Birds and Insects · Nouns — English Vocabulary

a small common songbird with grayish brown plumage that feeds on seeds or insects

"A sparrow perched on the fence."

"The house sparrow built its nest under the roof eaves safely sheltered from rain and predators."

an American migratory songbird which is red on the breast and underpart

"The robin sang early in the morning."

"The robin pulled a long worm from the wet lawn and fed it to its hungry chicks."

a type of bird with a round face, large eyes and a loud call that hunts smaller animals mainly during the night

"The owl is quiet."

"An owl watched from the tree during the night."

a grayish white aquatic bird with webbed feet and long wings

"The seagull stole the man's sandwich."

"The seagull snatched a french fry from the tourist's hand and flew away before anyone could react."

a tropical bird with bright colors and a curved beak that can be trained to mimic human speech

"The parrot repeated every word I said."

"The African grey parrot can learn hundreds of words and mimic human speech with remarkable accuracy."

a small fast-flying bird with pointed wings and tail and a short bill, which feeds on insects

"The swallow flew south."

"The swallow returned early in spring to rebuild its nest."

a fast and large bird that is flightless and has long legs and a long neck, native to Africa

"The ostrich ran fast."

"An ostrich can run faster than any human and uses its powerful legs to defend itself."

a male bird with a large shiny colorful tail having eyelike patterns that can be raised for display

"The peacock spread feathers."

"The peacock fanned out its magnificent tail feathers to attract a mate during breeding season."

a large bird of prey with a bare head, a long neck and weak claws that is famous for scavenging

"The vulture circled overhead."

"The vulture patiently waited for its next meal to appear on the savanna."

a bird with a drill-like beak that makes holes in trees in search of insects to feed on

"A woodpecker pecked at the tree trunk."

"The woodpecker drilled holes into the tree trunk searching for insects hidden beneath the bark."

a small tropical bird with colorful plumage and a long narrow bill that can sip nectar and hover or fly backwards

"The hummingbird hovered near the red flower."

"The hummingbird's wings beat up to eighty times per second creating a distinctive buzzing sound in flight."

a large aquatic bird with long legs and neck, pink plumage and a broad bill curved downward that lives near warm waters

"The flamingo stood on one leg in the water."

"The flamingo's pink color comes from pigments in the shrimp and algae that it eats regularly."

a small bird with a large crested head, orange and blue plumage and a long beak that uses to catch fish

"The kingfisher dove into the water to catch a fish."

"The kingfisher dove headfirst into the water emerging with a small fish clasped firmly in its beak."

a North American songbird with a long tail and grayish plumage that is known for its ability to copy the calls of other birds

"The mockingbird imitated the sound of a car alarm."

"The mockingbird imitated the songs of a dozen different bird species from its perch on the telephone wire."

a large water bird with a long beak and a throat pouch that has grayish white plumage

"The pelican scooped up water and fish in its large beak."

"The pelican's throat pouch can hold up to three gallons of water when scooping up fish."

a small songbird with a short beak that feeds on seeds and nuts and has different colors

"A small finch perched on the bird feeder."

"The small finch visited the bird feeder every morning cracking sunflower seeds with its delicate conical beak."

a North American songbird with a blue crest and blue feathers on the back

"The blue jay sang loudly."

"The striking blue jay perched on the branch, its crest held high."

a southern Asian passerine with dark plumage that can imitate human speech

"The pet mynah learned to say several words."

"The mynah bird learned to mimic the sound of the telephone ringing confusing the household for weeks."

a predatory fast-flying bird that can be trained for hunting

"The falcon soared above."

"The falcon dove from the sky at incredible speed striking its prey before the victim could react."

a large bird with black feathers and a loud unpleasant call

"A crow sat on the fence."

"Crows are intelligent birds and often gather in large groups."

a large black-and-white seabird that lives in the Antarctic, and can not fly but uses its wings for swimming

"The penguin cannot fly."

"A penguin lives in cold places and swims very well."

a large terrestrial bird that can run fast, originally from Australia

"The emu ran quickly across the Australian outback."

"The emu is the second largest living bird by height after its relative the ostrich."

a bird that looks like a pigeon but smaller, the white one of which is the symbol of peace

"The dove landed gently."

"A dove flew across the garden and rested on the roof."

a large bird that is normally white, has a long neck and lives on or around water

"A swan floated on the lake."

"Swans typically mate for life and both parents participate in building the nest and raising their young cygnets until they are ready to leave."

a small insect that lives in a colony

"An ant crawled across the table."

"An ant can carry up to fifty times its own body weight which would be like a human lifting a truck without any mechanical assistance."

a black and yellow insect that collects nectar and produces wax and honey, which can fly and sting

"A bee landed on the flower."

"Bees make honey in the hive and protect the queen."

a flying insect that bites people and animals and feeds on their blood

"A mosquito bit my arm."

"Mosquitoes are annoying in summer and can disturb sleep."

a large, typically black insect, which has a hard case on its back that covers its wings

"A beetle crawled across the floor."

