Every bird on this page is pronounced in exactly 1 syllable — full profile for each.
Looking for 1-syllable birds? Here are 17 birds that fit — each linked to a full profile.
Syllables are counted across the whole name (multi-word names sum). "Apple" is 2 syllables; "Macaroni and Cheese" is 6.
A tall, long-legged wading bird famous for elaborate courtship dances, lifelong pair bonds, and distinctive trumpeting calls — 15 species worldwide, with several critically endangered and others recovered through dedicated conservation.
A large, all-black corvid widespread across North America — among the most intelligent of all birds, with sophisticated tool use, problem-solving, and individual face recognition.
A small to medium-sized bird of the pigeon family — peace symbol across cultures, the white morph used in religious imagery, and the common name shared with the genus including the rock pigeon of every city worldwide.
The most widespread and recognizable duck species on Earth, ancestor of nearly all domestic duck breeds, and a study in iridescent green and chestnut sexual dimorphism.
A small, seed-eating songbird with a thick conical beak — including the Galapagos finches that helped Darwin develop natural selection theory, the canaries of pet history, and many beloved garden visitors.
A large migratory waterfowl with a black neck and white chinstrap, abundant across North America and increasingly resident in suburban parks where milder winters and grass lawns allow year-round survival.
A family of plump ground-dwelling birds adapted to cold climates — including iconic species like ruffed grouse, sage grouse, and ptarmigan, with elaborate dramatic mating displays in many species.
A general name for medium-sized day-flying raptors — including the Cooper's, sharp-shinned, and red-tailed hawks of North America — built for speed in forest pursuit and for soaring on thermals.
A primitive-looking diving bird of northern lakes with a haunting yodeling call, awkward on land but exceptional underwater — the official bird of Ontario and a symbol of northern wilderness.
A heart-faced, ghostly nocturnal raptor found on every continent except Antarctica, and one of the most efficient rodent-controllers in the natural world.
A plump, ground-foraging gamebird with a distinctive teardrop-shaped plume on its head, the official state bird of California and a familiar sight in western U.S. backyards.
A cryptically patterned wader of wet grassland and bogs — famous for its evasive zigzagging escape flight, its ethereal "drumming" display sound made by tail feathers, and for being the origin of the word "sniper."
A large long-legged wading bird famous in folklore for delivering babies — about 19 species worldwide ranging from the white stork's chimney-top nests to the marabou's massive 3 m wingspan.
A large white waterfowl with an orange bill and an iconic curved neck, fiercely territorial and surprisingly aggressive despite its placid appearance.
A dark, scythe-winged aerial specialist that spends almost its entire life on the wing — eating, sleeping, bathing, and mating in flight — landing only to nest, making it the most aerial bird in the world.
A diverse family of medium-sized songbirds known for melodious songs and ground-foraging — with the American robin, European blackbird, and song thrush as the most familiar members of a globally distributed family.
Tiny brown songbirds with surprisingly loud voices — about 88 species worldwide, with the iconic Eurasian wren weighing just 10 grams while producing some of the loudest songs in the bird world.
That's our current list of birds pronounced in 1 syllable. Want to combine with a starting letter? Try 1-syllable birds that start with A.