Glossary of bird names

Accentor
A type of sparrowlike bird with a thin, finally pointed bill (=Prunellidae).

Accipiter
(ak-SIP-ih-ter). Genus name given to a group of "short-winged hawks" in Europe in 1760. In North America, the group includes the goshawk, Cooper's Hawk and Sharp-shinned Hawk, which are collectively known as the "accipiters" by ornithologists and bird-watchers.

Aigrette
The term aigrette (from the French for egret, or lesser white heron) refers to the tufted crest or head-plumes of the egret, used for adorning a woman's head-dress. It is another name for an egret.

Albatross
A type of oceangoing seabird that glides for great distances on long, narrow wings and nests on islands.

Alcid
(AL-sid). Seabird of the auk family. Ornithologists usually refer to these birds collectively as alcids.

American Vulture family
Another name for the New World vultures.

American Wood Warbler family
Another name for the New World warblers.

Anatid
Term among ornithologists for a bird that belongs to the family Anatidae--ducks, geese and swans.

Anhinga
A name for the North American species of darter and alternatively used for the other species as well.

Ani
A type of large black, New World cuckoo (=Crotophagidae or Cuculidae).

Antbird
A type of rain forest passerine that feeds on insects and other invertebrates that have become easier to catch when they are fleeing from army ants (=Formicariidae).

Apostlebird
See article.

Auk
A type of penguinlike seabird that is able to fly and typically hunts underwater, propelling itself with its wings instead of its feet (=Alcidae).

Auklet
A type of small auk.

Avocet
A type of wading bird known for its long legs and bill (=Recurvirostidae, in part).

Babbler

 * 1) A type of short-winged and strong-footed passerine of forest or scrub, often occurring in small, noisy groups (=Timaliidae).
 * 2) Noisy, gregarious; mainly ground-feeding passerines with plump brownish bodies with longish tails, pointed, down-curved bills. They build many dome-shaped nests for communal roosting (=Pomatostomidae).

Barbet
.

Badger-bird
Another name for the Marbled Godwit.

Baldface
Another name for the American Coot.

Baldhead
A local name in Florida for the Sandhill Crane, in allusion to its partly unfeathered head.

Baldpate
Another name for the American Wigeon.

Baltimorebird
Another name for the Baltimore Oriole.

Barn owl
.

Baza
A type of hawk in the genus Aviceda (Accipitridae, in part).

Bellbird
.

Berrypecker

 * 1) See "painted berrypecker".
 * 2) Medium-sized birds which feed on fruit and some insects and other invertebrates. They have drab coloured plumage in greys, browns or black and white. The berrypeckers resemble stout short-billed honeyeaters, and the longbills are like drab sunbirds. There are 10 species, all of which are restricted to New Guinea (=Melanocharitidae).

Berrypicker
See article.

Bird-of-paradise
.

Bird of prey
.

Blackbird
.

Bowerbird
.

Broadbill
.

Bulbul
.

Bunting
.

Bustard
.

Bustard
.

Buttonquail
.

Buzzard
.

Caracara
.

Cardinal
.

Catbird
.

Chanting-goshawk
.

Chat
.

Chickadee
.

Cockatoo
.

Condor
.

Conure
.

Cormorant
.

Cotinga
.

Coucal
.

Courser
.

Crake
.

Crane
.

Creeper
.

Crow
.

Cuckoo
.

Curassow
.

Currawong
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Painted berrypecker
A bird family that is a very small, restricted to the mountain forests of New Guinea. The two species are colourful medium-sized birds which feed on fruit and some insects (=Paramythiidae).

Pewee
A type of tyrant flycatcher in the genus Contopus (=Tyrannidae, in part).

Phoebe
A type of tyrant flycatcher in the genus Sayornis (=Tyrannidae, in part).