Animal Vocabulary

animalpluralmalefemaleyoungGroup Name
antantswinged male, anerqueen, workerantlinga colony of ants, an army of ants
batbatsmalefemalepupa cloud of bats, a colony of bats
bearbearsboarsowcuba sleuth of bears, a sloth of bears
beebeesdronequeen, workerlarva, schadon, fry (plural noun)a hive of bees, a swarm of bees
birdbirdscockhennestling, fledglinga flock of birds, a flight of birds (in the air)
buffalobuffalo, buffalloes, buffaloesbullcowcalfa herd of buffalo
catcatstomqueenkittena clutter of cats
chickenchickensroosterhenchicka brood of chickens, a flock of chickens
cowcattlebullcowcalfa herd of cattle
dogdogsdogbitchpuppy, pupa pack of dogs
dolphindolphinsbullcowpupa school of dolphins
duckducksdrakeduckducklinga raft of ducks
elephantelephantsbullcowcalfa herd of elephants
fishfish, fishesmalefemalefry (plural noun)a school of fish
foxfoxesdog, reynardvixencuba troop of foxes, an earth of foxes
frogfrogsmalefemaletadpole, frogletan army of frogs, a colony of frogs
goosegeesegandergoosegoslinga flock of geese, a gaggle of geese
goatgoatsbilly (domestic), evecnannykida flock of goats, a herd of goats
horsehorsesstallion, colt (young)mare, filly (young)foala herd of horses, a team of horses (in harness), a string of horses (for racing)
kangarookangaroosbuckdoejoeya mob of kangaroos, a troop of kangaroos
lionlionslionlionesscuba pride of lions
monkeymonkeysmalefemaleinfanta troop of monkeys
owlowlsmalefemaleowleta parliament of owls
oxoxenbull, steer (castrated)cowcalfa herd of oxen, a drove of oxen (when driven in a group), a team of oxen (in harness)
penguinpenguinsmalefemalechicka colony of penguins
personpeoplemanwomanbaby, infanta crowd of people
pigpigsboarsowsuckling, pigleta herd of pigs, a flock of pigs
rabbitrabbitsbuckdoebunny, bunny rabbita colony of rabbits, a nest of rabbits, a warren of rabbits (strictly, where they live)
sheepsheepramewelamba flock of sheep
tigertigerstigertigresscub, whelpa streak of tigers
whalewhalesbullcowcalfa school of whales, a shoal of whales, a pod of whales (smaller groups)
wolfwolvesdogbitchcuba pack of wolves, a herd of wolves
zebrazebra, zebrasstallionmarefoala cohort of zebra, a herd of zebra

Animal Vocabulary and other curiosities about our fauna.

WordExample
Furry-friendI have a black-mouthed cur and she is my furry-friend.
Adorable and FriendlyMy pet cat is adorable and friendly.
Mischievous.I have caught my cat doing mischievous stuff.
VaccinationThe pet owners should be aware of timely vaccination of their pets.
CageI hate the idea of keeping birds in cages.
AquariumShe bought a large aquarium for her pet fish.
CuddleMy cat likes to be cuddled.
Attention-seekerAll pets are attention-seekers.
CompanionshipPets can give companionship to people who are living alone
TherapeuticHaving a pet has a therapeutic effect on the mind.
FrisbeeMy dog likes playing with a Frisbee.

Wild Animals

Wild animals live in forests.

