This list includes 93 Birds that start with F, from “Fairy Flycatcher” to “Fuscous Honeyeater”. Many are flycatchers, finches, falcons, or honeyeaters, and they appear in field guides worldwide, useful for birdwatching and teaching.

Birds that start with F are species whose common English names begin with the letter F. They include tiny species like the Fairy Flycatcher and famed groups such as falcons used historically in falconry.

Below you’ll find the table with Common name, Scientific name, Habitat, Wingspan (cm), and Range/Status.

Common name: The familiar English name you see in field guides, helping you quickly match what you observe in nature.

Scientific name (binomial): The Latin two-part name gives precise species identity so you can cross-reference taxonomies and records.

Habitat: Brief habitat category like forest, wetland, or coastal, showing where you are most likely to find the species.

Wingspan (cm): Typical wingspan range in centimeters, useful for size comparisons and field identification at a glance.

Range/Status: General geographic range and conservation status to help you assess rarity and likely occurrence in your area.

Birds that start with F

Common NameScientific NameHabitatWingspan (cm)
Fairy PittaPitta nymphaForest35-40
Fairy TernGygis albaCoastal76-80
Falcated DuckMareca falcataWetland79-91
Fan-tailed CuckooCacomantis flabelliformisForest38-44
Fan-tailed GerygoneGerygone flavolateralisForest14-16
Fan-tailed RavenCorvus rhipidurusDesert100-115
FantailRhipiduraForest15-20
Ferruginous HawkButeo regalisGrassland133-152
Ferruginous Pygmy OwlGlaucidium brasilianumForest30-38
Fiery-billed AracariPteroglossus frantziiForest38-41
Fiery-throated HummingbirdPanterpe insignisMountain28-30
Fiji GoshawkAccipiter rufitorquesForest58-73
Fiji ShrikebillClytorhynchus vitiensisForest26-29
Fiji WoodswallowArtamus mentalisSavanna30-34
FieldfareTurdus pilarisGrassland39-42
FinchFringillidaeForest15-25
Fine-spotted WoodpeckerCampethera punctuligeraSavanna30-34
FinfootHeliornithidaeFreshwater40-55
Fire-tufted BarbetPsilopogon pyrolophusMountain28-30
FirecrestRegulus ignicapillaForest13-16
FirefinchLagonostictaSavanna12-14
Fiscal ShrikeLanius collarisSavanna21-23
Fischer’s LovebirdAgapornis fischeriSavanna22-24
Fish CrowCorvus ossifragusCoastal85-100
Fish EagleHaliaeetusCoastal180-250
Five-colored BarbetCapito quinticolorForest25-28
Flame BowerbirdSericulus aureusForest45-50
Flame RobinPetroica phoeniceaForest25-28
Flame-colored TanagerPiranga bidentataForest28-32
FlamingoPhoenicopteridaeWetland125-165
Flightless CormorantNannopterum harrisiCoastal89-100
Flint-billed WoodpeckerCampephilus rubricollisForest58-62
Flock BronzewingPhaps histrionicaGrassland55-65
Flores MonarchSymposiachrus sacerdotumForest22-24
Flores Scops OwlOtus alfrediMountain45-50
