French Concerning Birds
Le Français au sujet des oiseaux

people and birds / les gens et les oiseaux

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
to 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 croassiment	literally, “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
hoot	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.
turkey	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, and M. Y. Beauchamp’s Proverbs and Expressions .

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”