Animals That Start With B

116 animals Animals and nature Checked 9 Oct 2026

Here are 116 animals that start with B, each with a one-line description so you can tell what it is. The best-known ones come first, then the full list in A to Z order.

B is one of the fullest animal letters, with 116 entries, and mammals lead the way: bear, bat, beaver, badger, bison and baboon. Bunny and bee are often the first B animals toddlers name.

Birds show a clear naming habit here. Many are colour compounds such as blackbird, bluebird, blue jay and bald eagle, so the B comes from the colour, not the bird type. Dog fans will find the bulldog and beagle, and ocean lovers get the blue whale and barracuda.

Animals starting with B: 116
Best known: bear, bull
Longest name: bearded vulture
Most are: mammals

Best-known animals that start with B

The ones most people will recognise, good for school lists, quizzes and games.

bear
bull
bat
buffalo
bee
butterfly
bunny
beaver
beetle
badger
bulldog
bison
beagle
bumblebee
blackbird
bluebird
blue jay
bobcat
barracuda
baboon
black widow
budgie
blue whale
barn owl
bullfrog
bald eagle
budgerigar
bullfinch

All animals that start with B

#	Name	What it is	Type
1	baboon	large terrestrial monkeys having doglike muzzles	mammal
2	badger	sturdy carnivorous burrowing mammal with strong claws; widely distributed in the northern hemisphere	mammal
3	bald eagle	a large eagle of North America that has a white head and dark wings and body	bird
4	bandicoot	any of various agile ratlike terrestrial marsupials of Australia and adjacent islands; insectivorous and herbivorous	mammal
5	bank swallow	swallow of the northern hemisphere that nests in tunnels dug in clay or sand banks	bird
6	bantam	any of various small breeds of fowl	bird
7	bark beetle	small beetle that bores tunnels in the bark and wood of trees; related to weevils	insect
8	barking deer	small Asian deer with small antlers and a cry like a bark	mammal
9	barking frog	of southwest United States and Mexico; call is like a dog's bark	amphibian
10	barn owl	mottled buff and white owl often inhabiting barns and other structures; important in rodent control	bird
11	barn spider	an orange and tan spider with darkly banded legs that spins an orb web daily	spider or scorpion
12	barn swallow	common swallow of North America and Europe that nests in barns etc.	bird
13	barnacle	marine crustaceans with feathery food-catching appendages	crustacean
14	barracuda	any voracious marine fish of the genus Sphyraena having an elongated cylindrical body and large mouth with projecting...	fish
15	barred owl	large owl of eastern North America having its breast and abdomen streaked with brown	bird
16	basilisk	small crested arboreal lizard able to run on its hind legs; of tropical America	reptile
17	basket star	any starfish-like animal of the genera Euryale or Astrophyton or Gorgonocephalus having slender complexly branched...	other
18	bass	nontechnical name for any of numerous edible marine and freshwater spiny-finned fishes	fish
19	bat	nocturnal mouselike mammal with forelimbs modified to form membranous wings and anatomical adaptations for echolocation...	mammal
20	beach flea	small amphipod crustaceans that hop like fleas; common on ocean beaches	crustacean
21	beaded lizard	lizard with black and yellowish beadlike scales; of western Mexico	reptile
22	beagle	a small short-legged smooth-coated breed of hound	mammal
23	bear	massive plantigrade carnivorous or omnivorous mammals with long shaggy coats and strong claws	mammal
24	bearded seal	medium-sized greyish to yellow seal with bristles each side of muzzle; of the Arctic Ocean	mammal
25	bearded vulture	the largest Eurasian bird of prey; having black feathers hanging around the bill	bird
26	beaver	large semiaquatic rodent with webbed hind feet and a broad flat tail; construct complex dams and underwater lodges	mammal
27	bedbug	bug of temperate regions that infests especially beds and feeds on human blood	insect
28	bee	any of numerous hairy-bodied insects including social and solitary species	insect
29	bee eater	colorful chiefly tropical Old World bird having a strong graceful flight; feeds on especially bees	bird
30	bee fly	hairy nectar-eating fly that resembles a bee; larvae are parasitic on larvae of bees and related insects	insect