"The beetle was under the leaf when I looked closely."

a small flying insect which is usually red with black spots

"A ladybug was on the leaf."

"The ladybug landed gently on her arm and she watched it crawl across her skin."

a long and small wormlike larva of a moth or butterfly that has many limbs

"The caterpillar ate a leaf before forming its chrysalis."

"The caterpillar ate constantly for two weeks before forming a chrysalis and beginning its metamorphosis into a butterfly."

a flying insect with a pair of colorful wings, mostly found around rivers

"The dragonfly hovered above water."

"A dragonfly darted quickly over the pond in the sunlight."

a flying insect with a soft body and a tail that shines in the dark

"A firefly glowed in the dark."

"Fireflies shine beautifully at night and attract attention easily."

a small leaping insect that feeds on the blood of humans or other animals, which spreads disease

"The dog scratched constantly because of a single flea."

"The dog scratched constantly because a single flea infestation had spread throughout its thick fur coat."

a small brownish bug with an oval shape that feeds on the blood of humans or animals, mainly infesting houses and beds

"The hotel room was infested with bedbugs."

"Bedbugs are notoriously difficult to eliminate requiring professional heat treatment or chemical fumigation of the entire house."

an arthropod with many pairs of legs and a pair of poisonous fangs

"Long centipede crawled."

"A long centipede crawled quickly across the bathroom floor last night suddenly."

a large brown insect with a broad body, wings, long legs and antennae, considered a household pest

"A cockroach ran under the table."

"Cockroaches are hard to kill and often hide in dark places."

a large usually green predatory insect that catches its prey by its forelimbs, which holds motionless in a prayer state

"The praying mantis waited patiently for its prey."

"The praying mantis remained perfectly still until an unsuspecting fly landed within striking distance of its spiked forelegs."

a pale social insect living in hot countries that causes damage to trees and timber

"The termite ate the wood."

"A colony of termites can cause significant structural damage to wooden buildings."

a large bird of prey with a sharp beak, long broad wings, and very good sight

"The eagle flew high in the sky."

"An eagle has sharp eyes and can spot prey easily."

a bird with short legs and a short beak which typically has gray and white feathers

"A pigeon pecked at crumbs."

"Pigeons have an excellent memory for faces and can recognize people who have treated them kindly or badly even after several months have passed."

a waterbird with webbed feet, a long neck, and short beak, which is like a large duck

"A goose honked loudly."

"A goose waddled near the pond, honking loudly as it searched for food among the reeds."

a bird with short legs and a wide beak that naturally lives near or on water or is kept by humans for its eggs, meat, or feathers

"A duck swam on the pond."

"The farmer decided to raise a flock of ducks for their meat and eggs."

a small bird with narrow wings that flies high in the sky and is very fast

"The swift spends almost its entire life flying in the air."

"The swift spends almost its entire life in the air eating sleeping and even mating while flying."

an African songbird of the finch family with yellow feathers, often kept as a pet

"The canary sang beautifully."

"The small, bright yellow canary sang a cheerful melody from its cage in the sunlit room."

a farm bird that we keep to use its meat and eggs

"The chicken laid an egg."

"We ate chicken for dinner after the long trip."

a newly-hatched bird, especially a domestic bird

"The mother hen protected her chicks."

"The fluffy yellow chick followed its mother hen everywhere pecking at the ground for seeds and insects."

a large black bird belonging to the crow family with shiny feathers and a loud unpleasant call

"The raven sat on branch."

"Ravens are among the most intelligent birds capable of solving complex puzzles and using simple tools."

a large bird that has a bald head and is often kept for its meat, especially in the US

"I saw a turkey bird."

"During Thanksgiving, a roasted turkey is traditionally served as the centerpiece of the meal."

a large, long-necked wading bird, typically found in marshes, wetlands, and plains worldwide

"A crane stood still."

"The majestic crane gracefully waded through the shallow marsh, its long neck poised for action."

a flying insect with a long, thin body and large, typically brightly colored wings

"A butterfly sat on the flower."

"The butterfly had bright wings that looked beautiful in sunlight."

a small flying insect that has two wings

"A fly landed there."

"A tiny, persistent fly landed on the windowpane, disturbing his concentration on the book."

an insect known for its chirping sound, found in grassy areas, mostly active at night

"I hear a cricket sound."

"The distinct chirping of a cricket filled the quiet night air outside the window."

a nocturnal winged insect similar to a butterfly that is attracted to the light

"The moth flew toward the light."

"The moth attracted to the porch light fluttered its dusty wings against the glass all night long."

a leaping, flying insect with long back legs that feeds on plants and makes a chirping sound

"The grasshopper jumped away."

"The grasshopper leaped from leaf to leaf in the field."

a small creature that spins webs to catch insects for food, with eight legs and two fangs by which poison is injected to its prey

"The spider is on the wall."

"A spider made a web in the corner of the room."