Florida Scrub JayAphelocoma coerulescensSavanna33-36
Fluffy-backed Tit-BabblerMacronus ptilosusForest15-17
FlycatcherMuscicapidaeForest15-30
Flying Steamer-DuckTachyeres patachonicusCoastal66-78
Foothill ElaeniaMyiopagis olallaiMountain18-20
Forbes’s BlackbirdAnumara forbesiWetland38-42
Forest BuzzardButeo trizonatusForest95-110
Forest CanaryCrithagra scotopsForest18-20
Forest FodyFoudia omissaForest18-20
Forest KingfisherTodiramphus macleayiiForest25-28
Forest RobinStiphrornis erythrothoraxForest20-22
Forest Wood HoopoePhoeniculus castaneicepsForest35-40
Forster’s TernSterna forsteriCoastal73-80
Fork-tailed DrongoDicrurus adsimilisSavanna45-50
Fork-tailed FlycatcherTyrannus savanaGrassland35-40
Fork-tailed Storm PetrelHydrobates furcatusMarine43-48
Forty-spotted PardalotePardalotus quadragintusForest15-17
Franklin’s GullLeucophaeus pipixcanWetland85-95
Freckled DuckStictonetta naevosaWetland70-80
Freckled NightjarCaprimulgus tristigmaMountain60-65
FrigatebirdFregataMarine195-245
Frilled CoquetteLophornis magnificusForest15-18
Frill-necked MonarchArses telescopthalmusForest20-22
Fringe-backed Fire-eyePyriglena atraForest22-25
Fruit-hunterChlamydochaera jefferyiMountain35-38
FulmarFulmarus glacialisMarine102-112
Fulvous Whistling DuckDendrocygna bicolorWetland85-103
Fulvous-breasted WoodpeckerDendrocopos maceiForest30-34
Fuscous HoneyeaterPtilotula fuscaForest20-23
Fawn-breasted BrilliantHeliodoxa rubinoidesMountain28-32
Fawn-colored LarkCalendulauda poecilosternaSavanna28-32
Fernando Po SpeiropsZosterops feaeMountain15-18
Fiery-capped ManakinMachaeropterus pyrocephalusForest12-14
Fiji ParrotfinchErythrura pealiiForest15-17
Flammulated OwlPsiloscopus flammeolusForest36-40
Fork-tailed WoodnymphThalurania furcataForest20-23
Fox SparrowPasserella iliacaForest25-28
Fairy FlycatcherStenostira scitaSavanna15-17
Fan-tailed BerrypeckerMelanocharis versteriMountain18-20
Fire-breasted FlowerpeckerDicaeum ignipectusForest10-12
Fire-tailed MyzornisMyzornis pyrrhouraMountain16-18
Fire-tailed SunbirdAethopyga ignicaudaMountain15-20
Finsch’s FrancolinScleroptila finschiSavanna50-55
Finsch’s WheatearOenanthe finschiiDesert25-28
Forest ElaeniaMyiopagis gaimardiiForest18-20
Fork-tailed Tody-TyrantHemitriccus furcatusForest12-14
Fox’s WeaverPloceus spekeoidesWetland20-22
Friendly FantailRhipidura albolimbataMountain18-20
Frilled MonarchArses kaupiForest20-22
Fulvous-chinned NunletNonnula sclateriForest20-22
Fulvous-vented EuphoniaEuphonia fulvicrissaForest15-17
Furtive FlycatcherFicedula dispositaForest18-20
Fuscous FlycatcherCnemotriccus fuscatusForest20-22
Fawn-breasted TanagerPipraeidea melanonotaForest22-25
Ferruginous-backed AntbirdMyrmoderus ferrugineusForest20-23
Forceps-tailed TyrantHymenops perspicillatusWetland25-28
Forest BatisBatis mixtaForest15-17
Forest NightjarCaprimulgus binotatusForest45-50

