The World of Bird Names
Do you know that the nearest living relatives to the dinosaurs are the birds? Do you know that two types of birds exist in our modern world? There are a lot of things to figure out about birds, to the point that we dedicated a single branch of zoology exclusive to studying birds—Ornithology! And because birds have been an important part of our lives, and of nature, we have learned to relatively live with them and domesticate specific species that became common livestock for our living, and of course as amazing pets.
What are pets without great names? In this article, we’ll explore the diversity of Bird Names and identify some of the common bird names that exist today. Not only that, we’ll share with you some famous birds in the pop culture. Lastly, we’ll give you a few ideas for choosing good bird names with a bonus list of some Cute Bird Names, Funny Bird Names, and Cool Bird Names. Welcome to the world of Bird Names and let’s hop on to an adventure!
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Common Kingfisher
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American Avocet
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Resplendent Quetzal
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Andean Condor
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Finch
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Eurasian Tree Sparrow
The Diversity of Bird Names
Birds are one of the most common animals in the world. Birds can be categorized as either Flightless or Flighted. The inability of flightless birds to fly is a result of evolution and external environmental influences. Their surrounding habitat greatly dictates how they will survive in a certain ecosystem. Because of this, some birds lose their ability to fly in exchange for other motor skills that will help them survive such as swimming, running, and digging. Flighted birds, on the other hand, retained their flight since they mostly live in open areas that allow them to hunt and breed atop high places. There are Flighted birds that can still fly but cannot fly for extended periods such as domesticated chickens and ducks.
Below are ten of the most common bird names that we are sure you are familiar with. Get to know more about them below.
Blackbirds
Blackbirds are a common sight in urban areas such as gardens and countryside. They are also spotted on coasts and low-level hills. Blackbirds are also called Eurasian Blackbirds since it is a common breed in Europe and Asiatic Russia. Although a few breeds are also found in Africa, North America, and New Zealand, often referred to as New World Blackbirds. Blackbirds are distinguished for their black-colored feathers, thus where their name is derived.
Chickadee
Chickadees are part of the songbird family (birds that have song-like sounds). They are usually found in North America, particularly in forest areas in Canada and New Mexico. Chickadees derived its name from its very recognizable “chick-a-dee-dee-dee” sound that they use to communicate with other Chickadees.
Crows
Crows are one of the famous birds that we often see in movies and pop culture. They are often linked with bad omen and unluckiness due to their pure black color and menacing chirps. Crows are abundant in almost all parts of the world but are relatively rare in South America. Crows are one of the smartest birds that display problem-solving skills and behavioral patterns. Its name is an evolved form of the Middle English crowe. Crows are sometimes mistaken as Ravens, which are its distant cousins under the Corvus species. Ravens are relatively larger compared with crows and are much more seen in the wild than in urban cities.
Doves
Doves are part of the larger pigeon family of birds. There are instances in which doves are called pigeons since they are the most common pigeons that are seen in public places. Unlike crows, doves are often associated with concepts of purity, holiness, and peace. This is because of their light-hued color (often gray and white), and their friendly attitude towards people.
Ducks
Ducks are part of the waterfowl family of Anatidae birds. They are known as good swimmers and are more aligned with habitats that contain bodies of water. They have a webbed foot that they use to row when swimming in water. Ducks are one of the few domesticated animals that serve as livestock. Its name is derived from the Old English word dūce which means “diver”. This is also the reference word for the verb “duck” (dūcan) which means “to bend down low” or “to get something underneath”. The idea behind the name is because of the duck’s ability to dive in water to feed on small fishes and crustaceans.
Owls
Owls are also a common sight in movies and novels. We’ve seen them as message-carrying couriers for the wizards in the Harry Potter series. Owls are a nocturnal (active at night) species of birds and are one of the few Birds of Prey birds (bird-eating birds). They are usually solitary and rarely seen in groups. They are most distinguished for their huge round eyes that they use to see in the dimmest or darkest night. Owl’s name is rooted in the Old Norse word for owls, ugla which was borrowed from the Old German language as uwila.
