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3 and 4 Letter Birds

Name all the birds whose common English names are three or four letters long.
Doesn't include extinct animals
Doesn't include words that refer only to baby, male or female individuals
Quiz by Quizmaster
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Last updated: December 14, 2013
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First submittedOctober 3, 2013
Times taken20,602
Average score22.2%
Rating4.13
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Bird
Ani
Auk
Chat
Coot
Coua
Crow
Dove
Duck
Bird
Emu
Erne
Guan
Gull
Hawk
Ibis
Inca
Iora
Bird
Jay
Lory
Kaka
Kagu
Kea
Kite
Kiwi
Knot
Bird
Koel
L'iwi
Lark
Loon
Myna
Nene
Owl
Bird
Rail
Rhea
Rook
Ruff
Shag
Skua
Smew
Bird
Sora
Swan
Teal
Tern
Tit
Tui
Wren
+3
Level 93
Oct 3, 2013
Loon?
+2
Level ∞
Oct 4, 2013
Added. Thanks!
+2
Level 45
Oct 19, 2013
Coot?
+1
Level 41
Dec 1, 2013
Seconded on including the coot
+2
Level 90
Dec 1, 2013
No! They've got cooties!
+3
Level 82
Dec 13, 2013
Why do humans hate birds so much and give them all these demeaning names? Coot.. Booby.. Tit.. Dodo.. when will it stop?
+5
Level 90
Dec 13, 2013
To be fair (at least to the humans that named them), I'm pretty sure the names of the birds predated the derisive usage of those words for other purposes.
+1
Level 82
Dec 13, 2013
not in all cases. Look up the etymology of the Blue-Footed Booby and the Dodo for starters. Not sure about the others.
+2
Level 74
Mar 17, 2020
We could even add cock (as in rooster), while we're at it
+2
Level 82
Dec 13, 2013
I got 13. How much do you owe me?

and I didn't even get Tit (40% guessed- is that a real thing? Do they hang out with blue-footed boobies?), Tern, Loon or Auk... but I got Ibis, Lark and Kiwi.

+5
Level 46
Dec 13, 2013
They are very real and absolutely adorable. According to wiki, the use of the word "tit" has to do with these birds being very small - nothing to do with boobs.
+3
Level 74
May 3, 2019
Nothing to do with boobs, or breasts for that matter. For those of you with a sophisticated sense of humour, you will probably enjoy the fact that there is a variety called the 'bushtit.' It is impossibly tiny and just as adorable as all the other kinds of tit. Its beak is about the size of a rice grain. The bushtit is very social, living in groups of 10 or more birds, and peeps constantly to its friends as it flits happily around trees and shrubs, blissfully unaware of the snickers its name inspires.
+2
Level 83
Oct 9, 2016
There are a lot of different species of tit, at least in Europe.
+1
Level 58
Jan 16, 2017
I'll bet.
+2
Level 66
Feb 19, 2020
Here (the Netherlands) it is one of the few birds that people actually see in their gardens (when not living in the wide open country) most seen birds are the sparrow, blackbird and great tit (followed by robin and small tit). Further away you might see doves, jackdaws, and gulls. Flying over or sitting on nearby rooftops/chimneys.

I think regardless of numbers of letters if I would ask people to name birds but no raptors, it would be one of the first 5. (Though we call it koolmees :) )

Maybe/most likely the difference between the USA and Europe. I think people from the US would think much sooner of jay for instance than people from around here.

