Vocabulary · Nature
Birds in English
A2
Birds in English: garden birds like the robin, birds of prey, water birds, exotic birds, and words for wings, feathers, nests and what birds do. With British pronunciation (IPA) and examples.
Quick answer
Garden birds
| Word | Meaning | Pronunciation |
|---|---|---|
| bird(n.)“Birds sing in spring.” | an animal with feathers and wings | /bɜːd/ |
| sparrow(n.) | a small, very common brown bird | /ˈspærəʊ/ |
| robin(n.)“A symbol of Christmas in the UK.” | a small brown bird with a red chest | /ˈrɒbɪn/ |
| blackbird(n.) | a black garden bird with a yellow beak | /ˈblækbɜːd/ |
| crow(n.) | a large, all-black bird | /krəʊ/ |
| magpie(n.) | a black-and-white bird with a long tail | /ˈmæɡpaɪ/ |
| pigeon(n.) | a grey bird often seen in towns | /ˈpɪdʒɪn/ |
| dove(n.) | a white bird, a symbol of peace | /dʌv/ |
| swallow(n.) | a small bird with a forked tail | /ˈswɒləʊ/ |
Birds of prey
| Word | Meaning | Pronunciation |
|---|---|---|
| eagle(n.)“The eagle is a national symbol.” | a large, strong bird that hunts | /ˈiːɡl/ |
| hawk(n.) | a hunting bird smaller than an eagle | /hɔːk/ |
| falcon(n.) | a very fast hunting bird | /ˈfɔːlkən/ |
| owl(n.) | a bird that hunts at night | /aʊl/ |
| vulture(n.) | a large bird that eats dead animals | /ˈvʌltʃə/ |
Water birds
| Word | Meaning | Pronunciation |
|---|---|---|
| duck(n.)“A duck quacks.” | a water bird that says “quack” | /dʌk/ |
| swan(n.) | a large white bird with a long neck | /swɒn/ |
| goose / geese(n.)“Irregular plural!” | a big water bird, larger than a duck | /ɡuːs/ /ɡiːs/ |
| seagull(n.) | a noisy white bird of the coast | /ˈsiːɡʌl/ |
| penguin(n.)“Penguins live in Antarctica.” | a black and white bird that cannot fly | /ˈpeŋɡwɪn/ |
| flamingo(n.) | a pink bird with long legs | /fləˈmɪŋɡəʊ/ |
| stork(n.) | a tall white bird with long legs | /stɔːk/ |
Exotic birds
| Word | Meaning | Pronunciation |
|---|---|---|
| parrot(n.) | a colourful bird that can copy words | /ˈpærət/ |
| peacock(n.) | a bird with a big, colourful tail | /ˈpiːkɒk/ |
| hummingbird(n.) | a tiny bird that drinks from flowers | /ˈhʌmɪŋbɜːd/ |
| toucan(n.) | a tropical bird with a huge beak | /ˈtuːkæn/ |
| ostrich(n.) | the biggest bird; it cannot fly | /ˈɒstrɪtʃ/ |
Body parts and actions
| Word | Meaning | Pronunciation |
|---|---|---|
| wing(n.) | the part of a bird used to fly | /wɪŋ/ |
| feather(n.) | one of the soft parts covering a bird | /ˈfeðə/ |
| beak(n.) | the hard, pointed mouth of a bird | /biːk/ |
| nest(n.) | a home that a bird builds | /nest/ |
| egg(n.) | a round thing a baby bird grows in | /eɡ/ |
| to fly(v.) | to move through the air | /flaɪ/ |
| to sing(v.) | to make musical sounds | /sɪŋ/ |
| to lay (eggs)(v.) | to produce eggs from the body | /leɪ/ |
Common mistakes to avoid
Gooses ❌: the plural is geese
The plural is irregular: goose → geese. Not gooses. It is the same for mouse → mice, tooth → teeth and foot → feet.
The bird flied away ❌: fly, flew, flown
Fly is an irregular verb. The past simple is flew and the past participle (the form after have) is flown: The bird flew away. The birds have flown south. Flied and flyed do not exist.
The bird lied an egg ❌: use lay
A bird lays eggs: lay, laid, laid. The hen laid three eggs. Do not mix it up with lie (to be flat, or to say something false). Lied means “said something false”, so The bird lied an egg is wrong.
Practice quiz
Related pages: Birds
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Frequently asked questions
What are the names of common birds in English?+
The general word is bird, pronounced /bɜːd/ (it rhymes with heard and word). The plural is birds. Each type of bird has its own name: sparrow, robin, eagle, duck and many more.
What is the plural of goose?+
The plural is geese. It is irregular: one goose, two geese. Other nouns change in the same way: mouse → mice, tooth → teeth, foot → feet, child → children. You need to learn them by heart.
What is the difference between an owl, a hawk and an eagle?+
They are all birds of prey (birds that hunt other animals). An owl hunts at night. A hawk is a medium-sized bird that hunts in the day. An eagle is a very large, strong bird. A falcon is very fast, and people sometimes train falcons to hunt.
What is the difference between a pigeon and a dove?+
They belong to the same family of birds. A pigeon is usually the grey bird that you see in towns and parks. A dove is often smaller and paler, and a white dove is a symbol of peace. In everyday English, people use pigeon much more often.
What is the past tense of fly?+
Fly is irregular: fly, flew, flown. The bird flew away. It has flown to its nest. Other verbs for birds: to sing, to chirp and to tweet (to make short, high sounds).
Updated on 12 November 2026 by the Big Challenge teaching team. Every year, more than 500,000 students across Europe take part in our English contest, created in 1999. Our teaching approach →
The Big Challenge · Updated on 12 November 2026 · Source: www.thebigchallenge.com/bl/academy/learn-english/vocabulary/birds
© The Big Challenge. Copying allowed for classroom use. Every year, more than 500,000 students across Europe take part in our English contest, created in 1999.