A funny, fascinating, feathery guide to 130 names of birds in Spanish

Every animal lover will want to learn all the different birds in Spanish.

Whether you already have some pet birds or simply admire their grace and untethered lifestyle, you probably want to learn a few names of birds in Spanish. These fascinating creatures come in all shapes and sizes, some of which have very special abilities and features.

Even if you’re not a huge fan of birds, learning about them will help you:

• Identify exotic bird species as you travel through Latin America.
• Understand bird-related phrases and sayings in Spanish.
• Learn more about the animal kingdom in Spanish.

With hundreds and hundreds of different species, it’s practically impossible to cover every single one in one go. However, this handy guide will cover over 100 of the most common bird species to get you started. You’ll learn many popular birds, from how to say owl in Spanish to how to say eagle in Spanish.

Ready to get started? ¡Vámonos!

How to say “bird” in Spanish

There are two main ways to say bird in Spanish: ave and pájaro. The main difference between the two is quite simple:

English	Spanish (singular)	Spanish (plural)	IPA pronunciation	Use
Bird	El ave	Las aves	las ˈaβes	Includes all birds regardless of size or ability
Bird	El pájaro	Los pájaros	los ˈpaxaɾos	Only applies to small birds that can fly

One other thing to note is the article use. You may have noticed that el ave uses the masculine article “el” while las aves uses the feminine article “las.” This is because the word ave is really feminine, but the article has to be switched due to phonetics.

This only happens when two conditions are met. First, the first letter of a feminine word has to be an -a. Then, the tonic (stressed) syllable has to be the first syllable of the word. Then, the feminine singular article has to be switched to prevent two consecutive stressed a’s. For example:

• El águila
• La alfombra (no change because the first syllable is not the tonic syllable)
• El agua

Keep in mind that these only apply to singular nouns, as plural nouns use the corresponding article “las.” The -s at the end breaks up the consecutive a’s, which is why you won’t need to change the article from feminine to masculine.

Very common birds in Spanish

Alright, now that you know how to talk about birds in general, let’s get more specific. Below are a few dozen of the most common ones in Spanish. This little table is just an intro to get you familiar with the basics, so we’ll cover common birds from doves in Spanish to cranes in Spanish!

English	Bird name (singular)	Bird name (plural)	IPA pronunciation
Pigeon	El pichón	Los pichones	piˈʧõn
Dove	La paloma	Las palomas	paˈloma
Sparrow	El gorrión	Los gorriones	ɣoˈrjõn
Eagle	El águila	Las águilas	ˈaɣila
Hummingbird	El colibrí	Los colibríes	koliˈβɾi
Chicken	La gallina	Las gallinas	ɣaˈʝina
Swan	El cisne	Los cisnes	ˈsis̬ne
Rooster	El gallo	Los gallos	ˈɣaʝo
Owl	El búho	Los búhos	ˈβuo
Barn owl	La lechuza	Las lechuzas	leˈʧusa
Snow owl	El búho de las nieves	Los búhos de las nieves	ˈβuo ðe las̬ ˈnjeβes
Crow	El cuervo	Los cuervos	ˈkwɛɾβo
Goose	El ganso	Los gansos	ˈɣãnso
Duck	El pato	Los patos	ˈpato
Turkey	El pavo	Los pavos	ˈpaβo
Finch	El fringílido	Los fringílidos	fɾĩnˈxiliðo
Osprey	El águila pescadora	Las águilas pescadoras	ˈaɣila pɛskaˈðoɾa
Mallard	El ánade real	Los ánades reales	ˈanaðe reˈal
Woodpecker	El pájaro carpintero	Los pájaros carpinteros	ˈpaxaɾo kaɾpĩnˈtɛɾo
Vulture	El buitre	Los buitres	ˈβwitɾe
Mockingbird	El sinsonte	Los sinsontes	sĩnˈsõnte
Hawk	El halcón	Los halcones	alˈkõn
Bald eagle	El águila calva	Las águilas calvas	ˈaɣila ˈkalβa
Cardinal	El cardenal	Los cardenales	kaɾðeˈnal
Seagull	La gaviota	Las gaviotas	ɣaˈβjota
Robin	El petirrojo	Los petirrojos	pɛtiˈroxo
Parrot	El loro	Los loros	ˈloɾo
Crane	La grulla	Las grullas	ˈɣɾuʝa
Flamingo	El flamenco	Los flamencos	flaˈmɛ̃nko
Pelican	El pelícano	Los pelícanos	peˈlikano
Quail	La codorniz	Las codornices	koðoɾˈnis
Partridge	La perdiz	Las perdices	pɛɾˈðis