+4
Level 66
Dec 13, 2013
Got ani and nene thanks to their inclusion in many crossword puzzles.
+2
Level 58
Dec 13, 2013
Coot, Lory and Guan need to be added.
+1
Level 19
Dec 13, 2013
23/40. not too hard
+2
Level 62
Dec 14, 2013
What about Erne?
+2
Level ∞
Dec 14, 2013
Added Coot, Erne, Guan, Lory, and Kaka.
+2
Level 79
Dec 14, 2013
Pretty happy with 11. Got Ibis, Erne & Teal. Missed Emu, & Swan.
+1
Level 28
Jan 17, 2014
Lyre?
+2
Level 50
May 19, 2020
I thought so too, but internet says its technically "lyrebird" not "lyre"
+2
Level 83
Apr 17, 2014
Weka should be accepted. Common as dirt in NZ
+1
Level 83
Apr 17, 2014
Also L'iwi should say I'iwi - Hawaiian bird.
+1
Level 66
May 18, 2014
Java?
+2
Level 77
May 30, 2014
How can I forget all about the common ones? Duck, swan, owl, hawk? And I get those weird flightless birds faaaaar away from here.. :)
+1
Level 74
Oct 31, 2014
Hen, moa
+5
Level 74
May 3, 2019
Hen is only for female chickens, and moas are extinct. As well as the scary giant eagles that used to eat them.
+1
Level 62
Jan 3, 2015
Yeah .... I agree with others b4 me ... how about "Hen"? thanks
+1
Level 45
Sep 27, 2015
can't believe i missed hawk, kiwi and swan. good one - stimulating, challenging and i learned a lot of new ones reading the final answers. i obviously don't know my birds! :) :)
+1
Level 28
Oct 4, 2015
Why is moa not working!!1
+3
Level ∞
Oct 4, 2015
Extinct
+4
Level 66
Jul 15, 2019
He couldnt get a job..
+4
Level 82
Sep 1, 2016
Ah, not many quizzes you can get 33% and beat 90% of quiz takers. Somewhat annoyed I forgot owl though.
+1
Level 84
Dec 1, 2016
Needs weka, there are more of those in New Zealand than kaka, kea or kiwi.
+1
Level 79
Dec 10, 2017
Cock? Hen?
+1
Level 75
Jan 10, 2018
Chickens...
+1
Level 75
May 31, 2019
And genders of other birds as well -- peacock / peahen, etc
+4
Level 63
Dec 27, 2017
I believe there is no reason "bird" should not be accepted.
+1
Level 74
May 3, 2019
Yeah, that was the first one I guessed :)
+1
Level 75
Jan 10, 2018
Cher? :-P
+4
Level 60
Mar 28, 2018
Fowl?
+3
Level 18
Jul 30, 2018
This was tougher than I thought. I can't believe I missed lark and dove, but I got ibis and kiwi. With more time I could have thought of a few more, but I have to admit I've never heard of many of these.
+1
Level 37
Sep 8, 2018
Bat?
+4
Level 48
Jan 14, 2019
That's a lizard
+7
Level 74
May 3, 2019
No, it's a poodle. You can tell by the legs.
+1
Level 75
May 31, 2019
The lizard legs?
+1
Level 28
Jun 2, 2019
the average score is 9? i got 42...
+1
Level 66
Jul 15, 2019
ara? the parrot>?
+2
Level 81
Jul 22, 2019
tody and arguably gyr to be added
+1
Level 44
Feb 23, 2020
Fody and Tody?
+1
Level 74
Mar 17, 2020
The irony of a bird not being a bird...
+1
Level 44
Sep 11, 2020
A couple of suggested corrections: ERNE is not a general English bird name - it is a local name for a sea-eagle, but not included in most bird lists today. And L'IWI is incorrect. The spelling is IIWI in English, from I'IWI in Hawaiian. Some other 3/4 letter birds you might consider (all are in the World Checklists): RUBY (a species of Hummingbird); BAZA (a genus of raptors in Asia/Pacific); TODY (a middle American family); PIHA (Latin American -several species); MYZA, MAO (Pacific honeyeater species); JERY (Madagascar species); OMAO (Hawaiian species); FODY (Indian Ocean island weavers); MAMO (Hawaiian species), and WEKA (New Zealand rail species). Thanks!
+1
Level 83
Dec 1, 2020
Lory is not listed in alphabetical order
+1
Level 68
Dec 22, 2020
Tody? (ie Puerto Rican, Cuban...)
+1
Level 68
Feb 7, 2023
Baza is also missing, and "Erne" should not be included as it is not part of the common name of any existing bird.
+1
Level 66
Sep 1, 2021
You seem to have overlooked the baza.
+2
Level 62
Sep 10, 2021
how about moa?
+2
Level 19
Dec 8, 2021
Poor quiz sorry. Birds missing (Tody) mis-spelt I'iwi and some just old names (Erne). There is no consistency in the answers required.
+1
Level 65
Jan 20, 2022
What about the Kauai " ʻōʻōʻāʻā " bird? It's extinct but 'o'o'a'a is still four letters.