Here you’ll find 19 Birds that start with Z, organized from “Zambezi Indigobird” to “Zone-tailed Hawk”. Many are named for regions or distinctive markings, which makes them easier to remember and spot.
Birds that start with Z are species whose common English names begin with the letter Z. They range from tiny songbirds to large raptors and often include regional or descriptive names like “Zambezi Indigobird”.
Below you’ll find the table with Common name, Scientific name, Habitat, Wingspan (cm), Range, and Conservation status.
Common name: The usual English name you will recognize in field guides and labels, useful for quick identification.
Scientific name: The Latin binomial gives the exact species name, so you can search taxonomies and confirm scientific references.
Habitat: A concise habitat category shows where each bird lives, helping you narrow searches by environment or observation sites.
Wingspan (cm): Reported wingspan in centimeters gives you a size sense for each species, useful for identification and comparison.
Range: A brief geographic summary points to continents or regions where the species occurs, so you can plan where to look.
Conservation status: Shows IUCN or equivalent status so you understand rarity and protection priorities when observing or writing about species.
Birds that start with Z
Name
Scientific name
Habitat
Wingspan (cm)
Zone-tailed Hawk
Buteo albonotatus
Forest, desert, canyons
120–140
Zambezi Indigobird
Vidua codringtoni
Savanna, woodland
18–21
Zambian Barbet
Lybius chaplini
Woodland, savanna
28–30
Zanzibar Greenbul
Andropadus insularis
Forest, scrubland
22–25
Zanzibar Red Bishop
Euplectes nigroventris
Grassland, wetland
18–20
Zapata Rail
Mustelirallus cerverai
Wetland, swamp
35–40
Zapata Sparrow
Torreornis inexpectata
Grassland, swamp
20–23
Zapata Wren
Ferminia cerverai
Wetland, grassland
18–20
Zebra Dove
Geopelia striata
Urban, scrubland, parks
24–27
Zebra Finch
Taeniopygia guttata
Grassland, arid scrub
18–20
Zeledon’s Antbird
Hafferia zeledoni
Forest understory
25–28
Zenaida Dove
Zenaida aurita
Woodland, coastal, urban
38–43
Zigzag Heron
Zebrilus undulatus
Wetland, forest streams
45–50
Zimmer’s Antbird
Sciaphylax castanea
Forest understory
18–20
Zimmer’s Foliage-gleaner
Automolus paraensis
Forest
25–28
Zimmer’s Tody-Tyrant
Hemitriccus minimus
Forest understory
12–14
Zimmer’s Woodcreeper
Dendroplex kienerii
Forest, wetland
28–32
Zino’s Petrel
Pterodroma madeira
Oceanic, alpine cliffs
80–86
Zitting Cisticola
Cisticola juncidis
Grassland, wetland
12–15
Descriptions
Zone-tailed Hawk
A large hawk of the Americas that expertly mimics Turkey Vultures in flight to ambush prey. It is mostly black with a distinctive banded tail and yellow feet.
Zambezi Indigobird
A small, finch-like bird of southern Africa. Breeding males are glossy black. It is a brood parasite, laying its eggs in the nests of the Jameson’s Firefinch.
Zambian Barbet
A striking black-and-white barbet endemic to a small region of Zambia. Known for its white head and red eye patch. Classified as Vulnerable due to habitat loss.
Zanzibar Greenbul
A plain, olive-brown bird found in coastal forests of eastern Africa. It is rather inconspicuous, with a distinctive call that is more often heard than the bird is seen.
Zanzibar Red Bishop
A small weaver found in eastern Africa. Breeding males are spectacular, with bright red-orange upperparts contrasting with a black belly and face, building intricate nests in reeds.
Zapata Rail
A critically endangered and near-flightless rail endemic to the Zapata Swamp in Cuba. It’s incredibly secretive and rarely seen, living deep within dense sawgrass marshes.
Zapata Sparrow
A small sparrow found only in three separate, threatened habitats in Cuba. It has a gray head, bright yellow throat, and olive back. Listed as Endangered.
Zapata Wren
A secretive brown wren found only in Cuba’s Zapata Swamp. It’s a poor flier that prefers to run through dense vegetation. Endangered due to its tiny, fragile range.
Zebra Dove
A small, peaceful dove with fine black-and-white barring on its neck and sides. Native to Southeast Asia, it has been widely introduced and thrives in parks and gardens.
Zebra Finch
A small, sociable finch native to Australia. Males have distinctive orange cheek patches, a zebra-striped throat, and a bright red-orange bill. A very popular pet bird worldwide.
Zeledon’s Antbird
A dark, secretive bird of humid forest floors from Central America to Ecuador. Males are slaty black, while females are rich brown. Follows army ant swarms to catch insects.
Zenaida Dove
A common dove of the Caribbean and Yucatán Peninsula. It’s similar to a Mourning Dove but stockier, with a square tail and a white trailing edge on its wings in flight.
Zigzag Heron
A tiny, cryptic heron of the Amazon and Orinoco basins. Its fine, zigzag barring provides excellent camouflage in the shaded understory of flooded forests. Extremely secretive.
Zimmer’s Antbird
A small antbird from northern Peru and southeastern Ecuador. Lives in dense forest undergrowth. Males have a gray head and black throat, while females are much browner.
Zimmer’s Foliage-gleaner
A chunky, brown ovenbird found in the eastern Amazon Basin. It forages for insects in dense vegetation and tangled vines in the forest mid-story.
Zimmer’s Tody-Tyrant
A tiny, drab olive flycatcher of the Amazon rainforest. It is highly inconspicuous, perching quietly in the understory and best identified by its sharp, repeated call.
Zimmer’s Woodcreeper
A slender, brown woodcreeper with a distinctive pale, thin bill. Found in seasonally flooded forests in the Amazon Basin, where it hitches up tree trunks searching for insects.
Zino’s Petrel
A critically endangered seabird that breeds only on high mountain ledges on the island of Madeira. It is a small, fast-flying gadfly petrel that spends most of its life at sea.
Zitting Cisticola
A tiny, streaky brown warbler with a vast range across the Old World. Famous for its repetitive “zit-zit” song, performed during a conspicuous, undulating display flight over grasslands.
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