Animal Vocabulary

Animal Vocabulary

In Britain, we have a lot of wild animals; birds, fish, insects and mammals. We also have domesticated animals, and animals we keep as pets.

Wild Animals in Britain

Here are some of the most common ones.
Click on the picture.
Generic Name
Male
Female
Young
Group Name
Other Information
Mammals
           
badger
Badger(s)
Boar Sow Cub or Kit Colony (An old English name for a badger is a brock) They live in a set.
bat
Bat(s)
Male Female Pup Colony Bats are a protected species in the UK.
deer
Deer (Deer)
Stag Doe Fawn Herd A hart is a stag (usually a red deer) more than five years old, stag is more commonly used nowadays.
fox
Fox(es)
Dog-fox / Reynard She-fox / Vixen Cub Skulk Foxes live in an earth.
hare
Hare(s)
Jack Jill Leveret Down Hares live in forms.
hedgehog
Hedgehog(s)
Boar Sow Piglet Prickle  
mole
Mole(s)
Male Female Pup Labour Moles live in holes.
mouse
Mouse (Mice)
Buck Doe Pup Nest  
otter
Otter(s)
Dog Bitch Kitten Family Otters live in dens.
rabbit
Rabbit(s)
Buck Doe Kit / Bunny Colony Rabbits live in warrens.
rat
Rat(s)
Buck Doe Kitten / Pup Nest Rats often live in sewers.
squirrel
Squirrel(s)
Buck Doe Pup Dray There are two kinds of squirrel in the UK. The common grey squirrel and the rarer red squirrel. Only the red squirrel is a native.
stoat
Stoat(s)
Jack Jill Kit Pack  
weasel
Weasel(s)
Jack Jill Kit Sneak  
Birds
Birds are feathered, winged, bipedal, warm-blooded, egg-laying, vertebrate animals. Cock Hen Nestling / Hatchling/
Fledgling
Flock(s) Most birds live in nests.
Crow
Crow(s)
Male Female Young Murder  
dove
Dove(s)
Cock Hen Squab Cote  
duck
Duck(s)
Drake Hen Duckling Flock  
goose
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
Hawk(s)
Hen Tiercel Eyas Aerie  
heron
Heron(s)
      Hedge  
kingfisher
Kingfisher(s)
         
owl
Owl(s)
Owl Jenny Owlet Parliament  
peacock
Peafowl
Peacock Peahen Peachick Pride  
pheasant
Pheasant(s)
Cock Hen Chick Brood  
pigeon
Pigeon(s)
Cock Hen Squab Flight  
robin
Robin(s)
Cock
Hen
Chick
   
rook
Rook(s)
Cock
Hen
Chick
Building  
sparrow
Sparrow(s)
Cock
Hen
Chick
Flock  
starling
Starling(s)
Cock
Hen
Chick
Flock  
swan
Swan(s)
Cob Pen Signet Bevy  
Insects
An invertebrate whose body is comprised of three segments and six legs.       Swarm  
ant
Ant(s)
Prince / Drone
Queen / Princess / Worker
Antling
Army / Nest
Ants have a strange matriarchal set up. The Queen spends her life laying eggs, there is only one queen per colony. Worker ants are non-reproducing female worker ants, the daughters of the queen. Soldier ants are sterile females who defend the colony. The male ants are small ants that have wings. They fly from the colony to mate with a queen.
bee
Bee(s)
Drone
Queen / Worker
Larva
Hive
There are three types of honey bee. The Queen who lays the eggs. The workers are females who gather food, make honey, build the six-sided honeycomb, tend eggs, and guard the hive. And the drones are males who mate with the queen.
butterfly
Butterfly (Butterflies)
Male Female Caterpillar / Chrysalis Swarm  
dragonfly
Dragonfly (Dragonflies)
Male Female Nymphs / Naiads Swarm  
fly
Fly (Flies)
Male Female Maggot Swarm  
moth
Moth(s)
Male Female Caterpillar / Chrysalis Swarm  
Mosquito
Mosquito(es)
Male Female Larva Swarm There are thousands of mosquito species. The female is the one that usually bites.
spider
Spider(s)
Male Female Spiderling Cluster Spiders spin and live on a web. Thankfully the UK does not have any poisonous spiders.
Fish
Cold-blooded aquatic vertebrates usually having scales and breathing through gills.       Shoal / School  
pike
Pike
- - Fry Shoal / School  
salmon
Salmon
Jack Hen Fry Run  
trout
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
Frog(s)
Male Female Tadpole(s) Army The eggs of a frog are called spawn. Tadpoles metamorphose into frogs.
newt
Newt(s)
Male Female Larvae    
toad
Toad(s)
Male Female Tadpole(s) Knot The eggs of a frog are called spawn. Tadpoles metamorphose into toads.
Reptiles
Cold-blooded vertebrate that lays eggs and has scales or plates on its skin          
snake
Snake(s)
Male Female Young Nest There is only one poisonous snake in the UK; the adder.
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
Crab(s)
Male Female Zoea    
lobster
Lobster(s)
Male Female Zoea    
Molluscs
           
clam
Clam(s)
Male Female Spat Bed  
Cockle
Cockle(s)
-
-
-
Bed
Cockles are hermaphroditic. A cockle will possess both male and female sex organs during its life
mussel
Mussel(s)
Male Female Glochidia Bed  
oyster
Oyster(s)
Male Female Spat Bed  
snail
Snail(s)
Male Female Baby Rout Snails are not often eaten in the UK.

