106 beautiful species of birds in French from owls to ostriches

I don’t know about you, but I always have trouble with things like plants, fish and birds… even in the languages I speak fluently! It’s not just about learning a language, but also about knowing the subtleties of the fauna and flora.

Even if you’re not an ornithologist, it can be useful to learn birds in French. Imagine that you’re visiting the Parc naturel de Camargue in France, or the Parc National de Plaisance in Québec. You spot a very rare bird and want to share your enthusiasm with other visitors… but you can’t find your words!

If you’re just speechless because of so much beauty, no problem. If it’s a vocabulary issue though, you might want to keep reading!

How to say “bird” in French

You probably want to fly directly to the different birds, but first things first. In French, “bird” is “oiseau”. Plural form, “oiseaux”. Not the easiest word to pronounce, but this video should help.

Very common birds in French

Now, let’s learn all the birds (or almost!) in French. We have divided them by category, from pigeon in French to owl in French. As a rule of thumb, just add “s” at the end to get the plural form, with a few exceptions (for example: émeu, émeux - cardinal, cardinaux - vanneau, vannaux). Ready for take off?

English	Bird name (singular)	IPA pronunciation
Pigeon	Pigeon	piʒɛõ
Sparrow	Moineau	mwano
Dove	Colombe	kɔlõbə
Hummingbird	Colibri	kɔlibɾi
Chicken	Poule	pulə
Peacock	Paon	paõ
Robin	Rouge-gorge	ɾuʒə-gɔɾʒə
Seagull	Mouette	mwɛtə
Woodpecker	Pivert	pivɛɾ
Chickadee	Mésange charbonnière	mezɑ̃ʒə ʃaɾbɔnjɛɾə
Kingfisher	Martin-pêcheur	maɾtɛ̃-pɛʃœɾ
Magpie	Magpie	magpjə
Raven	Corbeau	kɔɾbo
Blackbird	Merle noir	mɛɾlə nwaɾ
Flycatcher	Moucherolle	muʃəɾɔlə
Jay	Geai	ʒɛe
Crow	Corneille	kɔɾnɛjə
Nuthatch	Sittelle	sitɛlə
Pelican	Pélican	pelikɑ̃
Swallow	Hirondelle	iɾõdɛlə
Swan	Cygne	siɲə
Nightingale	Rossignol	ɾɔsiɲɔl
Partridge	Perdrix	pɛɾdɾiks
Cuckoo	Coucou	kuku
Finch	Pinson	pɛ̃sõ
Skylark	Alouette des champs	alwɛtəde ʃɑ̃
Canary	Canari	kanaɾi
Starling	Étourneau sansonnet	etuɾno sɑ̃sɔne
Cardinal	Cardinal	kaɾdinal
Pheasant	Faisan	fəzɑ̃

Migratory birds in French

Migratory birds are some of the most fascinating animals. Some of them, like the Arctic Tern, can travel up to 56 000 miles per year, from pole to pole. As travel lovers, we can only say “chapeau”!

English	Bird name (singular)	IPA pronunciation
Albatross	Albatros	albatɾo
Duck	Canard	kanaɾ
Goose	Oie	waə
Puffin	Macareux	makaɾø
Stork	Cigogne	sigɔɲə
Heron	Héron	eɾõ
Tern	Sterne	stɛɾnə
Warbler	Fauvette	fovɛtə
Wren	Troglodyte mignon	tɾɔglɔditə miɲõ
Goldfinch	Chardonneret élégant	ʃaɾdɔnəɾɛt‿ elegɑ̃
Bulbul	Bulbul	bylbyl
Mynah	Mynah	mina
Teal	Sarcelle d'hiver	saɾsɛlə divεɾ

Wild / Exotic birds in French

Do you need a pinch of exotism in your life? Get ready for a wild and colorful feather explosion!

