French Concerning Birds
Le Français au sujet des oiseaux

people and birds / les gens et les oiseaux

See also La nomenclature des ornithologues

birdwatcher ornithologue, observateur d’oiseaux
birdhouse le nichoir
bird cage, aviary la volière

about birds / au sujet des oiseaux

For a very beautiful graphical presentation of the details of bird anatomy in French, see Glossaire d’ornithologie.

fowl, bird le oiseau
nest le nid, la nichée
to nest nicher “niche”!
roost le perchoir
to perch; to roost percher
aerie (of an eagle) la aire
beak, bill le bec also used for animal “snout”
craw le jabot
gizzard le gésier
feather la plume
to pluck plumer (pleumer, au Québec)
fledge s’emplumer
to moult muer generically, “to shed”
moulting mue
down le duvet
downy duveteux
wing la aile
foot la patte Same word as “paw” of land animals
crest, comb la crête
fledgling jeune oiseau
to flock s’attrouper?
flight, flock le vol
to fly voler
to flutter voleter
soaring le essor also more general: «prendre son essor» is “to take flight”
to migrate migrer
to peck picoter general term: also ”to prick”, or to injure with a peck
bequeter
to dabble barboter as do many ducks
to preen lisser
to lay eggs pondre des oeufs
to hatch éclore, faire éclore
to brood couver
clutch la couvée

bird sounds / les sons des oiseaux

cajole cajoler as magpies, jays
caw croasser le croassimentliterally, “to croak”
coo roucouler le roucoulement
cry crier a generic bird sound
cackle caqueter le caquet
cluck glousser le gloussement
chatter jacasser le jacassement as jays
bavarder le bavardage as magpies
jaser as magpies
jaze Québec
hoot hululer le hululement
huer
honk
gobble glouglouter
(gossip) cancaner le cancan as ducks
moan gémir as doves
screech cri aigu
tweet; peep pépier
twitter; chirp; warble gazouiller le gazouillement
trumpet trompetter as swans
quack n.b. «couac», while meaning an unpleasant, or incorrect noise, isn’t used for the sound ducks make: ducks “gossip” in French.
whistle siffler le sifflement

domestic fowl / oiseaux domestiques

goose la oie
le jars “gander”
le oison “gosling”
turkey le dindon The French thought, as did the Turks, that this bird was from India, and so named it «d’Inde». The English thought it was from Turkey. Really, it’s a N.A. native.
la dinde
chicken la poule “hen”
le coq “rooster”
le poulet “chick”
duck le canard “drake” Used also to mean “hoax”; ”an old canard”; “canard-wing aircraft”
la cane “duck”
le caneton duckling”
guinea hen la pintade

zoo birds / oiseaux du zoo

flamingo le flamant
ostrich la autruche
parrot le parroquet also for parakeet
peacock le paon

sayings involving birds / adages des oiseaux

I got some of these from a more complete list of French sayings: La Fontaine et La Cuisine

Text in quotes indicates a term or phrase in common use in the language. Other text is translation or explanation.

«un oiseau» (en référence à une personne) a guy
une jeune femme ”a bird“ (referring to a person)
«oisif», «oisivité» idle, idleness, slothful
personne niaise bird-brain”
sans valeur “for the birds
«avoir un estomac d’autruche» to have an iron stomach
«un oiseau de mauvais augure» a bird of ill omen
«faire d’une pierre deux coups» “to kill two birds with one stone”
«un tiens vaut mieux que deux tu l’auras» “a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush”
«qui se ressemble s’assemble» birds of a feather flock together”
la personne matinale a succès “the early bird gets the worm”
«comme l’oiseau sur la branche» “free as a bird
(Belgique) «un oiseau pour le chat» “one foot in the grave”
(Québec) «être aux petits oiseaux» to be very happy and satisfied
«petit à petit l’oiseau fait son nid» by patient effort one will arrive at one’s goal
«faute de grives on mange des merles» if you can’t have thrushes, you eat blackbirds
(or, beggers can't be choosers)
«on ne peut faire d’une buse un epervier» one can’t make a hawk out of a buzzard
«à vol d’oiseau» “as the crow flies
«voler de ses propres ailes» “to stand on one’s own two legs”
«il ne faut pas vendre la peau de l’ours avant de l’avoir tue» “don’t count your chickens before they are hatched
«avoir le crâne lisse comme un oeuf» “to be bald as an egg
se couvrir de ridicule “to have egg on one’s face”
«marcher sur des oeufs» “to skate in thin ice”
“like walking on eggshells
«on ne fait pas d’omelette sans casser des oeufs» “you can’t make an omelette without breaking eggs
«vue à vol d’oiseaux» bird’s-eye view”
une personne de la vision affilée eagle-eye”
«avoir un oeil d’aigle» to have piercing sight
«ce n’est pas un aigle» not a very intelligent person
«mère poule» overly-attentive mother
«poule mouillée» timid person, milksop
«la chair de poule» goose pimples”
«tuer la poule aux oeufs d’or» (à une fable de La Fontaine). “to kill the goose that lays the golden eggs”
«quand les poules auront des dents» never
très rare (ou n’exist pas) “like hen’s teeth”
«au chant du coq» “when the cock crows”
«comme un coq en pâte» to be well treated
«rouge comme un coq» “red as a beet”
… n’est pas jeune “… no spring chicken
«bavarder (ou jaser) comme une pie» to chatter annoyingly, or commit indiscretions
«une hirondelle ne fait pas le printemps» “one swallow doesn’t make a summer”