Migratory birds in Spanish

Let’s get even more specific. If you’re a bird fan or are simply looking to move into intermediate Spanish, then you’re gonna want to learn a few of the following migratory birds in Spanish. Many of them don’t generally come up in casual conversation—but when they do, you’ll be happy you studied them!

English	Bird name (singular)	Bird name (plural)	IPA pronunciation
Goldfinch	El jilguero	Los jilgueros	xilˈɣɛɾo
Oriole	El oriol	Los orioles	oˈɾjol
Chickadee	El carbonero	Los carboneros	kaɾβoˈnɛɾo
Grosbeak	El trincapinones	Los trincapinones	tɾĩnkapiˈnones
Blue Jay	El arrendajo azul	Los arrendajos azules	arɛ̃nˈdaxo aˈsul
Blackbird	El mirlo	Los mirlos	ˈmiɾlo
Thrasher	El zorzal	Los zorzales	soɾˈsal
Swift	El vencejo	Los vencejos	bɛ̃nˈsexo
Waxwing	El ampelis	Los ampelis	ãmˈpelis
Albatross	El albatros	Los albatros	alˈβatɾos
Redpoll	El pinzón	Los pinzones	pĩnˈsõn
Wren	El chochín	Los chochines	ʧoˈʧĩn
Bunting	El escribano	Los escribanos	ɛskɾiˈβano
Swallow	La golondrina	Las golondrinas	ɣolõnˈdɾina
Falcon	El falco	Los falcos	ˈfalko
Kinglet	El reyezuelo	Los reyezuelos	reʝeˈswelo
Starling	El estornino pinto	Los estorninos pintos	ɛstoɾˈnino ˈpĩnto
Titmouse	El herrerillo	Los herrerillos	ɛrɛˈɾiʝo
Thrush	El túrido	Los túridos	ˈtuɾiðo
Meadowlark	La alondra	Las alondras	aˈlõndɾa
Magpie	La urraca	Las urracas	u̯ˈraka
Grassbird	La yerbera	Las yerberas	ʝɛɾˈβɛɾa
Nuthatch	El trepatroncos	Los trepatroncos	tɾepaˈtɾõnkos
Warbler	La curruca	Las currucas	kuˈruka

Wild / Exotic birds in Spanish

One of the best parts about learning a new language is being able to explore and discover things you didn’t know about before. If you’re looking to travel through Latin America, you’ll likely run into some very interesting tropical birds! Here are some of our favorites.