English	Bird name (singular)	IPA pronunciation
Flamingo	Flamant rose	flamɑ̃ ɾozə
Eagle	Aigle	ɛglə
Parrot	Perroquet	pɛrɔke
Budgie	Perruche	pɛryʃə
Toucan	Toucan	tukɑ̃
Cockatoo	Cacatoès	kakatoe
Crane	Grue	gɾɥə
Hawk	Rapace	ɾapasə
Falcon	Faucon	fokõ
Owl	Hibou, chouette	ibu, ʃwɛtə
Vulture	Vautour	votuɾ
Parakeet	Perruche	pɛryʃə
Grouse	Gélinotte	ʒelinɔtə
Quail	Caille	kajə
Booby	Fou	fu
Cormorant	Cormoran	kɔɾmɔɾɑ̃
Petrel	Pétrel	petɾɛl
Frigate bird	Frégate	fɾegatə
Sandpiper	Bécasseau variable	bekaso vaɾjablə
Ibis	Ibis	ibi
Hornbill	Calao	kalao
Wagtail	Bergeronnette	bɛɾʒəɾɔnɛtə
Macaw	Aras	aɾa
Kookaburra	Kookaburra	koɔkabyra
Lorikeet	Loriot	lɔɾjo
Pardalote	Passereau	pasəɾo
Grasswren	Malure des herbes	malyɾəde ɛɾbə
Kaka	Kaka	kaka
Kakapo	Kakapo	kakapo
Kea	Kea	kɛa
Rhea	Nandou	nɑ̃du
Hamerkop	Ombrette africaine	õbɾɛt afɾikɛnə
Ketzal	Ketzal	kɛtzal
Bird of paradise	Oiseau de paradis	wazo də paɾadi
Hoopoe	Huppe fasciée	ypə fassjeə
Guinea fowl	Pintade	pɛ̃tadə
Widowbird	Veuve-noire	vœvə-nwaɾə
Gaditano	Boulant d’Espagne	bulɑ̃ dɛspaɲə
Bunting	Bruant	bɾɥɑ̃
Grosbeak	Gros-bec	gɾo-bɛk
Tanager	Tangara	tɑ̃gaɾa
Indian roller	Rollier indien	ɾɔlje ɛ̃djɛ̃
Gonolek	Gonolek	gɔnɔlɛk
Bullfinch	Bouvreuil	buvɾœj
Oriole	Loriot	lɔɾjo
Turaco	Turaco	tyɾako
Motmot	Motmot	mɔtmo
Agapornis	Agapornis	agapɔɾni
Budgerigar	Perruche	pɛryʃə
Weaver	Tisserand	tisəɾɑ̃
Condor	Condor	kõdɔɾ
Redshank	Chevalier guignette	ʃəvalje giɲɛtə
Lapwing	Vanneau	vano

Flightless birds in French

These birds will never get a chance to see the world. It’s sad when somebody “te coupe les ailes”. (French expression meaning “Restrain someone’s freedom”, literally “clip someone’s wings”). But you know, they might enjoy their sedentary life. After all, we don’t all suffer from wanderlust!

English	Bird name (singular)	IPA pronunciation
Emu	Émeu	emø
Penguin	Pingouin	pɛ̃gwɛ̃
Turkey	Dinde	dɛ̃də
Ostrich	Autruche	otɾyʃə
Kiwi	Kiwi	kiwi
Weka	Weka	wəka
Kakapo	Kakapo	kakapo
Takahe	Takahe	takaə
Cassowary	Casoar	kazoaɾ

Bird songs in French

L’aigle noir, Barbara

A classic, full of dramatism and emotion. A great way to learn how to say eagle in French!

Ouvrez la cage aux oiseaux, Pierre Perret

A delightful ode to freedom for adults and kids.

Fais comme l’oiseau, Michel Fugain

A song rooted in the 70s, to promote freedom and a simple life.

Alouette, gentille alouette

A classic nursery song for French children about a skylark.

Funny bird-related sayings, quotes, phrases

French people love expressions (I’m no exception!). We have compiled a list of useful and funny French sayings involving birds.

Expression	Literal translation	Meaning
Petit à petit, l’oiseau fait son nid.	Little by little the bird makes its nest.	To do something at one’s own pace, slowly but surely
Un froid de canard	A duck’s cold	Very cold
Une bécasse	A woodcock	A stupid woman
Faire l’autruche	To do the ostrich	To refuse to see reality
Une vieille chouette	An old owl	An old, mean lady
Une poule mouillée	A wet chicken	A wimp
Une cervelle d’oiseau	A bird’s brain	Somebody who is forgetful
À vol d’oiseau	At bird’s flight	In a straight line
Donner des noms d’oiseau	Give birds’ names	Insult
Manger comme un oiseau	Eat like a bird	Eat very little
Oiseau rare	Rare bird	Somebody who doesn’t show up very often, hard to find
Une hirondelle ne fait pas le printemps	A swallow doesn’t make the spring	A piece of evidence doesn’t mean that it’s going to happen
Gai comme un pinson	Happy like a finch	Cheery, happy
Prise de bec	A beak grip	A dispute
Voler dans les plumes (de quelqu’un)	Fly in someone’s feathers	Look for trouble, bother
Un oiseau de nuit	A night bird	A night owl

Just for laughs: Parrots speaking French

You really have no excuse not to learn birds in French. Even parrots speak French! You don’t believe us?

• A Guadeloupe parrot says hello in French
• A talkative parrot who knows a wide range of French slang!
• A parrot singing Alouette, gentille Alouette (see song above)

Now that you know all the birds in French, it’s time to leave the nest and visit a francophone country! You’ll feel like a duck in the water in no time with our online French lessons. And if you plan to visit a zoo or natural preserve during your stay, you might want to learn other animals in French.

Otherwise, keep your language journey progressing further with free vocabulary lessons on our French blog.