GENERIC NAMEMALEFEMALEYOUNGGROUP NAME
 MAMMALS    
BADGER(S)BoarSowCub or KitColony
BAT(S)MaleFemalePupColony
DEER (DEER)StagDoeFawnHerd
FOX(ES)Dog-fox / ReynardShe-fox / VixenCubSkulk
HARE(S)JackJillLeveretDown
HEDGEHOG(S)BoarSowPigletPrickle
MOLE(S)MaleFemalePupLabor
MOUSE (MICE)BuckDoePupNest
OTTER(S)DogBitchKittenFamily
RABBIT(S)BuckDoeKit / BunnyColony
RAT(S)BuckDoeKitten / PupNest
SQUIRREL(S)BuckDoePupDray
STOAT(S)JackJillKitPack
WEASEL(S)JackJillKitSneak
Birds are feathered, winged, bipedal, warm-blooded, egg-laying, vertebrate animals.CockHenNestling / Hatching/
Fledgling
Flock(s)
CROW(S)MaleFemaleYoungMurder
DOVE(S)CockHenSquabCote
DUCK(S)DrakeHenDucklingFlock
GOOSE (GEESE)GanderGooseGoslingIf a group of geese is flying, it becomes a “skein”. If they are on land or water, they’re a “gaggle”.
HAWK(S)HenTiercelEyasAerie
HERON(S)   Hedge
KINGFISHER(S)    
OWL(S)OwlJennyOwletParliament
PEAFOWLPeacockPeahenPeachickPride
PHEASANT(S)CockHenChickBrood
PIGEON(S)CockHenSquabFlight
ROBIN(S)CockHenChick 
ROOK(S)CockHenChickBuilding
SPARROW(S)CockHenChickFlock
STARLING(S)CockHenChickFlock
SWAN(S)CobPenSignetBevy
Insects -An invertebrate whose body is comprised of three segments and six legs.   Swarm
ANT(S)Prince / DroneQueen / Princess / WorkerAntlingArmy / Nest
BEE(S)DroneQueen / WorkerLarvaHive
BUTTERFLY (BUTTERFLIES)MaleFemaleCaterpillar / ChrysalisSwarm
DRAGONFLY (DRAGONFLIES)MaleFemaleNymphs / NaiadsSwarm
FLY (FLIES)MaleFemaleMaggotSwarm
MOTH(S)MaleFemaleCaterpillar / ChrysalisSwarm
MOSQUITO(ES)MaleFemaleLarvaSwarm
SPIDER(S)MaleFemaleSpiderlingCluster
Fish – Cold-blooded aquatic vertebrates usually having scales and breathing through gills.   Shoal / School
PIKEFryShoal / School
SALMONJackHenFryRun
TROUTJackHenFryHover
Amphibians a class of animals that spend part of their time on land and part in the water; they are an intermediate form between fishes and reptiles.    
FROG(S)MaleFemaleTadpole(s)Army
NEWT(S)MaleFemaleLarvae 
TOAD(S)MaleFemaleTadpole(s)Knot
Reptiles– Cold-blooded vertebrate that lays eggs and has scales or plates on its skin    
SNAKE(S)MaleFemaleYoungNest
Crustaceans- A class of invertebrates that have a segmented body, a hard external skeleton (exoskeleton), two sets of antennae and one pair of legs per body segment.    
CRAB(S)MaleFemaleZoea 
LOBSTER(S)MaleFemaleZoea 
 MOLLUSCS    
CLAM(S)MaleFemaleSpatBed
COCKLE(S)Bed
MUSSEL(S)MaleFemaleGlochidiaBed
OYSTER(S)MaleFemaleSpatBed
SNAIL(S)MaleFemaleBabyRout

Animals On The Farm

Domesticated animals that live of a farm, are sometimes called farm animals or if bred for commercial use- livestock.

GENERIC NAMEMALEFEMALEYOUNGGROUP NAME
MAMMALS
    
CATTLEBullCowCalfHerd / Kine
DEER (DEER)StagDoeFawnHerd
DOG(S)DogBitchPuppyPack (a group of puppies is called a litter)
DONKEYJackJennyColtDrove
GOAT(S)BillyNannyKidFlock
HORSE(S)StallionMareFoalHerd
PIG(S)BoarSowPigletLitter
SHEEPRamEweLamb / MuttonFlock
BIRDS    
CHICKEN(S)CockerelHenChickBrood
DUCK(S)DrakeHenDucklingBrace
GOOSE (GEESE)GanderGooseGoslingGaggle
INSECTS    
BEE(S)DroneQueen / WorkerLarvaSwarm
 FISH    
SALMONJackHenFryShoal
TROUTJackHenFryShoal

Animals In The House

Animals that live in the house as family companions area called pets.

GENERIC NAMEMALEFEMALEYOUNGGROUP NAME
MAMMALS    
CAT(S)TomQueenKittenClutter (a group of kittens is called a litter)
DOG(S)DogBitchPuppyPack
FERRET(S)DogBitchKitCast
GERBIL(S)MaleFemalePupHorde
GUINEA PIG(S)BoarSowPupGroup
HAMSTER(S)MaleFemalePupHorde
RABBIT(S)BuckDoeKit / BunnyColony
RAT(S)BuckDoeKitten / PupNest
BIRDS     
BUDGERIGAR(S)HenCockChickFlock
CANARY (CANARIES)HenCockChickFlock
COCKATIEL(S)HenCockChickFlock
COCKATOO(S)HenCockChickFlock
PARROT(S)HenCockChickFlock
INSECTS    
SPIDER(S)MaleFemaleSpider-lingCluster
 FISH    
GOLDFISHMaleFemaleFryShoal
REPTILES    
SNAKE(S)MaleFemaleBabyNest

Animal Sounds

Animals make unique sounds, and some of these sounds have their own word. The internet giant Twitter is a wordplay on numerous bird-related idioms. Its founder -Dorsey has explained the origin of the “Twitter” title: …we came across the word “twitter”, and it was just perfect. The definition was “a short burst of inconsequential information“, and “chirps from birds”. Do you need to learn these? Probably not, but you never know, one day you might thank us.