English	Bird name (singular)	Bird name (plural)	IPA pronunciation
Toucan	El tucán	Los tucanes	tuˈkãn
Macaw	La guacamaya	Las guacamayas	ɣwakaˈmaʝa
Hornbill	El cálao	Los cálaos	ˈkalao
Atlantic Puffin	El frailecillo	Los frailecillos	fɾai̯leˈsiʝo
Flycatcher	El muscicápido	Los muscicápidos	musiˈkapiðo
Aracari	El arasarí	Los arasaríes	aɾasaˈɾi
Bali Bird of Paradise	El ave del paraíso esmeralda grande	Las aves del paraíso esmeralda grande	ˈaβe ðɛl paɾaˈiso ɛs̬mɛˈɾalda ˈɣɾãnde
Kingfisher	El martín pescador	Los martines pescadores	maɾˈtĩm pɛskaˈðoɾ
African Crowned Crane	La grulla coronada cuelligrís	Las grullas coronadas cuelligrís	ˈɣɾuʝa koɾoˈnaða kweʝiˈɣɾis
Hoopoe	La abubilla	Las abubillas	aβuˈβiʝa
Heron	La garza	Las garzas	ˈɣaɾsa
Condor	El cóndor	Los cóndores	ˈkõndoɾ
Peacock	El pavo real	Los pavo reales	ˈpaβo reˈal
Quetzal	El quetzal	Los quetzales	kɛtˈsal
Roadrunner	El correcaminos	Los correcaminos	korekaˈminos
Barbet	El barbudo	Los barbudos	βaɾˈβuðo
Red-Bearded Bee-Eater	El abejaruco barbirrojo	Los abejarucos barbirrojos	aβexaˈɾuko βaɾβiˈroxo
Golden Pheasant	El faisán dorado	Los faisanes dorados	fai̯ˈsãn doˈɾaðo
Lilac-Breasted Roller	La carraca lila	Las caracas lilas	kaˈraka ˈlila
Inca Tern	El charrán inca	Los charranes incas	ʧaˈran ˈĩnka
Fairywren	El maluro soberbio	Los maluros soberbios	maˈluɾo soˈβɛɾβjo
Lorikeet	El loriini	Los loris	loɾiˈini
Widowbird	El obispo colilargo	Los obispos colilargos	oˈβispo koliˈlaɾɣo
Sungem	La coqueta cola de espinas	Las coquetas cola de espinas	koˈkɛta ˈkola ðɛ ɛsˈpinas
Wilson's Bird-of-Paradise	El ave del paraíso republicana	Las aves del paraíso republicana	ˈaβe ðɛl paɾaˈiso repuβliˈkana
Lovebird	El periquito	Los inseparables	pɛɾiˈkito
Budgie	La cotorra	Las cotorras	koˈtora
Cockatiel	La cacatúa ninfa	Las cacatúas ninfas	kakaˈtua ˈnĩmfa
Cockatoo	La cacatúa	Las cacatúas	kakaˈtua
African Gray Parrot	El loro yaco	Los loros yaco	ˈloɾo ˈʝako
Lear's Macaw	El guacamayo de Lear	Los guacamayos de Lear	ɣwakaˈmaʝo ðe leˈaɾ
Victoria Crowned Pigeon	La paloma crestada Victoria	Las palomas crestadas de Victoria	paˈloma kɾɛsˈtaða βik̚ˈtoɾja
Australian King Parrot	El papagayo australiano	Los papagayos australianos	papaˈɣaʝo au̯stɾaˈljano
Archangel Pigeon	La paloma arcángel	Las palomas arcángel	paˈloma aɾˈkãnxɛl
Green Aracari	El arasarí verde	Los arasaríes verdes	aɾasaˈɾi ˈβɛɾðe
Hamerkop	El avemartillo	Los avemartillos	aβemaɾˈtiʝo
Spoonbill	El plateíno	Los plateínos	plateˈino
African Pygmy Goose	El gansito africano	Los gansitos africanos	ɣãnˈsito afɾiˈkano
Harpy Eagle	La arpía mayor	Las arpías mayores	aɾˈpia maˈʝoɾ
Kagu	El kagú	Los kagús	kaˈɣu
Bare-Faced Ibis	El ibis afeitado	Los ibis afeitados	ˈiβis afei̯ˈtaðo
Potoo	El pájaro bruja	Los pájaros bruja	ˈpaxaɾo ˈβɾuxa
Honeycreeper	El mielero	Los mieleros	mjeˈlɛɾo
Gray Winged Trumpeter	El trompetero aligrís	Los trompeteros aligrís	tɾõmpɛˈtɛɾo aliˈɣɾis
Hoatzin	El hoatzin	Los hoatzines	oˈatsĩn
Horned Screamer	El aruco	Los arucos	aˈɾuko
Stork	El ciconido	Los ciconidos	sikoˈniðo
Scale-crested pygmy-tyrant	El cimerillo andino	Los cimerillos andinos	simɛˈɾiʝo ãnˈdino
Wattled Jacana	La jacana sudamericana	Las jacanas sudamericanas	xaˈkana suðamɛɾiˈkana
Tanager	El tráupido	Los tráupidos	ˈtɾau̯piðo
Cotinga	El cotíngido	Los cotíngidos	koˈtĩnxiðo
Mandarin Duck	El pato mandarín	Los patos mandarín	ˈpato mãndaˈɾĩn
Lady Gouldian Finch	El diamante de Gould	Los diamantes de Gould	djaˈmãnte ðe ˈɣou̯ld
Andean Cock-of-the-Rock	El gallito de las rocas peruano	Los gallitos de las rocas peruanos	ɣaˈʝito ðe las̬ ˈrokas pɛˈɾwano
Crimson Rosella	La rosella roja	Las rosellas rojas	roˈseʝa ˈroxa
American Purple Gallinule	El calamoncillo americano	Los calamoncillos americanos	kalamõnˈsiʝo amɛɾiˈkano
Splendid Fairy Wren	El maluro espléndido	Los maluros espléndidos	maˈluɾo ɛsˈplɛ̃ndiðo
Curl-crested Aracari	El arasarí crespo	Los arasaríes crespos	aɾasaˈɾi ˈkɾɛspo

