63 adorable birds in Italian to make your vocab soar like an eagle

You probably chose to study and learn the Italian language so that you can converse with other people, whether it is for work, or just to buy a cone in an italian gelateria… However, we’re not alone in this world!

In this article you will learn the names of the many living beings that populate our cielo (the sky!). Yes, I’m talking about birds. We’ll look at the most common flying feathered friends, so that if you want to, you can chat to the café waiter in a piazza about i piccioni (pigeons).

We’ll also cover some more specific names of birds in Italian, so that you’ll have all the vocab you need if you go on a bird-watching trip to the mountains or countryside of the beautiful Italian country.

Learning the names of birds in Italian is a great idea if you want to expand your vocabulary and add a new, fun topic to your repertoire. If you’re interested in other animals too, read our article about adorable animals in Italian.

If your animale preferito (favourite animal) is a bird, impress your Italian friends with its Italian name!

How to say “bird” in Italian

The word for bird in Italian is l’uccello / gli uccelli (loo-chell-loh / lly oo-chell-leeh). As you can see, the definite article for the singular is l’ as the word starts with a vowel. The definite article for the plural, however, remains gli.

Sometimes, when referring to small birds or when talking to children, we use the diminutive uccellino.

Another word used to talk about our feathery friends is pennuto (pen-noo-toh), although it is not as common. This comes from the word penna, which means feather. (Yes, penna also means “pen”! That’s where it comes from, as people used to write with feathers in old times…). The more scientific word for describing flying creature is volatile (voh-lah-tee-leh).

Common birds in Italian

Would you like to find out how to say eagle in Italian? Here’s a list of the most common birds.

English	Bird name (singular)	Bird name (plural)	Pronunciation
Pigeon	Piccione	Piccioni	pee-cho-neh
Sparrow	Passero	Passeri	pass-seh-roh
Crow	Corvo	Corvi	korr-voh
Dove	Colomba	Colombe	coh-lomm-bah
Hummingbird	Colibrì	Colibrì	coh-lee-breeh
Chicken	Pollo	Polli	poll-loh
Hen	Gallina	Galline	gahl-lee-nah
Cockerel	Gallo	Galli	gahl-lee
Eagle	Aquila	Aquile	ah-kwee-lah
Duck	Anatra	Anatre	ah-nah-trah
Duckling	Anatroccolo	Anatroccoli	ah-nah-trok-koh-loh
Goose	Oca	Oche	oh-kah
Grebe	Svasso	Svassi	svah-sso
Pheasant	Fagiano	Fagiani	fah-djah-noh
Grouse	Gallo cedrone	Galli cedroni	Gahl-loh cheh-droh-neh
Cuckoo	Cuculo	Cuculi	coo-coo-lo
Nightingale	Usignolo	Usignoli	oo-see-nyoh-loh
Nightjar	Succiacapre	Succiacapre	suh-cha-cah-preh
Peacock	Pavone	Pavoni	pah-voh-neh
Swift	Rondone	Rondoni	ron-doh-neh
Swan	Cigno	Cigni	chee-nyoh
Common teal	Alzavola	Alzavole	ahl-tsah-voh-lah
Quail	Quaglia	Quaglie	kwah-llyah
Vulture	Avvoltoio	Avvoltoi	ah-vol-toy
Magpie	Gazza	Gazze	gadz-zah
Goldfinch	Cardellino	Cardellini	carr-dell-lee-noh
Turtle dove	Tortora	Tortore	torr-toh-rah
Carrion crow	Cornacchia	Cornacchie	corr-nak-kyah
Blackbird	Merlo	Merli	merr-loh
Great tit	Cinciallegra	Cinciallegre	chieen-chal-leh-grah
Robin	Pettirosso	Pettirossi	pet-tee-ross-soh
Starling	Storno	Storni	storr-noh
Canary	Canarino	Canarini	cah-nah-ree-noh
Bullfinch	Ciuffolotto	Ciuffolotti	choof-foh-lot-toh
Falcon	Falco	Falchi	fahl-coh
Cormorant	Cormorano	Cormorani	corr-moh-rah-noh
Pelican	Pellicano	Pellicani	pell-lee-kah-noh
Seagull	Gabbiano	Gabbiani	gab-byah-noh
Woodpecker	Picchio	picchi	peek-kyoh
Turkey	Tacchino	Tacchini	tak-kee-noh

Migratory birds in Italian

Let’s now look at a list of the major uccelli migratori, which are birds that change continents with the seasons.