Penguins
Penguins are a type of flightless bird that primarily lives in the Southern Hemisphere. They thrive in cold temperature regions and live in huge groups that we call a waddle or a colony. Not all penguins live on icy capes of the southern hemisphere. Some live in tropical areas such as Africa and the Galapagos islands. Similar to ducks, their feet are webbed and, instead of wings, they have flippers. Both their webbed feet and flippers are used to swim and dive, making them super-fast swimmers. The bird name “penguin” came from two Welsh words pen and gwyn which means “head” and “white” respectively.
Parrots
Parrots are best known for their ability to imitate the sounds of other animals—including human words! Because of this, parrots in groups are exceptionally noisy and raucous. Parrots are also distinguished for their beautiful colored feather comprising of colors red, yellow, and blue. Because of parrots’ ability to imitate sounds and audible words, they have been subjected to poaching and are now an endangered species. Parrots derived their name from multiple sources such as perrot (Middle French) which is a diminutive of Pierre or a shortened word for perroquet.
Sparrows
Sparrows are small birds that are usually brown and grey colored. They have short tails and strong beaks. They survive by pecking on small seeds and grains or chowing down on ripe fruits. Because of their abundance in numbers in both rural and urban areas, they are the main spreader of pollinating seeds for fruit trees and wild berries. Also, due to their small size, they are common prey for much larger birds, snakes, and wild canines.
Woodpeckers
As their bird name suggests, a Woodpecker is known for plucking holes in deadwood to create nests and perching places. They are found in forest areas of Southeast Asia, South America, and New Guinea. Unlike other birds, Woodpeckers are resident and will tend to stay in one place throughout the season. They feed on insects around the trees but are sometimes seen chomping on fallen berries and fruits. Woodpeckers’ names came from the words “wood” and “pecker”, primarily because they continuously peck trunks to create huge holes as their habitat and breeding ground.
Other Common Bird Names
Swan | Goose | Swallows | Ostriches | Kingfishers |
Jays | Hummingbirds | Hawks | Falcons | Gulls |
Flycatchers | Finch | Auks | Chickens | Eagles |
Vulture | Peacock | Turkey | Quail | Lovebird |
Bluebird | Macaw | Cuckoo | Emu | Robin |
Toucan | Spoonbill | Flamingo | Hornbill | Canary |
Starling | Nightingale | Sandpiper | Lark | Wren |
Magpie | Parakeet | Crane | Goldfinch | Pheasant |
Birds in Popular Culture
We mentioned some birds that are commonly seen in pop culture and media such as parrots, doves, owls, and crows. Some written literary works dwell on the usage of bird names incorporated into their stories and plots. One good example is A Kind Golbin’s Bird.
A Kind Golbin’s Bird is a Manhwa (Korean comic) released in 2020. It has earned a lot of praise and reviews for its beautiful anime-like art and engaging love story. Although this manhwa contains explicit and NSFW content, the storyline and conversations within the comic are truly outstanding and worthy. The story revolves around a certain man named Sa Heonyoung. He has heard rumors of a goddess who has a very beautiful voice and sings songs that grant wishes. To verify this hearsay, he disguised himself as one of the royal family members to enter the chambers of the emperor’s concubine. In there, he was able to confirm the existence of the goddess. After listening to her song, he started to become obsessed with her. He wore a goblin’s mask, approached the goddess, and asked her to be his bride, thus the beginning of their story.
It is good to know some of the few references that were used in this comic that are associated with bird names. The idea of a beautiful song that can magically grant anyone wishes is associated with the bird nightingale. The nightingale is known for producing melodic and beautiful hums. The fairy tale The Nightingale by Hans Christian Andersen is the first to use a nightingale to describe a magical bird with enchanting healing powers. Although not directly associated with granting wishes, this portrayal of the nightingale made this bird’s name almost always associated with magical songs and wishes.