Flightless birds in Spanish

Last but not least, we have the flightless birds. Although they have wings, these birds lack the aerodynamic qualities to take flight. We still love them though, as they tend to be more plump and bigger than regular birds! Plus, who doesn’t love a wobbly penguin!?

English	Bird name (singular)	Bird name (plural)	IPA pronunciation
Ostrich	El avestruz	Las avestruces	aβɛsˈtɾus
Emu	El emú	Los emús	eˈmu
Cassowary	El casuario	Los casuarios	kaˈswaɾjo
Kiwi	El kiwi	Los kiwis	ˈkiwi
Rhea	El ñandú	Los ñadús	ɲãnˈdu
Teal	La cerceta	Las cercetas	sɛɾˈsɛta
Steamerduck	El pato vapor	Los patos vapor	ˈpato βaˈpoɾ
Grebe	El zampullín	Los zampullines	sãmpuˈʝĩn
Cormorant	El cormorán	Los cormoranes	koɾmoˈɾãn
Penguin	El pingüino	Los pingüinos	pĩnˈɡwino
Rail	El rálido	Los rálidos	ˈraliðo
Coot	La focha	Las fochas	ˈfoʧa
Moorhen	La gallineta	Las gallinetas	ɣaʝiˈnɛta
Woodhen	El rascón de la Lord Howe	Los rascones de la Lord Howe	rasˈkõn de la ˈloɾð ˈowe
Takahe	El calamón takahe de la Isla Sur	Los calamones takahe de la isla Sur	kalaˈmõn taˈkae ðe la ˈis̬la ˈsuɾ
Kakapo	El kakapo	Los kakapos	kaˈkapo

Bird songs in Spanish

PULCINO PIO - El Pollito Pio (Official video)

With over 1.4 billion views on YouTube alone, El Pollito Pio is without a doubt one of the catchiest songs in the Spanish language. This song will help you memorize at least five different types of birds (plus a few more animals in Spanish!). This song is so catchy that it’s perfect for adults and children alike—trust us!

Alondrita - Canción Infantil - Alouette en Español

Alondrita is the Spanish version of the French song Alouette that’s known all over the world. Arguably one of the most popular nursery rhymes worldwide, the song almost cruelly talks about defeathering a bird body part by body part. So, although you probably won’t learn a lot about different types of birds, you will learn a lot about body parts in Spanish with this fun song!

Pajaritos a Bailar - Las Canciones de la Granja de Zenón 1

Without a doubt, this is one of the most popular children’s songs in Latin America. Not only is it extremely fun and catchy, but it also lends itself for some great choreographed moves! If you’re looking for some bird songs in Spanish that you can dance to, this song should be at the top of your list.