Bees buzz.
Birds sing or tweet. Some birds caw.
Cats go miaow. They purr when they’re happy.
Cockerels crow, or go cock-a-doodle-doo.
Cows go moo.
Dogs bark or go woof woof. They growl when they’re angry.
Donkeys brayor go heehaw.
Ducks quack.
Flies buzz.
Frogs croak or go ribbit.
Geese honk.
Goats bleat.
Hens cluck.
Horses neigh.
Mice squeak.
Pigs oink or grunt or squeal.
Sheep bleat or go baa.
Snakes hiss.
Toads croak.

Animal Vocabulary List

1. Amphibians

  • frog
  • frogspawn
  • newt
  • tadpole
  • toad

2. Arachnids

  • harvestman
  • scorpion
  • spider
  • tarantula

3. Birds

  • albatross
  • biddy
  • blackbird
  • canary
  • crow
  • cuckoo
  • dove,
  • pigeon
  • duck
  • eagle
  • falcon
  • finch
  • flamingo
  • goose
  • gull
  • hawk
  • jackdaw
  • jay
  • kestrel
  • kookaburra
  • mallard
  • nightingale
  • nuthatch
  • ostrich
  • owl
  • parakeet
  • parrot
  • peacock
  • pelican
  • penguin
  • pheasant
  • piranha
  • raven
  • robin
  • rooster
  • sparrow
  • stork
  • swallow
  • swan
  • swift
  • tit
  • turkey
  • vulture
  • woodpecker
  • wren

4. Butterflies

  • peacock butterfly
  • red admiral
  • silkworm
  • swallowtail

5. Fishes and Marine Animals

  • barbel
  • carp
  • cod
  • crab
  • eel
  • goldfish
  • haddock
  • halibut
  • jellyfish
  • lobster
  • perch
  • pike
  • plaice
  • ray
  • salmon
  • sawfish
  • scallop
  • shark
  • shell
  • shrimp
  • trout

6. Insects

  • ant
  • aphid
  • bee
  • beetle
  • bumblebee
  • caterpillar
  • cockroach
  • dragonfly
  • flea
  • fly
  • gadfly
  • grasshopper
  • ladybug
  • larva
  • louse (pl. lice)
  • maggot
  • midge
  • moth
  • nymph
  • wasp

7. Mammals

  • anteater
  • antelope
  • armadillo
  • badger
  • bat
  • bear
  • beaver
  • bullock
  • camel
  • chimpanzee
  • dachshund
  • deer, hart
  • dolphin
  • elephant
  • elk , moose 
  • fox
  • gazelle
  • gerbil
  • giraffe
  • goat
  • grizzly bear
  • guinea pig
  • hamster
  • hare
  • hare
  • hedgehog
  • horse
  • hyena
  • lion
  • llama
  • lynx
  • mammoth
  • marmot
  • mink
  • mole
  • mongoose
  • mouse
  • mule
  • otter
  • panda
  • pig, hog
  • platypus
  • polar bear
  • polecat
  • pony
  • porcupine
  • prairie dog
  • puma
  • racoon
  • rat
  • reindeer
  • rhinoceros
  • seal
  • seal
  • sheep
  • skunk
  • sloth
  • squirrel
  • tiger
  • weasel
  • whale
  • wolf
  • zebra

8. Molluscs, Mollusks 

  • slug
  • snail

9. Reptiles

  • blindworm
  • boa
  • anaconda
  • chameleon
  • constrictor snake
  • copperhead
  • coral snake
  • cottonmouth
  • crocodile
  • diamondback rattlesnake
  • gecko
  • iguana
  • lizard
  • Mojave rattlesnake
  • poisonous / venomous snake
  • python
  • salamander
  • saurian
  • sea snake
  • sidewinder
  • snake
  • Southern Pacific rattlesnake
  • tortoise, turtle

10. Worms

  • tapeworm
  • leech
  • earthworm
  • round worm

Other resources here!