Birds are fascinating creatures and kids are attracted to them for their unique features. Birds have the ability to fly, which in the minds of a child is no less than a superpower! They have colourful feathers which give them unique looks, making them easy to identify for little children.
Children will enjoy learning the names of birds and seeing their pictures of even in real life. Here, we give you a list of birds’ names in English to introduce to your child, as well as some interesting ideas on how to teach your child about birds.
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!
Characteristics Of Birds
Birds are a group of warm-blooded vertebrates constituting the class Aves, characterised by feathers, toothless beaked jaws, the laying of hard-shelled eggs, a high metabolic rate, a four-chambered heart, and a strong yet lightweight skeleton. Here are some of their unique characteristics:
1. Wings
Although all birds have wings, not every bird fly. The bodies of birds are designed in such a way that there is a curve in their arms to lift and strong chest muscles.
2. Feathers
Keratin is the material; the feathers are made from similar to nails and hair. They are also used to give warmth to our bodies, and females use them to attract their mates.
3. Beak
Birds do not have teeth per se but sharp edges along the sides of their beaks. A bony structure at the center of the face of any bird is called mandibles or also called bills.
4. Eggs
Birds give birth to little ones in the form of eggs that come out in several colors depending on the species. Birds build nests to protect their eggs that are mostly made out of calcium shell with the mucus layer.
5. Skeleton
Birds have lightweight frames with hollow bones that help them fly quickly since they are light. Birds have rigid bones compared to other mammals.
List Of Common Birds With Pictures In Alphabetical Order
Here is a complete list of birds that your child should be familiar with. These birds make for an important part of our nature and children must be aware of their unique qualities. Find below an alphabetical list of birds for kids:
1. Crows
Crows are generally black in colour. The word “crow” is used as part of the common name of many species. The related term “raven” is not pinned scientifically to any certain trait, but is rather a general grouping for larger Corvus spp.
2. Doves
These are stout-bodied birds with short necks and short slender bills that in some species feature fleshy ceres. They primarily feed on seeds, fruits, and plants.
3. Ducks
Duck is the common name for numerous species of waterfowl in the family Anatidae. Ducks are generally smaller and shorter-necked than swans and geese, which are members of the same family.
4. Eagle
Eagle is the common name for many large birds of prey of the family Accipitridae. Eagles belong to several groups of genera, some of which are closely related. Most of the 68 species of eagle are from Eurasia and Africa.
5. Emu
The emu is the second-tallest living bird after its ratite relative the ostrich. It is endemic to Australia where it is the largest native bird and the only extant member of the genus Dromaius.
6. Flamingo
Flamingos or flamingoes are a type of wading bird in the family Phoenicopteridae, which is the only extant family in the order Phoenicopteriformes. There are four flamingo species distributed throughout the Americas, and two species native to Afro-Eurasia.
7. Geese
A goose is a bird of any of several waterfowl species in the family Anatidae. This group comprises the genera Anser and Branta. Some other birds, mostly related to the shelducks, have “goose” as part of their names.
8. Hen
The chicken is a domesticated junglefowl species with attributes of wild species such as the grey and the Ceylon junglefowl that are originally from Southeastern Asia. Rooster or cock is a term for an adult male bird, and a younger male may be called a cockerel.
9. Hummingbirds
Hummingbirds are birds native to the Americas and comprise the biological family Trochilidae. With about 361 species and 113 genera, they occur from Alaska to Tierra del Fuego, but the vast majority of the species are found in the tropics around the equator.
10. Kingfishers
Kingfishers are a family, the Alcedinidae, of small to medium-sized, brightly colored birds in the order Coraciiformes. They have a cosmopolitan distribution, with most species found in the tropical regions of Africa, Asia, and Oceania, but also can be seen in Europe.
11. Ostriches
Ostriches are large flightless birds of the genus Struthio in the order Struthioniformes, part of the infra-class Palaeognathae, a diverse group of flightless birds also known as ratites that includes the emus, rheas, and kiwis.