Descriptions

Fairy Pitta
A jewel of East Asian forests, this small bird has stunningly vibrant plumage. It is famously shy and elusive, often heard with its clear two-note whistle before it is ever seen foraging on the forest floor.
Fairy Tern
A small, beautiful all-white seabird found in tropical oceans. Unusually, it does not build a nest, instead laying its single egg precariously on a bare branch, rock ledge, or man-made structure.
Falcated Duck
A strikingly beautiful dabbling duck from East Asia, named for the male’s long, sickle-shaped inner flight feathers. They are known for their metallic green heads and distinctive crest.
Fan-tailed Cuckoo
An Australasian cuckoo known for its descending, mournful whistle and fanned tail. Like many cuckoos, it is a brood parasite, laying its eggs in the nests of smaller birds like fairywrens and thornbills.
Fan-tailed Gerygone
A tiny, active warbler found in the southwest Pacific. It constantly flits through the canopy, fanning its white-tipped tail while foraging for insects and singing a delicate, tinkling song.
Fan-tailed Raven
A thick-billed, short-tailed raven of arid regions in Africa and the Middle East. It is highly acrobatic, often soaring on thermals, and its calls are a distinctive, guttural croak.
Fantail
A family of small, insectivorous birds known for their long, fanned tails which they constantly flick while foraging. They are energetic and often quite tame, inhabiting forests and gardens across Asia and Oceania.
Ferruginous Hawk
North America’s largest buteo hawk, with broad wings and a formidable appearance. It inhabits open plains and prairies, preying on mammals like prairie dogs and ground squirrels, often from the ground.
Ferruginous Pygmy Owl
A tiny, fierce owl of the Americas, often active during the day. Despite its size, it is a powerful predator of small birds and insects, recognized by the false “eyespots” on the back of its head.
Fiery-billed Aracari
A vibrant toucan from Central America with a stunning, multi-colored bill. It is a social bird, often traveling in small flocks through the forest canopy, feeding on fruit, insects, and small vertebrates.
Fiery-throated Hummingbird
A brilliantly colored hummingbird found only in the mountains of Costa Rica and Panama. Its throat flashes from fiery orange to yellow and its head is a vibrant blue, making it a dazzling sight.
Fiji Goshawk
A handsome hawk endemic to the islands of Fiji. Adults are unique among goshawks for their grey head and pinkish-grey underparts and collar. It is a versatile hunter in various wooded habitats.
Fiji Shrikebill
A medium-sized, drab-colored bird endemic to several Pacific islands. It has a distinctive heavy, hooked bill used to probe and pry for insects in dense vegetation, often making loud bill-snapping sounds.
Fiji Woodswallow
A stout, social bird found only on the larger islands of Fiji. It’s known for its smooth blue-grey and white plumage and for huddling together in tight groups on branches, even during the day.
Fieldfare
A large, social thrush with a distinctive grey head, brown back, and spotted breast. It breeds in northern Europe and Asia, forming large, noisy flocks in fields and parks during winter.
Finch
A large family of seed-eating songbirds, typically small with stout, conical bills. They range from the common House Finch to the colorful Hawaiian honeycreepers, found in diverse habitats worldwide.
Fine-spotted Woodpecker
A common woodpecker of African savannas, recognized by its finely spotted green-and-yellow plumage. It often forages on the ground for ants and termites, as well as in trees.
Finfoot
A family of reclusive, water-loving birds with lobed toes, resembling a mix between a duck and a rail. They are expert swimmers and divers, inhabiting slow-moving rivers and mangrove swamps in the tropics.
Fire-tufted Barbet
A striking bird of Southeast Asian mountains, named for its fiery-red feather tufts above the bill. Its song is a piercing, cicada-like buzz that is a characteristic sound of the montane forest.
Firecrest
A minuscule European songbird, cousin to the goldcrest. It is distinguished by a bold white eyebrow stripe and a fiery orange-yellow crest. It is a hyperactive forager, constantly moving through tree canopies.
Firefinch
A genus of small, gregarious seed-eaters found in Africa. Males are known for their vibrant red or pink plumage. They are common in grasslands and near human habitation, often feeding on the ground.
Fiscal Shrike
A bold black-and-white butcherbird of sub-Saharan Africa. It is known for its habit of impaling prey, such as insects and small lizards, on thorns or barbed wire to save for later.
Fischer’s Lovebird
A small, colorful parrot native to a small area of East Africa. It has a green back, a golden-yellow neck, and a bright orange-red face, making it a popular but threatened species in the pet trade.
Fish Crow
