Animal Vocabulary

This animal vocabulary list covers the basics.

animal	plural	male	female	young	Group Name
ant	ants	winged male, aner	queen, worker	antling	a colony of ants, an army of ants
bat	bats	male	female	pup	a cloud of bats, a colony of bats
bear	bears	boar	sow	cub	a sleuth of bears, a sloth of bears
bee	bees	drone	queen, worker	larva, schadon, fry (plural noun)	a hive of bees, a swarm of bees
bird	birds	cock	hen	nestling, fledgling	a flock of birds, a flight of birds (in the air)
buffalo	buffalo, buffalloes, buffaloes	bull	cow	calf	a herd of buffalo
cat	cats	tom	queen	kitten	a clutter of cats
chicken	chickens	rooster	hen	chick	a brood of chickens, a flock of chickens
cow	cattle	bull	cow	calf	a herd of cattle
dog	dogs	dog	bitch	puppy, pup	a pack of dogs
dolphin	dolphins	bull	cow	pup	a school of dolphins
duck	ducks	drake	duck	duckling	a raft of ducks
elephant	elephants	bull	cow	calf	a herd of elephants
fish	fish, fishes	male	female	fry (plural noun)	a school of fish
fox	foxes	dog, reynard	vixen	cub	a troop of foxes, an earth of foxes
frog	frogs	male	female	tadpole, froglet	an army of frogs, a colony of frogs
goose	geese	gander	goose	gosling	a flock of geese, a gaggle of geese
goat	goats	billy (domestic), evec	nanny	kid	a flock of goats, a herd of goats
horse	horses	stallion, colt (young)	mare, filly (young)	foal	a herd of horses, a team of horses (in harness), a string of horses (for racing)
kangaroo	kangaroos	buck	doe	joey	a mob of kangaroos, a troop of kangaroos
lion	lions	lion	lioness	cub	a pride of lions
monkey	monkeys	male	female	infant	a troop of monkeys
owl	owls	male	female	owlet	a parliament of owls
ox	oxen	bull, steer (castrated)	cow	calf	a herd of oxen, a drove of oxen (when driven in a group), a team of oxen (in harness)
penguin	penguins	male	female	chick	a colony of penguins
person	people	man	woman	baby, infant	a crowd of people
pig	pigs	boar	sow	suckling, piglet	a herd of pigs, a flock of pigs
rabbit	rabbits	buck	doe	bunny, bunny rabbit	a colony of rabbits, a nest of rabbits, a warren of rabbits (strictly, where they live)
sheep	sheep	ram	ewe	lamb	a flock of sheep
tiger	tigers	tiger	tigress	cub, whelp	a streak of tigers
whale	whales	bull	cow	calf	a school of whales, a shoal of whales, a pod of whales (smaller groups)
wolf	wolves	dog	bitch	cub	a pack of wolves, a herd of wolves
zebra	zebra, zebras	stallion	mare	foal	a cohort of zebra, a herd of zebra

Animal Vocabulary and other curiosities about our fauna.

Word	Example
Furry-friend	I have a black-mouthed cur and she is my furry-friend.
Adorable and Friendly	My pet cat is adorable and friendly.
Mischievous.	I have caught my cat doing mischievous stuff.
Vaccination	The pet owners should be aware of timely vaccination of their pets.
Cage	I hate the idea of keeping birds in cages.
Aquarium	She bought a large aquarium for her pet fish.
Cuddle	My cat likes to be cuddled.
Attention-seeker	All pets are attention-seekers.
Companionship	Pets can give companionship to people who are living alone
Therapeutic	Having a pet has a therapeutic effect on the mind.
Frisbee	My dog likes playing with a Frisbee.

Wild Animals Vocabulary

Wild animals live in forests.

