Animals and nature · hangman category
Birds Hangman Words
Bird hangman words from backyard feeders to the open sea, with feather and nest vocabulary. Play online or print a sheet with an answer key and notes.
Read the word list
Bird names are some of the first science words a child learns, since robins and sparrows live outside every window. This list starts with those backyard birds and widens to birds of prey, water birds, tropical birds and flightless birds. It adds the vocabulary of the field guide too: beak, talon, plumage, wingspan, roost and migration.
Short, common names such as owl, jay and emu make quick rounds for beginners. Longer names such as hummingbird and woodpecker stretch the game, and the hard ones carry unusual letters or vowel patterns: pheasant, quail, albatross, chickadee and nuthatch. Word breaks in phrases such as bald eagle and snowy owl help a group work out the answer, and the mix means the same list suits a kindergarten and a sixth-grade classroom.
73 entries. Our solver needed 3.4 wrong guesses on average: 16 easy, 40 medium and 17 hard. The toughest is jay (14 misses), the quickest pelican (0).
- eagle Easy · 1
- hawk Hard · 8
- falcon Medium · 4
- owl Hard · 5
- sparrow Medium · 2
- robin Hard · 8
- cardinal Easy · 1
- jay Hard · 14
- crow Medium · 4
- raven Medium · 3
- magpie Easy · 1
- finch Hard · 6
- wren Medium · 2
- swallow Medium · 2
- swift Hard · 5
- hummingbird Easy · 1
- woodpecker Medium · 2
- pelican Easy · 0
- flamingo Medium · 2
- penguin Medium · 2
- ostrich Medium · 2
- emu Hard · 8
- kiwi Medium · 4
- parrot Medium · 4
- parakeet Easy · 0
- cockatiel Easy · 0
- toucan Medium · 3
- peacock Medium · 3
- pheasant Medium · 2
- quail Medium · 4
- turkey Medium · 4
- duck Hard · 9
- goose Medium · 3
- swan Medium · 4
- heron Medium · 3
- crane Medium · 2
- stork Medium · 4
- seagull Medium · 2
- albatross Medium · 2
- puffin Hard · 6
- vulture Medium · 3
- kingfisher Easy · 0
- nuthatch Medium · 3
- oriole Medium · 2
- warbler Medium · 3
- meadowlark Easy · 1
- mockingbird Easy · 1
- chickadee Easy · 0
- pigeon Medium · 3
- dove Hard · 9
- feather Easy · 1
- beak Hard · 7
- talon Medium · 3
- plumage Medium · 2
- wingspan Medium · 2
- migration Easy · 1
- nest Easy · 1
- perch Medium · 4
- flock Medium · 4
- roost Medium · 2
- bald eagle Hard · 5
- blue jay Hard · 12
- barn owl Hard · 5
- snowy owl Medium · 3
- bird feeder Medium · 2
- bird watching Medium · 4
- baby bird Hard · 7
- northern cardinal Easy · 1
- emperor penguin Easy · 0
- birds of prey Hard · 7
- flock of geese Medium · 2
- bird song Hard · 6
- bird nest Medium · 3
Words worth a closer look
- owlThree letters with one vowel, yet many players open with e or a and lose a guess. A good lesson that the shortest words are not always the safest.
- hummingbirdNamed for the hum of its wings. Hummingbirds can hover and fly backward, which is unusual among birds. The double m and the humming plus bird shape give a player plenty to work with once a few letters are in.
- ostrichThe largest living bird and one that cannot fly. Seven letters with a tr and a ch cluster, so a player who guesses only vowels gets only o and i.
- pheasantThe ph sounds like f, and the ea is a vowel pair that players do not expect. It is a good example for a phonics lesson on ph.
- quailQ is one of the rarest letters in English and nearly always comes with u. Once a player finds q, the u is a safe next guess.
- wrenThe w is silent, like wrist and write. A short four-letter word that is hard to spell and easy to guess in hangman once the e is found.
- chickadeeNamed for the call it makes. Nine letters, with a ck in the middle and a double e at the end, so one correct guess of e fills two spaces.
Using this list in class
Bird words fit a spring migration unit or a backyard bird count. Before a round, have students name the birds they saw at the feeder or schoolyard, then see how many are on the list. Younger children can solve robin, owl and duck, then add each bird to a class chart under the headings beak, feet and habitat.
Older students can look at the anatomy words: beak, talon, plumage and wingspan, and use them in sentences comparing two birds. The phonics angle is useful too, since pheasant (ph), wren (silent w) and quail (qu) each show a different pattern. Print the sheet for a nature walk or bird-watching day.
Print a Birds Hangman worksheet
Eight puzzles on one US Letter page, with a clue, letter blanks, an empty frame to draw in, an alphabet strip to cross off and circles to count misses. Page two is the answer key.
Need another sheet?
Draw eight different words from this list, right here. Same layout, new answer key.
Keep going
- Animals Hangman WordsHangman words for animals from around the world, from lions and zebras to platypus and armadillo. Play online or print a sheet with an answer key.
- Insects Hangman WordsInsect hangman words covering bugs, body parts and life cycles, with spelling notes. Play online or print a sheet with an answer key for class or home.
- Zoo Hangman WordsZoo animal hangman words and phrases, from lion and zebra to hippopotamus and orangutan. Play online or print a sheet with an answer key.
- Rainforest Hangman WordsRainforest hangman words covering layers, plants, animals and conservation. Play online with the list or print a sheet with an answer key.
- Spring Hangman WordsSpring hangman words on flowers, rain, growing things and baby animals, with phrases and teaching notes. Play online or print with an answer key.
- Farm Animals Hangman WordsFarm animal hangman words covering animals, babies, buildings and sounds, with phrases and notes. Play online or print a sheet with an answer key.