12. Owls
Owls are birds from the order Strigiformes, which includes over 200 species of mostly solitary and nocturnal birds of prey typified by an upright stance, a large, broad head, binocular vision, binaural hearing, sharp talons, and feathers adapted for silent flight.
13. Parrots
Parrots, also known as psittacines, are birds of the roughly 398 species in 92 genera comprising the order Psittaciformes, found mostly in tropical and subtropical regions.
14. Peacock
The Indian peafowl, also known as the common peafowl, and blue peafowl, is a peafowl species native to the Indian subcontinent.
15. Pelicans
Pelicans are a genus of large water birds that make up the family Pelecanidae. They are characterized by a long beak and a large throat pouch used for catching prey and draining water from the scooped-up contents before swallowing.
16. Ravens
Closely related, both ravens and crows are species of the genus Corvus. The raven has a heavier bill and shaggier plumage than the crow, especially around the throat.
17. Seagulls
Gulls, or colloquially seagulls, are seabirds of the family Laridae in the suborder Lari. They are most closely related to the terns and skimmers and only distantly related to auks, and even more distantly to waders.
18. Sparrows
The house sparrow is a bird of the sparrow family Passeridae, found in most parts of the world. It is a small bird that has a typical length of 16 cm and a mass of 24–39.5 g. Females and young birds are coloured pale brown and grey, and males have brighter black, white, and brown markings.
19. Swans
Swans are birds of the family Anatidae within the genus Cygnus. The swans’ closest relatives include the geese and ducks. Swans are grouped with the closely related geese in the subfamily Anserinae where they form the tribe Cygnini.
20. Woodpeckers
Woodpeckers are part of the bird family Picidae, which also includes the piculets, wrynecks, and sapsuckers. Members of this family are found worldwide, except for Australia, New Guinea, New Zealand, Madagascar, and the extreme polar regions.
List Of Other Bird Names
This list of different kinds of birds includes some which may not be very commonly seen around us.
- Auks
- Blackbirds
- Chickadees
- Falcons
- Finches
- Flycatchers
- Game Birds
- Herons
- Jays
- Nuthatches
- Penguins
- Rooster
- Seabirds
- Swallows
- Swifts
- Thrushes
- Turkey
- Vulture
- Warblers
- Wrens
Activities That Will Help Your Child Learn Bird Names
Here are some great activities that will help you teach your child about birds.
1. Pin It!
For better learning, you can pin up a bird chart in your child’s room. They will automatically learn when they see it often during the day. Also, keep interacting with them about the birds and ask them to make the sounds too.
2. Hear That?
You can use audio, or you can imitate the sounds of the birds on your own and ask your kid to guess the name of the bird. Sounds always attract and fascinate the kids to know and learn. This will help them memorise the names of the birds as well as try to imitate the sounds themselves.
3. Walk in The Park
Try to take your kid to the park frequently so that they can see some birds around them. It will help them to retain better. Also, ask your kids to observe the birds. Make them show the nest, if possible. This way, they will take more interest.
4. Practice Makes Perfect
For better learning, you can also use daily or weekly online worksheets for birds’ names learning kindergarten. Online worksheets always fascinate kids as they love to enjoy sounds and guess them.
5. Bird Rhymes
You can also play online birds name rhymes on your phone or TV screen but make sure to play these in the limit.
Interesting Facts About Birds
- There are more than 18,000 bird species in the world
- Birds are the only animals with feathers
- All female birds lay eggs
- We can find birds all over the continents of the world
- Birds flock together to protect themselves
- Birds evolved from dinosaurs
- Some birds can mimic human speech
- The ostrich has the largest eyes of any land animal
- Some birds sleep with one eye open
- The wandering albatross can sleep flying
With this article, your child has learnt a lot about birds. Make this knowledge more effective by indulging them in simple activities like feeding birds, or simply looking out of the window to observe birds flying, chirping, nesting or quietly perched on trees. First hand observation is the best learning method, combined with knowledge and facts that they have learnt today.
Also Read:
Names of Animal in English for Kids
Wild Animal Names for Preschoolers and Kids
List of Sea Animal for Preschoolers and Children