Another famous bird we’ve seen in popular culture is from the comic Peanuts. In the comics we always see a carefree bird hanging out with Snoopy all the time. We were entertained most by the short comic strip of Peanuts in newspaper columns. But are we familiar with Snoopy’s Bird Name from the series? That’s right, its name is Woodstock.
Woodstock first appeared in the series on April 4th, 1967. Quite an old character if you ask, but despite his appearance in 1967, he was only named in 1970—when his popularity was at an all-time high and people have been asking what Snoopy’s bird name is. Woodstock is portrayed as “not a great flyer” with no definite kind of bird species identified by the author. He is the best pal of Snoopy, referring to him as his friend of friends and the only dog in the neighborhood that understands his chirps.
Naming Pet Birds
You’ve seen a lot of bird names that have existed in our neighborhood and other parts of the world, and we are sure that you have the slightest and most convincing idea of how birds are named. In this section, we’ll talk about how we can give a just and proper name to a pet bird. What are our considerations in creating bird names? What theme should we use in creating good bird names? All of these will be answered right here.
Creating Bird Names
First of all, giving names to your beloved pets shouldn’t be stressful for you. You can always consult the use of Bird Names Generator if you sometimes find it tedious and tiring to come up with a name. Besides, what’s important is the thought and meaning behind the name.
By pure observation, most bird names are derived primarily from two things: their behavior (such as a woodpecker and a chickadee) and their appearance (such as the blackbird and the spoonbill). However, this is not a standard naming convention for birds as other birds have their definite name with no other meaning (crows, ravens, and doves). Therefore, to create a basic, yet good bird name, try to describe the bird’s behavior or appearance and create a name from it. Below are examples of good bird names following this idea.
Good Bird Names Examples
- Crook – An onomatopoeia of a screech of an owl.
- Bluey – A blue-colored pet bird.
- Talons – Describing the sharp claws of your pet bird.
- Chirpy – Based on bird chirp.
- Beakbump – Describes a beak-bumping adorable pet bird.
Another way of creating bird names is by using actual real-life human names. These names are the easiest to come by but sometimes the most dull. To avoid such names, try to come up with real-life names or words that are adorable for your pet birds. Below are some examples.
Cute Bird Name Ideas
- Beebop
- Pachuchi
- Chompy
- Pika-pika
- Minchi
- Daffy
- Feathers
- Poncho
- Rainbow
- Bamboozle
You may also resort to creating a memorable funny bird name. Funny names are most likely to stick in your memory as well as your friends’ and neighbors’ especially if the name is too funny to forget. Check out some examples of funny bird names below.
Funny Bird Name Ideas
- Karen – a gossiping Parrot, maybe?
- Duck Norries – indestructible and immortal.
- Donald Trump – a blond macaw or parrot.
- Excalibird – the chosen one.
- Hamberbird – inspired by a hamburger.
Lastly, you may consider finding cool name alternatives for your bird name. What’s better than being cool anyway? Below is a list of our highly suggested cool bird names that you may consider for your beloved pet.
Cool Bird Name Examples
- Skylock
- Heaven
- Sora
- Altair
- Constel
- Mavis
- Aluna
- Solstice
- Cloud
- Thunder
Flying to Conclusion…
Birds are an important part of our world. We were able to domesticate some of them, while the rest are most likely better off in the wild.
There are numerous bird names, some of which have entered pop culture and were often used in movies and novels. One particular example is the nightingale, which is associated with magical songs. Crows are linked with bad omens, while doves are a representation of holiness and peace.
For our beloved pet birds, we can give them a special name to show our love and affection towards them. We can summarize bird name creation in the following three key highlights:
- Use the bird’s behavior or appearance as an inspiration to create bird names.
- Use real-life people’s names or words.
- Consider adorable names.
- Consider funny names.
- Try out cool bird names.
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Maria Sleazer
I’ve long been fascinated with the world RPG. I come from a family of dreamers and storytellers and spent much of my childhood in amongst the fields of flowering blooms and tropical nature. I'm always excited to meet and collaborate with fellow enthusiasts and professionals from across the globe.
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