Vocabulary related to birds in French

There are many different kinds of birds that we see around us. In this article, we take you through different types of birds in French. See what different birds are called in French and use them to talk about birds in French. Learn French online with us by reading our blogs.

1. Un moineau

Meaning: a small, grey-brown bird that is especially common in towns

English: a sparrow

Example: Nous avons vu un moineau avec un ver dans son bec.(We saw a sparrow with a worm in its beak.)

2.Une corneille

Meaning: black bird with a loud cry

English: a small crow

Example: La corneille ébouriffe ses plumes noires à la vue d’un renard.(The crow ruffled its black feathers at the sight of a fox.)

3.Un merle 

Meaning: a European bird, the male of which has black feathers and a bright yellow beak

English:a blackbird

Example: Elle a vu un merle perché sur les portes de son école. (She saw a blackbird perching on the gates of her school.)

4.Un pigeon 

Meaning: a large, usually grey bird that is often seen in towns sitting on buildings in large groups, and is sometimes eaten as food

English: a pigeon

Example: Il voulait chasser des pigeons pendant ses vacances. (He wanted to hunt down some pigeons on his vacation.)

5.Une hirondelle

Meaning :a small bird with pointed wings and a tail with two points that flies quickly and catches insects to eat as it flies

English: swallow

Example: Une hirondelle a volé vers l’est en rasant le lac. (A swallow flew east skimming the lake.)

6.Un pie 

Meaning a bird with black and white feathers and a long tail

English:magpie

Example: La vue d’une pie est considérée comme de bon augure. (The sight of a magpie is considered to be a good omen.)

7.Un étourneau 

Meaning: a common bird with black or dark brown feathers that lives in large groups in many parts of the world

English:starling

Example:Voir les étourneaux dans leur perchoir nocturne est un plaisir à regarder. (Seeing the starlings in their nighttime roost is a delight to watch.)

8.Une mouette 

Meaning a bird that lives near the sea and has short legs, long wings, and white and grey feathers

English:seagull

Example: Ils ont essayé d’attraper une mouette en enroulant de la nourriture autour d’une pierre et en la jetant en l’air.(They tried to catch a seagull by wrapping food around a stone and throwing it in the air.)

9.Une perruche 

Meaning: one of many types of small parrot with a long tail

English: – parakeet

Example: Pour mon anniversaire, mon père m’a offert une perruche de compagnie. (For my birthday, my dad gifted me a pet parakeet.)

10.Un canard 

Meaning: a bird that lives by water and has webbed feet, a short neck, and a large beak:

English: duck

Example: La cane a pondu sept œufs ce mois-ci. (The duck laid seven eggs this month.)

11.Un pivert 

Meaning :a bird that uses its strong beak to make holes in tree trunks in order to find insects to eat

English:a woodpecker

Example: Le pivert n’arrêtait pas de picorer l’arbre dans notre jardin. (The woodpecker wouldn’t stop pecking the tree in our backyard.)

12.Un hibou 

Meaning:a bird with a flat face and large eyes that hunts small mammals at night

English: an owl

Example: L’hibou chasse au cœur de la nuit. (The owl hunts in the dead of the night.)  

13.Une tourterelle 

Meaning: a white or grey bird, often used as a symbol of peace

English:  a dove 

Example:Elle regarda la tourterelle planer au-dessus du marronnier.(She watched the dove soar above the chestnut trees.) 

14.Un corbeau 

Meaning: the largest bird in the crow family, with shiny black feathers

English:a raven

Example: Apportez un corbeau et il choisira vos yeux.(Bring up a raven and he’ll pick out your eyes.)

15.Un perroquet 

Meaning: a tropical bird with a curved beak, often kept as a pet and trained to copy the human voice

English:parrot

Example: Chaque matin, au réveil, je vois un perroquet juste devant ma fenêtre. (Every morning as I wake up, I see a parrot just outside my window.) 

Now that you have learnt the meanings of these words in French, be sure to use them while you visit France. For more such vocabulary in French, keep following our blog.