Funny bird-related sayings, quotes, phrases

With more than 20 Spanish speaking countries around the world, you can bet that there are dozens of funny and wise phrases and sayings about birds. Now that you’re familiar with over a 100 birds, you should take a look at some of these bird-related phrases in Spanish!

English	Spanish	IPA pronunciation	Context
Better to have a bird in your hand than a hundred in the air	Más vale pájaro en mano que ciento volando	ˈmas̬ ˈβale ˈpaxaɾo ɛ̃m ˈmano ˈke ˈsjɛ̃nto βoˈlãndo	Used to express that it’s better to secure something small than take a risk for something bigger.
All big-booty bird	Puro pájaro nalgón	ˈpuɾo ˈpaxaɾo nalˈɣõn	Used to call out someone who claims they can do something they really can’t do
If you want birds, plant some trees	Si quieres pájaros, planta árboles	si ˈkjɛɾes ˈpaxaɾos | ˈplãnta ˈaɾβoles	Used to say that you need to get something different to attract what you really want
Get to flying, pigeons	A volar palomas	a βoˈlaɾ paˈlomas	It’s time to go!
He who is a parrot will be green anywhere	El que es perico, donde quiera es verde	ɛl ˈke ˈɛs pɛˈɾiko | ˈdõnde ˈkjɛɾa ˈɛs̬ ˈβɛɾðe	Outstanding people will shine no matter where they are
The fruit is tasty when the birds want to bite it	Cuando el pájaro la pica, es cuando la fruta está rica	ˈkwãndo ɛl ˈpaxaɾo la ˈpika | ˈɛs ˈkwãndo la ˈfɾuta ɛsˈta ˈrika	Used to say that you should follow the experts’ advice
A song bird would never stop and sing on a tree that won’t flower	Pues el pájaro cantor jamás se para a cantar en árbol que no da flor	ˈpwes ɛl ˈpaxaɾo kãnˈtoɾ xaˈmas se ˈpaɾa a kãnˈtaɾ ɛn ˈaɾβol ˈke ˈno ˈða ˈfloɾ	Used to express that negative environments will never flourish
Bird of ill omen, I really don't want it	Ave de mal agüero, a mi vera no la quiero	aβe ðe ˈmal aˈɣwɛɾo | a mi ˈβɛɾa ˈno la ˈkjɛɾo	Used to warn against people who have a bad reputation
I get tired, goose	Me canso, ganso	me ˈkãnso | ˈɡãnso	Means that you will do something no matter what
We think caged birds sing, when really, they cry	Creemos que los pájaros enjaulados cantan, cuando en realidad lloran	kɾeˈemos ˈke los ˈpaxaɾos ɛ̃nxau̯ˈlaðos ˈkãntãn | ˈkwãndo ɛ̃n realiˈðað ˈʝoɾãn	Can be used metaphorically to express that humans need freedom
Owls are the wisest of birds because the more they see, the less they talk	Un búho es el más sabio de todas las aves porque cuanto más ve, menos habla	ũm ˈbuo ˈɛs ɛl ˈmas ˈsaβjo ðe ˈtoðas̬ las ˈaβes ˈpoɾke ˈkwãnto ˈmas̬ ˈβe | ˈmenos ˈaβla	Observing is often much wiser than talking
Be like a bird perched on a fragile branch that may snap but continues singing knowing that it has wings	Sé como un pájaro posado en una rama frágil que siente doblarse debajo de ella, pero sigue cantando de todos modos, sabiendo que tiene alas	ˈse ˈkomo ũ̯m ˈpaxaɾo poˈsaðo ɛn ˈuna ˈrama ˈfɾaxil ˈke ˈsjɛ̃nte ðoˈβlaɾse ðeˈβaxo ðe ˈeʝa | ˈpɛɾo ˈsiɣe kãnˈtãndo ðe ˈtoðos̬ ˈmoðos | saˈβjɛ̃ndo ˈke ˈtjene ˈalas	Even if you’re in a precarious situation, you should be confident in your own ability to progress past it
No bird flies too high if it flies with its own wings	Ningún pájaro vuela demasiado alto si vuela con sus propias alas	nĩnˈɡũm ˈpaxaɾo ˈβwela ðemaˈsjaðo ˈalto si ˈβwela kõn sus ˈpɾopjas ˈalas	Don’t be scared of success if you attain it through your own merit
Every bird loves its nest	A cada pájaro le gusta su nido	a ˈkaða ˈpaxaɾo le ˈɣusta su ˈniðo	Everyone builds their home according to their wants
New cage, dead bird	Jaula nueva, pájaro muerto	ˈxau̯la ˈnweβa | ˈpaxaɾo ˈmwɛɾto	Every change comes with some risk
As a bird in its nest	Como pájaro en su nido	ˈkomo ˈpaxaɾo ɛ̃n su ˈniðo	Used when someone fits in right away, as a bird in its nest
Small bird for such a big cage	Chico pájaro para tan gran jaula	ˈʧiko ˈpaxaɾo ˈpaɾa ˈtãn ˈɡɾãn ˈxau̯la	Used for people who have extremely big shoes to fill (and fail at doing so)
From afar you can recognize when a bird is a canary	De lejos se reconoce al pájaro que es canario	de ˈlexos se rekoˈnose al ˈpaxaɾo ˈke ˈɛs kaˈnaɾjo	Used to praise the work of an outstanding individual
A bird will sing even on a cracking branch	El pájaro canta aunque la rama cruja	ɛl ˈpaxaɾo ˈkãnta ˈau̯nke la ˈrama ˈkɾuxa	Used to say that you should trust yourself even in precarious situations
The bird that wakes up early will eat the best worm	El pájaro que madruga se come al mejor gusano	ɛl ˈpaxaɾo ˈke maˈðɾuɣa se ˈkome al meˈxoɾ ɣuˈsano	Early bird gets the worm
A friar who is also a beggar is a bird of bad omen	Fraile limosnero, pájaro de mal agüero	ˈfɾai̯le limos̬ˈnɛɾo | ˈpaxaɾo ðe ˈmal aˈɣwɛɾo	Friars shouldn’t be asking for money, so if someone is doing something odd, it might be a bad omen
No bird was ever born to stay in its nest	Ningún pájaro ha nacido para quedarse en el nido	nĩnˈɡũm ˈpaxaɾo ˈa naˈsiðo ˈpaɾa keˈðaɾsɛ ɛn ɛl ˈniðo	Used to express that people should be free to leave their home and explore
According to the bird, its nest	Según es el pájaro, así es el nido	seˈɣun ˈɛs ɛl ˈpaxaɾo | aˈsi ˈɛs ɛl ˈniðo	Used to say that everyone builds their home according to their needs or ability