Animals on the Farm

Animals that live on a farm are domesticated animals, they may be called farm animals.
 
Generic Name
Male
Female
Young
Group Name
Other Information
Mammals
           
cattle
Cattle
Bull Cow Calf Herd / Kine Mostly farmed for milk and meat (called beef).
deer
Deer (Deer)
Stag Doe Fawn Herd Deer are farmed for their meat (venison) on special deer farms in the UK.
dog
Dog(s)
Dog Bitch Puppy Pack (a group of puppies is called a litter) Mostly used for work, protection and herding on farms. Dog meat is not eaten in the UK.
donkey
Donkey
Jack Jenny Colt Drove Mostly raised for pleasure. Donkey meat is not eaten in the UK.
goat
Goat(s)
Billy Nanny Kid Flock Mostly farmed for milk and cheese. Not many people eat goat meat in the UK.
horse
Horse(s)
Stallion Mare Foal Herd Mostly farmed for work, leisure or sport (riding etc). Not many people in the UK would knowingly eat horse meat, although there is a trade for pet meat.
pig
Pig(s)
Boar Sow Piglet Litter Mostly farmed for its meat (called pork).
sheep
Sheep
Ram Ewe Lamb / Mutton Flock Mostly farmed for wool and meat. The meat is called lamb from sheep less than a year old and mutton from older sheep.
            Thanks to John-David Kraaikamp
for pointing out my mistake.
Birds
           
chicken
Chicken(s)
Cockerel Hen Chick Brood Farmed for its meat and eggs. A farm that only raises birds is a poultry farm.
duck
Duck(s)
Drake Hen Duckling Brace A wild fowl and a farmed bird. Mostly farmed for its meat.
goose
Goose (Geese)
Gander Goose Gosling Gaggle A wild fowl and a farmed bird. Mostly farmed for its meat.
Insects

         
bee
Bee(s)
Drone
Queen / Worker
Larva
Swarm Bees live in hives, and are farmed for their honey. A bee farm is often called an apiary. Someone who keeps bees is usually called a beekeeper.
Fish
           
salmon
Salmon
Jack Hen Fry Shoal Yes, salmon is farmed in the UK.
trout
Trout
Jack Hen Fry Shoal Yes, there are trout farms in the UK too.

Animals in the House

Animals that live in the house as companions are called pets.
 
Generic Name
Male
Female
Young
Group Name
Other Information
Mammals
           
cat
Cat(s)
Tom Queen Kitten Clutter (a group of kittens is called a litter)  
dog
Dog(s)
Dog Bitch Puppy Pack There are between 6.5 million and 7.4 million pet dogs in the UK.
ferret
Ferret(s)
Dog Bitch Kit Cast Domestic pet ferrets, Mustela furo (sometimes called Mustela putorius furo), are not wild animals.
gerbil
Gerbil(s)
Male Female Pup Horde  
guinea pig
Guinea Pig(s)
Boar Sow Pup Group They are not related to pigs.
hamster
Hamster(s)
Male Female Pup Horde I had several hamsters as pets when I was a child.
rabbit
Rabbit(s)
Buck Doe Kit / Bunny Colony Rabbits live in warrens.
rat
Rat(s)
Buck Doe Kitten / Pup Nest Seemingly rats make very good pets.
Birds
           
budgie
Budgerigar(s)
Hen Cock Chick Flock They come in a variety of colours including blue. One of the most common pets in the UK.
aka Budgie
canary
Canary (Canaries)
Hen Cock Chick Flock  
cockatiel
Cockatiel(s)
Hen Cock Chick Flock  
cockatoo
Cockatoo(s)
Hen Cock Chick Flock  
parrot
Parrot(s)
Hen Cock Chick Flock  
Insects

         
spider
Spider(s)
Male
Female
Spiderling
Cluster Yes, people in the UK keep spiders as pets.
Fish
           
goldfish
Goldfish
Male
Female
Fry
Shoal
Probably the most common pet in the UK.
Reptiles
           
goldfish
Snake(s)
Male
Female
Baby
Nest
Yes, people in the UK keep snakes as pets too.

Animal Sounds

Animals make distinct sounds, some of these sounds have their own word. 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

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