RareList

Birds that start with S

82 birds, sorted from the ones everyone says first to the ones almost nobody thinks of. 16 of them are in the Rare tier or rarer.

Rare but real

Names that are easy to defend and hard to guess. Good when you need an answer no one else will have.

Sand martin
Swallow of the northern hemisphere that nests in tunnels dug in clay or sand banks. Rare
Stonechat
Common European chat with black plumage and a reddish-brown breast. Rare
Surfbird
Sandpiper-like shorebird of Pacific coasts of North America and South America. Rare
Stormy petrel
Sooty black petrel with white markings. Rare
Sea swallow
Common tern of Eurasia and America having white black and grey plumage. Rare
Short-toed eagle
Any of numerous large Old World hawks intermediate in some respects between typical hawks and typical eagles. Rare

All 82 birds that start with S

Sorted by search interest, most familiar first. The last column is average monthly US Google searches.

Showing all 82. Tap a name to copy it.

Birds that start with S, with definition, group, rarity tier and monthly searches
NameWhat it isGroup
Old or New World straight-billed game bird of the sandpiper family. Birds Plankton 550K
also Shoebird Large stork-like bird of the valley of the White Nile with a broad bill suggesting a wooden shoe. Birds Plankton 165K
also True sparrow Any of several small dull-colored singing birds feeding on seeds or insects. Birds Plankton 165K
Stately heavy-bodied aquatic bird with very long neck and usually white plumage as adult. Birds Plankton 165K
A small bird that resembles a swallow and is noted for its rapid flight. Birds Plankton 135K
also Gull, Sea gull Mostly white aquatic bird having long pointed wings and short legs. Birds Plankton 110K
Brown-speckled European lark noted for singing while hovering at a great height. Birds Plankton 110K
also Fieldfare Medium-sized Eurasian thrush seen chiefly in winter. Birds Plankton 110K
Gregarious birds native to the Old World. Birds Plankton 110K
Large mostly Old World wading birds typically having white-and-black plumage. Birds Plankton 110K
Small long-winged songbird noted for swift graceful flight and the regularity of its migrations. Birds Plankton 110K
Large long-legged African bird of prey that feeds on reptiles. Birds Too Clever 74K
Any bird having a musical call. Birds Too Clever 61K
Any of numerous usually small wading birds having a slender bill and piping call. Birds Too Clever 50K
An unfledged pigeon. Birds Too Clever 50K
Any of numerous Old World birds having a strong hooked bill that feed on smaller animals. Birds Too Clever 41K
also Australian stilt Long-legged three-toed wading bird of brackish marshes of Australia. Birds Too Clever 41K
Small North American owl having hornlike tufts of feathers whose call sounds like a quavering whistle. Birds Too Clever 33K
Blue goose in the white color phase. Birds Too Clever 33K
Gull-like seabird that flies along the surface of the water with an elongated lower mandible immersed to skim out food. Birds Too Clever 27K
Wading birds having a long flat bill with a tip like a spoon. Birds Too Clever 27K
also Least sandpiper Smallest American sandpiper. Birds Too Clever 27K
also Sage hen Large grouse of sagebrush regions of North America. Birds Too Clever 22K
also Scissortail Grey flycatcher of the southwestern United States and Mexico and Central America having a long forked tail and white breast and salmon and scarlet markings. Birds Too Clever 22K
Small songbird common in North America. Birds Too Clever 22K
also Kamchatkan sea eagle Found on coasts of the northwestern Pacific. Birds Too Clever 22K
also Hoatzin, Hoactzin Crested ill-smelling South American bird whose young have claws on the first and second digits of the wings. Birds Too Clever 22K
Any of various large eagles that usually feed on fish. Birds Too Clever 18K
also Snowy heron Small New World egret. Birds Too Clever 15K
also Summer redbird Of middle and southern United States. Birds Too Clever 15K
also Swallow-tailed hawk Graceful North American black-and-white kite. Birds Too Clever 15K
Small hawk of Eurasia and northern Africa. Birds Too Clever 12K
A large owl of North America found in forests from British Columbia to central Mexico. Birds Too Clever 12K
Small sandpiper that breeds in the Arctic and migrates southward along sandy coasts in most of world. Birds Schooler 9.9K
Long-winged oceanic bird that in flight skims close to the waves. Birds Schooler 9.9K
also Shoveller Freshwater duck of the northern hemisphere having a broad flat bill. Birds Schooler 9.9K
also Bonxie Gull-like jaeger of northern seas. Birds Schooler 9.9K
Small American woodpecker that feeds on sap from e.g. apple and maple trees. Birds Schooler 8.1K