GENERIC NAME	MALE	FEMALE	YOUNG	GROUP NAME
MAMMALS
BADGER(S)	Boar	Sow	Cub or Kit	Colony
BAT(S)	Male	Female	Pup	Colony
DEER (DEER)	Stag	Doe	Fawn	Herd
FOX(ES)	Dog-fox / Reynard	She-fox / Vixen	Cub	Skulk
HARE(S)	Jack	Jill	Leveret	Down
HEDGEHOG(S)	Boar	Sow	Piglet	Prickle
MOLE(S)	Male	Female	Pup	Labor
MOUSE (MICE)	Buck	Doe	Pup	Nest
OTTER(S)	Dog	Bitch	Kitten	Family
RABBIT(S)	Buck	Doe	Kit / Bunny	Colony
RAT(S)	Buck	Doe	Kitten / Pup	Nest
SQUIRREL(S)	Buck	Doe	Pup	Dray
STOAT(S)	Jack	Jill	Kit	Pack
WEASEL(S)	Jack	Jill	Kit	Sneak
Birds are feathered, winged, bipedal, warm-blooded, egg-laying, vertebrate animals.	Cock	Hen	Nestling / Hatching/ Fledgling	Flock(s)
CROW(S)	Male	Female	Young	Murder
DOVE(S)	Cock	Hen	Squab	Cote
DUCK(S)	Drake	Hen	Duckling	Flock
GOOSE (GEESE)	Gander	Goose	Gosling	If a group of geese is flying, it becomes a “skein”. If they are on land or water, they’re a “gaggle”.
HAWK(S)	Hen	Tiercel	Eyas	Aerie
HERON(S)				Hedge
KINGFISHER(S)
OWL(S)	Owl	Jenny	Owlet	Parliament
PEAFOWL	Peacock	Peahen	Peachick	Pride
PHEASANT(S)	Cock	Hen	Chick	Brood
PIGEON(S)	Cock	Hen	Squab	Flight
ROBIN(S)	Cock	Hen	Chick
ROOK(S)	Cock	Hen	Chick	Building
SPARROW(S)	Cock	Hen	Chick	Flock
STARLING(S)	Cock	Hen	Chick	Flock
SWAN(S)	Cob	Pen	Signet	Bevy
Insects -An invertebrate whose body is comprised of three segments and six legs.				Swarm
ANT(S)	Prince / Drone	Queen / Princess / Worker	Antling	Army / Nest
BEE(S)	Drone	Queen / Worker	Larva	Hive
BUTTERFLY (BUTTERFLIES)	Male	Female	Caterpillar / Chrysalis	Swarm
DRAGONFLY (DRAGONFLIES)	Male	Female	Nymphs / Naiads	Swarm
FLY (FLIES)	Male	Female	Maggot	Swarm
MOTH(S)	Male	Female	Caterpillar / Chrysalis	Swarm
MOSQUITO(ES)	Male	Female	Larva	Swarm
SPIDER(S)	Male	Female	Spiderling	Cluster
Fish – Cold-blooded aquatic vertebrates usually having scales and breathing through gills.				Shoal / School
PIKE	–	–	Fry	Shoal / School
SALMON	Jack	Hen	Fry	Run
TROUT	Jack	Hen	Fry	Hover
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)	Male	Female	Tadpole(s)	Army
NEWT(S)	Male	Female	Larvae
TOAD(S)	Male	Female	Tadpole(s)	Knot
Reptiles– Cold-blooded vertebrate that lays eggs and has scales or plates on its skin
SNAKE(S)	Male	Female	Young	Nest
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)	Male	Female	Zoea
LOBSTER(S)	Male	Female	Zoea
MOLLUSCS
CLAM(S)	Male	Female	Spat	Bed
COCKLE(S)	–	–	–	Bed
MUSSEL(S)	Male	Female	Glochidia	Bed
OYSTER(S)	Male	Female	Spat	Bed
SNAIL(S)	Male	Female	Baby	Rout

Animals On The Farm

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

GENERIC NAME	MALE	FEMALE	YOUNG	GROUP NAME
MAMMALS
CATTLE	Bull	Cow	Calf	Herd / Kine
DEER (DEER)	Stag	Doe	Fawn	Herd
DOG(S)	Dog	Bitch	Puppy	Pack (a group of puppies is called a litter)
DONKEY	Jack	Jenny	Colt	Drove
GOAT(S)	Billy	Nanny	Kid	Flock
HORSE(S)	Stallion	Mare	Foal	Herd
PIG(S)	Boar	Sow	Piglet	Litter
SHEEP	Ram	Ewe	Lamb / Mutton	Flock
BIRDS
CHICKEN(S)	Cockerel	Hen	Chick	Brood
DUCK(S)	Drake	Hen	Duckling	Brace
GOOSE (GEESE)	Gander	Goose	Gosling	Gaggle
INSECTS
BEE(S)	Drone	Queen / Worker	Larva	Swarm
FISH
SALMON	Jack	Hen	Fry	Shoal
TROUT	Jack	Hen	Fry	Shoal