A common crow of the eastern and southern US coastline, distinguished from the American Crow by its more nasal calls. It is an opportunistic omnivore, frequently scavenging along beaches and wetlands.
Fish Eagle
A group of powerful eagles that primarily prey on fish. The African Fish Eagle is famous for its haunting, iconic call, while the Bald Eagle is a national symbol of the United States.
Five-colored Barbet
A stunning and rare barbet from the humid lowland forests of Colombia and Ecuador. It has bold patterns of black, red, yellow, and white, making it one of the most colorful birds in its habitat.
Flame Bowerbird
Regarded as one of the most brilliantly colored birds in the world. The male has fiery orange and yellow plumage and builds an elaborate “bower” of twigs to attract and court females in New Guinea.
Flame Robin
A small, striking robin from southeastern Australia. The male has a brilliant flame-orange throat and breast that contrasts with its dark grey back. It often perches on fence posts in open country.
Flame-colored Tanager
A beautiful tanager from the mountains of Mexico and Central America. The male is a vibrant reddish-orange with a darker back and white wing bars, often seen foraging for insects and fruit in oak-pine forests.
Flamingo
Iconic long-legged wading birds famous for their bright pink plumage, which comes from pigments in the algae and crustaceans they eat. They are highly social, living in huge colonies in saline or alkaline lakes.
Flightless Cormorant
The only cormorant that cannot fly, found exclusively on the Galapagos Islands. It has stunted, useless wings but powerful legs for propelling itself through the water to hunt for fish and octopus.
Flint-billed Woodpecker
A large, powerful woodpecker of the Amazon rainforest. It has a striking red head and neck and a massive, pale, chisel-like bill used to excavate deep into trees for beetle larvae.
Flock Bronzewing
A nomadic Australian pigeon that forms enormous flocks, sometimes in the thousands. It undertakes long-distance movements across arid inland plains to find water and seeding grasses.
Flores Monarch
A critically endangered monarch flycatcher found only in a small area of forest on the island of Flores, Indonesia. It is threatened by severe habitat loss, with only a tiny population remaining.
Flores Scops Owl
A small, elusive owl endemic to the mountain forests of Flores, Indonesia. It was only rediscovered in 1994 after more than a century without sightings and remains one of the world’s rarest owls.
Florida Scrub Jay
A charismatic, crestless jay found only in the Florida scrub habitat. It is known for its cooperative breeding behavior, where young birds help their parents raise subsequent broods.
Fluffy-backed Tit-Babbler
A small, noisy babbler from Southeast Asia named for the elongated, fluffy plumes on its lower back and rump. It travels in small, social groups through dense undergrowth, communicating with harsh calls.
Flycatcher
A huge family of small, insect-eating birds. Many are known as “tyrant flycatchers” in the Americas or “Old World flycatchers” elsewhere. They are adept at catching insects in mid-air.
Flying Steamer-Duck
The only one of the four steamer-duck species that is capable of flight, although it prefers to run and swim. It is a large, heavy-bodied sea duck from the southern tip of South America.
Foothill Elaenia
A small, plain flycatcher from the Andean foothills of South America. It is a canopy-dwelling species, making it difficult to observe, and was only described as a new species in 1995.
Forbes’s Blackbird
A critically endangered blackbird found only in a few small wetland areas in Brazil. It suffers from habitat loss and brood parasitism by the Shiny Cowbird, making it one of South America’s rarest birds.
Forest Buzzard
A medium-sized hawk from the forests of southern Africa. It closely resembles the European Steppe Buzzard but is a resident species, preying on small mammals, reptiles, and insects within its woodland territory.
Forest Canary
A small, drab finch of South African forests, distinguished by its striped head pattern and musical, twittering song. It typically forages quietly in the mid-story and canopy for seeds and insects.
Forest Fody
A small weaverbird endemic to Madagascar. During the breeding season, the male develops a brilliant scarlet-red head and breast, making it a spectacular sight in the island’s eastern rainforests.
Forest Kingfisher
A brightly colored kingfisher from Australia, New Guinea, and Indonesia. It has iridescent blue and purple upperparts and pure white underparts, often seen perching on utility wires in open woodlands.
Forest Robin
A small, colorful robin from the rainforests of West and Central Africa. It has a fiery orange throat and a shy, retiring nature, often found flicking its tail in the dark understory.
Forest Wood Hoopoe
A dark, glossy bird with a long, decurved red bill, found in the canopy of African rainforests. It is a social and noisy species, traveling in family groups that call loudly to one another.