English	Bird name (singular)	Bird name (plural)	Pronunciation
Albatross	Albatros	Albatros	ahl-bah-tross
Ducks	Anatra	Anatre	ah-nah-trah
Short-toed snake eagle	Biancone	Bianconi	byan-coh-neh
Montagu’s harrier	Albanella	Albanelle	ahl-bah-nehl-lah
Garganey	Marzaiola	Marzaiole	marr-tsa-yoh-lah
Stork	Cicogna	Cicogne	chee-koh-nyah
Swift	Rondone	Rondoni	ron-doh-neh
Swallow	Rondine	Rondini	rohn-dee-nee
Hoopoe	Upupa	Upupe	ooh-pooh-pah

Wild and exotic birds in Italian

Sure, it is great to know the names of the birds you can find in Italy, but it is also good to know some exotic birds in Italian, just to make your knowledge more complete.

English	Bird name (singular)	Bird name (plural)	Pronunciation
Flamingo	Fenicottero	Fenicotteri	feh-nee-cot-teh-roh
Crane	Gru	Gru	grooh
Parrot	Pappagallo	Pappagalli	pap-pah-gahl-loh
Bird of paradise	Uccello del paradiso	Uccelli del paradiso	Ooch-chel-loh del pah-rah-dee-zoh
Cordonbleu	Cordon blu	Cordon blu	Cor-don bloo
Gouldian finch	Diamante di gould	Diamanti di gould	Dyah-man-teh dee-go-oold
Zebra finch	Diamante mandarino	Diamanti mandarini	Dyah-man-teh man-dah-ree-noh
Star finch	Diamante coda rossa	Diamanti coda rossa	Dyah-man-teh coh-dah ross-sah

Flightless birds in Italian

Not all birds can fly! Here’s a list of some flightless bird in Italian. By the way, do you remember how to say “to fly” in Italian? Yes, volare!

English	Bird name (singular)	Bird name (plural)	Pronunciation
Emu	Emù	Emù	eh-mooh
Penguin	Pinguino	Pinguini	peen-gwee-noh
Ostrich	Struzzo	Struzzi	stroo-tsoh
Rheae	Nandù	Nandù	nann-dooh
Cassowary	Casuario	Casuari	cah-soo-ah-ree
Kiwi	Kiwi	Kiwi	kee-wee

Bird songs in Italian

Franco Battiato - Gli uccelli - 1981

This is a great classic by Italian singer and songwriter Franco Battiato: Gli uccelli. You can’t miss it!

ULTIMO - RONDINI AL GUINZAGLIO

A more recent take on songs with birds…? Here it is: Rondini al guinzaglio, by Ultimo.

Gli uccelli per bambini - Animali vertebrati - Scienze naturali per bambini

If you’re a fan of kids’ songs, here’s one for you!

Funny bird-related sayings, quotes, phrases

Italian	English literal translation	English meaning
Prendere due piccioni con una fava	To catch two pigeons with one fava bean	To kill two birds with one stone.
Meglio un uovo oggi che una gallina domani.	Better an egg today than a hen tomorrow.	A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush.
Un uccellino mi ha detto che…	A little bird told me that…	Same as in English, when you don’t want to reveal the source of your information.
Una rondine non fa primavera.	One swallow does not mean it’s spring.	One swallow does not make a summer
Quando canta il merlo, siamo fuori dall’inverno.	When the blackbird sings, the winter has finished.	The season has changes, spring is coming.
Quando cantano le cicale, il cuculo smette di cantare.	When the crickets sing, the cuckoo stops singing.	-

• Prendere due piccioni con una fava. (Lit.: To catch two pigeons with one fava bean.) To kill two birds with one stone.
• Meglio un uovo oggi che una gallina domani. (Lit.: Better an egg today than a hen tomorrow.) A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush.
• Un uccellino mi ha detto che… (Lit.: a little bird told me that…) Same as in English, when you don’t want to reveal the source of your information.
• Una rondine non fa primavera. (Lit.: One swallow does not mean it’s spring.) One swallow does not make a summer
• Quando canta il merlo, siamo fuori dall’inverno. (Lit.: When the blackbird sings, the winter has finished.) The season has changes, spring is coming.
• Quando cantano le cicale, il cuculo smette di cantare. (Lit.: When the crickets sing, the cuckoo stops singing.)

Just for laughs: Parrot speaking Italian

If you just need a laugh, have a look at these adorable pappagalli speaking Italian.

Un uccellino mi ha detto che…

…You’ve become an expert in Italian bird names! Remember, to make new vocab stick, you just need to practice, practice, practice! So, in the next few weeks, channel the cute Italian parrot in the video above who diligently speaks and responds to the beautiful Italian language.

And if you want to continue the Italian vocabulary fun, keep up the joy on our free Italian lessons blog.