Animals In The House

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

GENERIC NAME	MALE	FEMALE	YOUNG	GROUP NAME
MAMMALS
CAT(S)	Tom	Queen	Kitten	Clutter (a group of kittens is called a litter)
DOG(S)	Dog	Bitch	Puppy	Pack
FERRET(S)	Dog	Bitch	Kit	Cast
GERBIL(S)	Male	Female	Pup	Horde
GUINEA PIG(S)	Boar	Sow	Pup	Group
HAMSTER(S)	Male	Female	Pup	Horde
RABBIT(S)	Buck	Doe	Kit / Bunny	Colony
RAT(S)	Buck	Doe	Kitten / Pup	Nest
BIRDS
BUDGERIGAR(S)	Hen	Cock	Chick	Flock
CANARY (CANARIES)	Hen	Cock	Chick	Flock
COCKATIEL(S)	Hen	Cock	Chick	Flock
COCKATOO(S)	Hen	Cock	Chick	Flock
PARROT(S)	Hen	Cock	Chick	Flock
INSECTS
SPIDER(S)	Male	Female	Spider-ling	Cluster
FISH
GOLDFISH	Male	Female	Fry	Shoal
REPTILES
SNAKE(S)	Male	Female	Baby	Nest

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 bray, or 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

Other resources here!

Glossary: Animals vocabulary

1. bovine any of various wild or domestic cattle
2. canine a dog or related mammal
3. equine relating to or resembling a horse
4. feline of or relating to cats
5. leonine of or characteristic of or resembling a lion
6. piscatorial relating to or characteristic of the activity of fishing
7. serpentine resembling a snake in form
8. simian relating to or resembling an ape or a monkey
9. ursine of or relating to or similar to bears
10. vulpine resembling or characteristic of a fox
11. ornithology the branch of zoology that studies birds
12. entomology the branch of zoology that studies insects
13. herpetology the branch of zoology concerned with reptiles and amphibians
14. ichthyology the branch of zoology that studies fishes
15. physiology the science dealing with the functioning of organisms
16. taxonomy a classification of organisms based on similarities
17. fauna all the animal life in a particular region or period
18. mammal a warm-blooded vertebrate having the skin covered with hair
19. marsupial a mammal the female of which has a pouch carrying the young
20. pachyderm a large mammal with thick skin, such as an elephant or hippo
21. whelp young of any of various canines such as a dog or wolf
22. viper a venomous Old World snake
23. vixen a female fox
24. behemoth someone or something that is abnormally large and powerful
25. satyr one of a class of woodland deities
26. centaur a mythical being that is half man and half horse
27. low less than normal in degree or intensity or amount
28. whinny the characteristic sounds made by a horse
29. spawn the mass of eggs deposited by fish or amphibians or mollusks
30. fodder coarse food composed of plants or leaves and stalks
31. forage collect or look around for, as food
32. provender food for domestic livestock
33. flora all the plant life in a particular region or period
34. tanner a craftsman who tans skins and hides
35. tannery workplace where skins and hides are tanned
36. aviary a building where birds are kept
37. apiary a shed containing a number of beehives
38. vivisection the act of operating on living animals
39. menagerie a collection of live animals for study or display
40. fleece outer coat of especially sheep and yaks
41. plumage the covering of feathers on a bird
42. venison meat from a deer used as food
43. speciation the evolution of a biological species
44. symbiosis the relation between two interdependent species of organisms
45. chirpy (birds or insects) characterized by or tending to chirp
46. asinine devoid of intelligence
47. trotter a horse trained to trot
48. boar an uncastrated male hog
49. sow place seeds in or on the ground for future growth
50. byre a barn for cows
51. byre a barn for cows
52. rodent relatively small placental mammals
53. adipose composed of animal fat
54. tamer an animal trainer who tames wild animals
55. burrow a hole made by an animal, usually for shelter
56. tame brought from wildness into a domesticated state
57. hawk a bird of prey with rounded wings and a long tail
58. captor a person who entraps and holds someone else
59. capturer a person who captures and holds people or animals
60. vulture a large diurnal bird of prey feeding chiefly on carrion
61. venom toxin secreted by animals
62. taurine of or relating to or resembling a bull
63. incubate grow under conditions that promote development
64. pelt the dressed hairy coat of a mammal