Forster’s Tern
An elegant, medium-sized tern of North America, noted for its graceful flight. In summer, it has a sharp black cap and orange-red bill, and it winters along coastal waters, often far to the south.
Fork-tailed Drongo
A glossy black bird with a deeply forked tail, common throughout sub-Saharan Africa. It is known for its aggressive nature and remarkable ability to mimic other species’ alarm calls to steal food.
Fork-tailed Flycatcher
An elegant flycatcher of the Americas, possessing an extremely long, forked tail that can be twice its body length. It is a graceful aerialist, often seen perched on fences in open country.
Fork-tailed Storm Petrel
A medium-sized, gull-grey storm petrel that breeds on remote islands in the North Pacific. It forages at sea, pattering its feet on the water’s surface to find plankton and small fish.
Forty-spotted Pardalote
One of Australia’s rarest birds, this tiny, endangered species is found only in specific eucalyptus forests in Tasmania. It is named for the rows of small white spots on its black wings.
Franklin’s Gull
A small, prairie-nesting gull from North America. In breeding plumage, it has a black hood and a rosy tinge to its breast. It migrates in huge flocks to winter on the coasts of South America.
Freckled Duck
A unique and ancient Australian waterfowl, not closely related to any other living duck. It is uniformly dark grey with fine white speckles, giving it a freckled appearance.
Freckled Nightjar
A large, dark nightjar from Africa, perfectly camouflaged to look like the granite outcrops (kopjes) where it roosts. Its call is a series of high-pitched “peeee-oooo” whistles.
Frigatebird
A large seabird with long, pointed wings and a forked tail. Males are famous for their huge, inflatable red throat pouch, which they use in dramatic courtship displays. They are aerial pirates, stealing food from other birds.
Frilled Coquette
A tiny, spectacular hummingbird from Brazil. The male has a crest of long, reddish plumes tipped with green and fan-like white cheek tufts, making it look like a miniature, ornate jewel.
Frill-necked Monarch
A black-and-white monarch flycatcher from New Guinea and Australia. It is named for the erectile blue-and-white ruff on its neck that it “frills” out during displays, often spiraling up tree trunks as it forages.
Fringe-backed Fire-eye
A critically endangered antbird found only in a tiny coastal area of Brazil. The male is glossy black with a hidden white back patch and striking red eyes, and it follows ant swarms for food.
Fruit-hunter
A unique bird endemic to the mountains of Borneo. Despite its thrush-like appearance, it is related to Old World orioles. It forages for fruit and insects in the forest canopy.
Fulmar
A gull-like seabird of the northern oceans, related to petrels and albatrosses. It is known for its stiff-winged flight and the defensive habit of spitting a foul-smelling stomach oil at intruders.
Fulvous Whistling Duck
A long-legged, goose-like duck with a worldwide distribution in tropical regions. It is named for its rich, tawny-brown (fulvous) color and the clear whistling calls it makes, especially in flight.
Fulvous-breasted Woodpecker
A common woodpecker in South and Southeast Asia. It has black-and-white barred upperparts and a yellowish-buff breast, often seen in open forests and cultivated areas.
Fuscous Honeyeater
A plain, grey-brown honeyeater from eastern Australia. It is an active and noisy bird, often identified by its yellow gape and the small yellow tuft behind its eye, along with its repetitive song.
Fawn-breasted Brilliant
A large hummingbird from the Andean cloud forests. It has glittering green upperparts and a distinctive fawn-colored breast and belly. It feeds on nectar from flowers in the forest understory.
Fawn-colored Lark
A subtly patterned lark of dry savanna in East Africa. Its plumage provides excellent camouflage on the ground. It is best known for its melodious, far-carrying song, often delivered in flight.
Fernando Po Speirops
A small, drab white-eye bird found only on the island of Bioko and Mount Cameroon. It has a conspicuous ring of white feathers around its eyes, typical of its family, and inhabits high-altitude forests.
Fiery-capped Manakin
A tiny, energetic bird from the Amazon basin. The male is famous for his brilliant fiery-red cap and a unique courtship display involving rapid wing vibrations that produce a mechanical buzzing sound.
Fiji Parrotfinch
A small, colorful finch endemic to Fiji. It has a bright green body, a scarlet head, and a blue collar, making it a vibrant inhabitant of forests and gardens across the islands.
Flammulated Owl
A small, nocturnal owl of western North America. It is named for the flame-like markings on its plumage, which provide excellent camouflage against tree bark. It feeds almost exclusively on insects.
