers.
  • Talon: a sharp nail on the feet of the birds that is used to catch food.
  • Wing: one of the parts of a bird that is used for flying.

Groups of birds


  • Brood: a group of young birds
  • Clutch: a group of eggs in a single nest
  • Colony: a group of penguins/gulls
  • Flight: a group of birds that are flying together; a flight of doves/pigeons/swallows etc.
  • Flock: a group of the same birds; a flock of parrots/pigeons/ etc.
  • Gaggle: a group of geese on land or water
  • Skein: a group of geese in flight
  • Wedge: a group of geese in V formation

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