Glossary of Bird Terms

Some of the terminology used with birds can seem odd to a beginner. Part of the reason is that some of the terms go way back into the mists of time. The origins of some of the terms are lost to history. But, knowing the terminology is important to understanding birds. I once had a professor who told me the first step in learning any topic is mastering the language of the topic. And so, here is our glossary to bird terms to help you learn.

Continue on with terms broken out by topic. Click here for an alphabetical list.

Parts of the Bird

Head Area

Beak - also called Bill - mouth of a bird

Bill - also called Beak - mouth of a bird

Chin - small area immediately below the Bill

Crest - set of elongated Contour Feathers on the top of the head

Crown - top of the head

Ear Patch - small patch of feathers covering the ear opening, found behind the eyes

Eye Ring - small circle of contrasting color around the eye; may be complete or partial

Forehead - small area between the Bill and the Crown

Lores - small area between the Bill and the eye

Lower Mandible - bottom half of the Bill

Moustache - narrow band of contrasting color extending from the Bill or Chin down the side of the neck

Nape - back of the neck, between the Crown and the Back

Nares - nostril openings on the Bill

Supercilium - also known as Eye Line - narrow band of color above the eye; may be short or may extend to the back of the head

Throat - area below the Bill, between the Chin and the Breast

Upper Mandible - upper half of the Bill

Wing

Coverts - Contour Feathers that cover the leading part of the wing; found on both the underside and the upper side of the wing

Flight Feathers - stiff feathers along the training edge of the wing; provide the lift on a downstroke of the wing that keeps a bird in the air

Primaries - outermost Flight Feathers; stiffer than Secondaries; provide most of the lift during flight

Remiges - see Flight Feathers

Scapulars - small section of Contour Feathers near where the wing attaches to the body; found only on the upper side of the wing

Secondaries - innermost Flight Feathers; not as stiff as Primaries

Tertials - small section of Contour Feathers between the Secondaries and the body

Wing Bars - one or two small areas of lighter color, often white, seen on the wing when folded

Wing Patch - large area of contrasting color on a wing when outstretched

Body

Back - upper part of the main body; between the Nape and the tail

Belly - lowest part of the body, between the tail and the Breast

Breast - on the underside of the body, between the Throat and the Belly

Contour Feathers - stiff feathers that cover the body; not as stiff as the flight or tail feathers, but have more structure than Down

Down - soft feathers with little or no structure, found underneath the Contour Feathers; provide insulation

Flank - side of the body below the wing

Mantle - another name for the Back

Tail Area

Outer Tail Feathers - the two tail feathers (one of each side of the tail) that are on the outside edge of the tail

Rectrices - also called Tail Feathers - the long and stiff feathers in the tail; used to aid in steering while in flight; a single tail feather is called a rectrix

Undertail Coverts - Contour Feathers on the underside of where the tail attaches to the body; may be a contrasting color on some bird species

Uppertail Coverts - Contour Feathers on the upper side of where the tail attaches to the body; may be a contrasting color on some bird species

Vent - area near the tail where a bird excretes waste, or “poops”

Foot and Toes

Hallux - for most birds, like the American Robin, the toe that points to the rear (while the other three point forward)

Nails - sharp projections from the toes; comparable to our fingernails; called Talons when on hawks and owls

Toes - part of the foot that a bird actually stands on

Nesting

Cavity Nest - a nest built into a hole, or cavity, in a tree, post, or pole

Clutch Size - the number of eggs in a nest

Incubation Period - the length of time between when an egg is newly laid and when a baby bird hatches from it

Open Cup Nest - a nest built by weaving together strands of vegetation (like grass and twigs) into a circular cup-shaped nest; generally open above, although some species will weave a cover

Nest Parasite (also called brood parasite) - a species of bird that doesn’t build its own nest, but instead lays its eggs in the nest of another bird; it counts on the “host” bird to raise its young

Nestling Period - the length of time a baby bird stays in the nest

Flight

Gliding - when gliding birds do not flap their wings and they lose altitude; contrast with Soaring

Powered Flight - flight with active wing beats

Soaring - flight without flapping their wings, but use the atmosphere and rising air currents to either not lose altitude or to rise higher in the air; contrast with Gliding

Alphabetical Glossary of Bird Terms