Fork-tailed Woodnymph
A common hummingbird of South American forests. The male is iridescent green with a violet throat and a deeply forked blue-black tail. Females are much plainer, with grey underparts.
Fox Sparrow
A large, robust sparrow of North America, known for its rich, foxy-red plumage and heavily streaked breast. It often forages on the ground, kicking vigorously with both feet to uncover seeds and insects.
Fairy Flycatcher
A delicate, tiny bird from southern Africa. It has a distinctive blue-grey, black, and white pattern and a long tail, constantly flitting through acacia scrub to catch insects.
Fan-tailed Berrypecker
A small, plain bird from the mountains of New Guinea. Males are dark, while females are olive-green. They are active foragers in the forest canopy, feeding on small fruits and berries.
Fire-breasted Flowerpecker
A tiny, brightly colored bird found across Asia. The male has a glossy blue-black back and a brilliant scarlet patch on his breast, like a tiny avian jewel. It feeds on nectar and mistletoe berries.
Fire-tailed Myzornis
A stunningly bright green bird from the Himalayan region, belonging to the babbler family. It has a black mask and fiery orange-red flashes in its wings and tail, making it a spectacular sight.
Fire-tailed Sunbird
A beautiful sunbird from the Himalayas. The breeding male is a riot of color, with a metallic purple head, yellow breast, and a long, fiery-red tail streamer, resembling a flying jewel.
Finsch’s Francolin
A shy, little-known partridge-like bird from the grasslands of central Africa. It has cryptic brown plumage and is typically seen only when flushed from cover, flying a short distance before landing.
Finsch’s Wheatear
A striking black-and-white chat that breeds in arid, rocky areas of the Middle East and Central Asia. The male is crisp white with black wings and a black throat, a distinctive sight in its barren habitat.
Forest Elaenia
A small, widespread flycatcher of South and Central American forests. It is an active, canopy-dwelling bird with olive-green upperparts, a pale eye-ring, and two whitish wing bars.
Fork-tailed Tody-Tyrant
A tiny, rare flycatcher with a long, forked tail, found only in the Atlantic Forest of Brazil. It is an endangered species due to habitat loss, known for its inconspicuous habits in the forest understory.
Fox’s Weaver
A little-known and vulnerable weaver bird found only in the wetlands of Uganda. It is a colonial nester, building its intricate woven nests in papyrus swamps.
Friendly Fantail
A dark, sooty-colored fantail from the mountains of New Guinea. It is known for its tame and inquisitive nature, often approaching humans closely as it forages for insects disturbed by their movement.
Frilled Monarch
A pied monarch flycatcher endemic to the rainforests of northeastern Australia. It is named for its erectile cape of white feathers on its nape, which it raises during courtship and territorial displays.
Fulvous-chinned Nunlet
A small, inconspicuous puffbird of the western Amazon basin. It has plain brown plumage and a stout bill, and typically sits motionless for long periods while watching for insect prey.
Fulvous-vented Euphonia
A small, finch-like tanager from Central and South America. The male has glossy blue-black upperparts and a rich, golden-yellow belly that deepens to a fulvous (tawny) color on the vent.
Furtive Flycatcher
A rare and secretive flycatcher known only from a few sites in the Philippines. Its name reflects its elusive nature, as it is seldom seen and little is known about its behavior or ecology.
Fuscous Flycatcher
A common and widespread flycatcher in South America. It is a rather plain, brownish bird with two pale wing bars, typically found in the undergrowth of forests and woodlands, where it sallies for insects.
Fawn-breasted Tanager
A handsome tanager of South America. The male has a black head and back, striking blue wings and tail, and a warm, fawn-colored breast. It is often seen in pairs or small groups in open woodlands.
Ferruginous-backed Antbird
A stunning ground-dwelling antbird from the Amazon. The male has a bright rusty back, a black throat, and a bold white eyebrow stripe. It follows army ant swarms to catch fleeing insects.
Forceps-tailed Tyrant
A distinctive flycatcher of South American wetlands, formerly known as the Spectacled Tyrant. The male is jet black with a bright yellow fleshy ring around his eye and a unique, deeply forked tail.
Forest Batis
A tiny, active insect-eater from the forests of East Africa. The male has a striking black, white, and grey pattern with a bold black chest band, while the female has a chestnut band instead.
Forest Nightjar
A small and poorly known nightjar from the rainforests of West and Central Africa. It is identified by two distinct white spots on its tail and is heard more often than seen, with a soft, purring call.
If you think there is a missing term, let us know using the contact form.