Looking for a list of bird names in French? Whether it’s big, small, pink, black, flightless or soaring – as long as it’s a bird, it’s probably included here. Check out the most common bird species and their French name below.
And if it’s not a bird but another type of animal whose name you’d like to learn in French, it’s more than likely that you’ll find it on this comprehensive list right here.
| English | French |
|---|---|
| bird of paradise | l’oiseau (m) de paradis |
| blackbird | le merle |
| bullfinch | le bouvreuil |
| chaffinch | le pinson |
| cormorant | le cormoran |
| crane | la grue |
| dove | la colombe |
| duck | le canard |
| egret | l’aigrette (f) |
| emu | l’émeu (m) |
| flamingo | le flamant, le flamant rose (plural: flamants roses) |
| goldfinch | le chardonneret |
| goose | l’oie (f) |
| hawk | le faucon |
| heron | le (!) héron (attention: h aspiré!) |
| jay | le geai |
| kingfisher | le martin-pêcheur |
| kiwi | le kiwi |
| kookaburra | le kookaburra |
| lark | l’alouette (f) |
| magpie | la pie |
| nightingale | le rossignol |
| parakeet | la perruche ondulée |
| peacock | le paon |
| penguin | le manchot |
| pelican | le pélican |
| pheasant | le faisan |
| pigeon | le pigeon |
| puffin | le macareux |
| quail | la caille |
| raven | le corbeau |
| robin | le rouge-gorge |
| seagull | la mouette/ le goéland (bigger) |
| sparrow | le moineau |
| stork | la cigogne |
| swallow | l’hirondelle (f) |
| swan | le cygne |
| toucan | le toucan |
| turkey | depends on whether it’s a male or a female bird: le dindon (male turkey)/ la dinde (female) |
| woodpecker | le pic |
Want to know more? Find a useful French guide to different bird species here.
And if you’re curious about what sounds animals (including quite a few birds) make and how they are transcribed in French, check out our article about animal onomatopoeias in French. It’s a “fun meets useful” type of thing!