Birds come in all shapes, sizes, and… letter counts! Here’s a fun and informative list of 50+ four-letter bird names, each with precisely four letters. These descriptions add a bit of background on each bird, perfect for expanding your birding knowledge or solving that crossword!
Exploring 50+ Four Letter Bird Names With (Species ID Guide)
1. Tern
A small, graceful seabird with sharp wings and a pointy beak. Terns are known for their long-distance migrations and swooping dives for fish.
2. Teal
A small duck with a striking bluish-green feather patch. Teals are fast flyers and often spotted in ponds and wetlands.
3. Hawk
Powerful birds of prey with excellent eyesight and sharp talons. Hawks are found worldwide and are known for their majestic hunting style.
4. Owl
Silent night hunters with big eyes and distinctive “hoots.” Owls use their superb vision and hearing to locate prey in the dark.
5. Lark
A songbird known for its cheerful, melodic calls, especially in the morning. Larks are symbols of joy and freedom.
6. Dove
Symbolizing peace, doves are gentle birds with soft coos. They often have pure white feathers, though they come in various colors.
7. Poto
A rare and elusive bird known for its unique look and excellent camouflage. The poto spends its days blending in with tree branches.
8. Myna
Chatty birds with a wide vocal range, mynas are often found in tropical areas. They’re known to mimic sounds, including human speech.
9. Kiwi
New Zealand’s iconic flightless bird, known for its long beak and unique fuzzy feathers. Kiwis forage at night and are surprisingly speedy runners.
10. Ibis
Wading birds with long, curved beaks, often found near marshes and wetlands. Ibises use their beaks to probe for food in muddy water.
11. Sora
A small, secretive marsh bird with a distinctive short beak. Soras are usually heard more than seen, with their high-pitched calls echoing in wetlands.
12. Moa
An extinct flightless bird from New Zealand. Moas were large, wingless birds hunted to extinction by humans in the 15th century.
13. Dodo
The famously extinct bird from Mauritius, known for its clumsy appearance and inability to fly. Dodos became extinct in the 17th century due to overhunting.
14. Rhea
A large, flightless bird native to South America, similar to an ostrich. Rheas are excellent runners and have powerful legs.
15. Nene
Also called the Hawaiian goose, the nene is Hawaii’s state bird. Known for its friendliness and resilience, it’s a conservation success story.
16. Wrens
Tiny, busy birds known for their energetic movements and loud, beautiful songs. Wrens are often spotted flitting about in bushes.
17. Rail
A secretive marsh bird known for its distinctive, soft calls. Rails are found in wetlands around the world but are often hard to spot.
18. Kaka
A parrot species native to New Zealand, known for its playful personality and colorful plumage. Kakas are social and intelligent.
19. Pere
Short for peregrine falcon, this bird is one of the fastest on Earth, reaching speeds of up to 240 mph during a dive.
20. Auk
A seabird that spends most of its time in the cold northern oceans. Auks are excellent swimmers and divers.
21. Kite
Known for its forked tail and graceful flight, the kite is a bird of prey often seen soaring over open fields.
22. Merg
Short for merganser, a diving duck species that hunts fish underwater using a serrated beak.
23. Gosh
Short for goshawk, a powerful bird of prey known for its agility and sharp talons, especially adept in forest hunting.
24. Kiti
Short for kittiwake, a coastal gull found in the Arctic regions. These birds are social nesters, often forming large colonies.
25. Puff
Short for puffin, these adorable seabirds have colorful beaks and are skilled divers, hunting fish underwater.
26. Linn
Short for linnet, a small songbird often seen in European meadows, known for its beautiful red chest during breeding season.
27. Smew
A small migratory duck with distinctive black-and-white plumage. Smews are known for their graceful flight and shy behavior.
28. Nodi
Short for noddy and also in the list of four-letter bird names, a type of tern found in tropical and subtropical regions. Noddies have a gentle flight and are common around islands.
29. Rook Bird
A member of the crow family, the rook is known for its intelligence and social nature, often nesting in large colonies.
30. Taka
Short for takahē, a rare, colorful, and flightless bird from New Zealand. Once thought extinct, it was rediscovered in the 20th century.
31. Yang
A nickname for the yellow-rumped warbler, a small migratory bird known for its bright yellow rump feathers.
32. Keel
Short for keel-billed toucan, a colorful bird with a massive, multicolored bill.
33. Moor
Short for moorhen, a waterbird often found in ponds and marshes, with red and yellow beaks and a distinctive gait.
34. Loon
Known for their haunting calls, loons are waterbirds that are excellent divers, often found in lakes in North America.
35. Kori
Short for kori bustard, one of the heaviest flying birds, native to Africa and known for its powerful wings.
36. Auk
A bird related to puffins, known for its black and white plumage and diving skills in the northern oceans.
37. Tody
A tiny, bright-green bird found in the Caribbean, known for its vibrant feathers and quick darting movements.
38. Chat
Small songbirds known for their loud, chattering calls, often found in open woodlands and shrubby areas.
39. Sage
Short for sage-grouse, a bird known for its elaborate mating display and dependence on sagebrush habitats.
40. Rock
Short for rock dove, the common pigeon seen in cities around the world, known for their adaptability.
41. Juba
Nickname for the jubilee bird, a term sometimes used for certain Australian fairy-wrens.
42. Sisk
Short for siskin, a small finch with yellow and black feathers, often found in European forests.
43. Rall
Short for rallid refers to birds in the rail family, including crakes and coots.
44. King
Short for kingfisher, colorful birds known for their sharp bills and ability to dive to catch fish.
45. Tatt
Short for tattler, a type of shorebird commonly found along coastal regions, often with a high-pitched call.
46. Shag
A type of cormorant with dark plumage, often seen perched near water with wings outstretched to dry.
47. Crow
One of the most intelligent bird species, crows are known for their problem-solving skills and complex social behaviors.
48. Tora
Short for toraja pigeon, a bird native to Indonesia and known for its distinctive coloration.
49. Dike
Short for dikey heron, often found near dikes or riverbanks, hunting for fish and insects.
50. Finn
Short for finch, it is a small, colorful songbird often found in fields and forests known for its cheerful chirps.
That wraps up our list of 50 four-letter bird names! These birds come in all shapes, colors, and habitats, from the common crow to the exotic taka. Perfect for your next trivia session, word game, or just for fun!