Just for laughs: Birds speaking Spanish

1. Bird bossing his human brother around

You probably already knew that parrots could talk, but did you know they can boss you around too? This hysterical parrot adopted (stole!?) his mom’s identity and now acts as a second mother to his human brother. Watch the video below to see this parrot badger his brother around and ask him if he’s going to work, shower, and eat!

2. Bird singing Spanish songs

Beyond speaking (and pestering!), parrots are also amazing singers! From funny songs in Spanish like La Cucaracha to opera, these birds can truly handle anything you throw at them. Check out the following video to watch this talented and charismatic bird sing dozens of different songs in Spanish.

3. Crow answering questions in Spanish

Birds are incredibly interesting creatures, and parrots aren’t the only ones that can talk! There are many types of birds that are able to mimic human and non-human sounds, such as the savvy crow. Heads up though, the crow even says some curse words!

Study these birds and watch your Spanish take flight

Learning the birds in Spanish is a great way to progress beyond a beginner Spanish level. Even if you’re not a huge fan of birds, knowing the names of birds in Spanish will help you understand conversations, books, movies, and TV shows.

And if you’re looking for other animals in Spanish, check out our Spanish blog! We publish great new content each month on a variety of topics, including animals, fruits and vegetables, and more! And best of all—all of our articles are always free!

That’s it for today, but keep learning with our blogs and watch your Spanish level soar!