also Seafowl A bird that frequents coastal waters and the open ocean: gulls. Birds Schooler 8.1K
White cockatoo with a yellow erectile crest. Birds Schooler 6.6K
also Scaup duck, Bluebill Diving ducks of North America having a bluish-grey bill. Birds Schooler 5.4K
Large black diving duck of northern parts of the northern hemisphere. Birds Schooler 5.4K
Any of various large diving ducks found along the seacoast: eider. Birds Schooler 5.4K
also Sprigtail, Sprig tail Large grouse of prairies and open forests of western North America. Birds Schooler 5.4K
also Anhinga, Darter Fish-eating bird of warm inland waters having a long flexible neck and slender sharp-pointed bill. Birds Schooler 5.4K
North American grouse that feeds on evergreen buds and needles. Birds Schooler 5.4K
Any of various brown and yellow finches of parts of Europe. Birds Schooler 4.4K
also Chunga Argentinian Cariama. Birds Schooler 3.6K
Any of numerous wading birds that frequent mostly seashores and estuaries. Birds Schooler 3.6K
Smallest merganser and most expert diver. Birds Schooler 3.6K
also Solan goose, Solant goose Very large white gannet with black wing tips. Birds Schooler 3.6K
Common North American sandpiper. Birds Schooler 3.6K
Small yellow-and-black Eurasian finch with a sharp beak. Birds Schooler 2.9K
North American finch of marshy area. Birds Schooler 2.9K
also Gallinule, Marsh hen, Water hen Any of various small aquatic birds of the genus Gallinula distinguished from rails by a frontal shield and a resemblance to domestic hens. Birds Schooler 2.9K
Any of several small owls having ear tufts and a whistling call. Birds Schooler 2.4K
also Mavis, Throstle Common Old World thrush noted for its song. Birds Schooler 2.4K
Any of various small petrels having dark plumage with paler underparts. Birds Schooler 2.4K
Swift of eastern Asia. Birds Schooler 2.4K
also Satin bird Of southeast Australia. Birds Schooler 1.9K
Of eastern North America having a bluish-grey head and mostly green body. Birds Schooler 1.9K
African ibis venerated by ancient Egyptians. Birds Schooler 1.6K
Pigeon-like bird of arid regions of the Old World having long pointed wings and tail and precocial downy young. Birds Schooler 1.6K
also Short-billed marsh wren Small American wren inhabiting wet sedgy meadows. Birds Schooler 1K
Old World gooselike duck slightly larger than a mallard with variegated mostly black-and-white plumage and a red bill. Birds Schooler 1K
also American bittern A kind of bittern. Birds Schooler 1K
also Bank martin, Bank swallow Swallow of the northern hemisphere that nests in tunnels dug in clay or sand banks. Birds Rare 590
Common European chat with black plumage and a reddish-brown breast. Birds Rare 590
Sandpiper-like shorebird of Pacific coasts of North America and South America. Birds Rare 590
also Northern storm petrel Sooty black petrel with white markings. Birds Rare 480
Common tern of Eurasia and America having white black and grey plumage. Birds Rare 390
also Harrier eagle Any of numerous large Old World hawks intermediate in some respects between typical hawks and typical eagles. Birds Rare 390
also Thick-knee Large-headed large-eyed crepuscular or nocturnal shorebird of the Old World and tropical America having a thickened knee joint. Birds Rare 390
Common European woodland flycatcher with greyish-brown plumage. Birds Rare 210
also Sedge bird, Reedbird Small European warbler that breeds among reeds and wedges and winters in Africa. Birds Rare 170
Small fast-running Australian bird resembling a wren and frequenting brush or scrub. Birds Rare 110
Eurasian rail of swamps and marshes. Birds Deep Cut 90
also Greater whitethroat, Whitethroat Greyish-brown Old World warbler with a white throat and underparts. Birds Deep Cut 90
Large black-and-white stork of tropical Africa. Birds Deep Cut 50
A kind of antbird. Birds Deep Cut 40
Flightless cold-water seabirds: penguins. Birds One in a Krillion <10
A variety of button quail having stripes. Birds One in a Krillion <10

Questions about birds that start with S

How many birds start with S?

RareList lists 82 birds that start with S. 11 are in the Plankton tier, the names everyone knows, and 16 are in the Rare tier or rarer.

What are common birds that start with S?

The most searched birds starting with S are Snipe, Shoebill, Sparrow, Swan and Swift.

What is a rare bird that starts with S?

Spotted antbird is one of the rarest. A kind of antbird. It gets about 40 US searches a month. Other rare picks: Sand martin, Stonechat and Surfbird.

How does RareList decide what counts as rare?

Each name is ranked by its average monthly Google searches in the United States. Fewer searches means fewer people are likely to think of it, which is what matters in games that reward unique answers. See how we rank for the details.