31	beetle	insect having biting mouthparts and front wings modified to form horny covers overlying the membranous rear wings	insect
32	beluga	valuable source of caviar and isinglass; found in Black and Caspian seas	fish
33	bighorn	wild sheep of mountainous regions of western North America having massive curled horns	mammal
34	billy goat	male goat	mammal
35	bird	warm-blooded egg-laying vertebrates characterized by feathers and forelimbs modified as wings	bird
36	bison	any of several large humped bovids having shaggy manes and large heads and short horns	mammal
37	bittern	relatively small compact tawny-brown heron with nocturnal habits and a booming cry; found in marshes	bird
38	black bass	widely distributed and highly prized American freshwater game fishes (sunfish family)	fish
39	black bear	brown to black North American bear; smaller and less ferocious than the brown bear	mammal
40	black buck	common Indian antelope with a dark back and spiral horns	mammal
41	black duck	a dusky duck of northeastern United States and Canada	bird
42	black fly	small blackish stout-bodied biting fly having aquatic larvae	insect
43	black grouse	grouse of which the male is bluish-black	bird
44	black kite	dark Old World kite feeding chiefly on carrion	bird
45	black marlin	large game fish in the Pacific Ocean; may reach 1000 pounds	fish
46	black racer	blackish racer of the eastern United States that grows to six feet	reptile
47	black rat	common household pest originally from Asia that has spread worldwide	mammal
48	black swan	large Australian swan having black plumage and a red bill	bird
49	black vulture	of southern Eurasia and northern Africa	bird
50	black widow	venomous New World spider; the female is black with an hourglass-shaped red mark on the underside of the abdomen	spider or scorpion
51	blackbird	any bird of the family Icteridae whose male is black or predominantly black	bird
52	blind snake	wormlike burrowing snake of warm regions having vestigial eyes	reptile
53	blister beetle	beetle that produces a secretion that blisters the skin	insect
54	bloodhound	a breed of large powerful hound of European origin having very acute smell and used in tracking	mammal
55	blow fly	large usually hairy metallic blue or green fly; lays eggs in carrion or dung or wounds	insect
56	blowfish	any of numerous marine fishes whose elongated spiny body can inflate itself with water or air to form a globe	fish
57	blue catfish	a large catfish of the Mississippi valley	fish
58	blue crab	bluish edible crab of Atlantic and Gulf Coasts of North America	crustacean
59	blue jay	common jay of eastern North America; bright blue with grey breast	bird
60	blue marlin	largest marlin; may reach 2000 pounds; found worldwide in warm seas	fish
61	blue runner	fish of western Atlantic: Cape Cod to Brazil	fish
62	blue shark	slender cosmopolitan, pelagic shark; blue body shades to white belly; dangerous especially during maritime disasters	fish
63	blue whale	largest mammal ever known; bluish-grey migratory whalebone whale mostly of southern hemisphere	mammal
64	bluebird	blue North American songbird	bird
65	bluefin	largest tuna; to 1500 pounds; of mostly temperate seas: feed in polar regions but breed in tropics	fish
66	bluefish	bluish warm-water marine food and game fish that follow schools of small fishes into shallow waters	fish
67	bluegill	important edible sunfish of eastern and central United States	fish
68	boa	any of several chiefly tropical constrictors with vestigial hind limbs	reptile
69	boar	Old World wild swine having a narrow body and prominent tusks from which most domestic swine come	mammal
70	bobcat	small lynx of North America	mammal
71	bongo	large forest antelope of central Africa having a reddish-brown coat with white stripes and spiral horns	mammal
72	bonito	fish whose flesh is dried and flaked for Japanese cookery; may be same species as skipjack tuna	fish
73	bonnet monkey	Indian macaque with a bonnet-like tuft of hair	mammal
74	bonnet shark	small harmless hammerhead having a spade-shaped head; abundant in bays and estuaries	fish
75	bonobo	small chimpanzee of swamp forests in Zaire; a threatened species	mammal
76	booby	small tropical gannet having a bright bill or bright feet or both	bird
77	bottlenose	any of several dolphins with rounded forehead and well-developed beak; chiefly of northern Atlantic and Mediterranean	mammal
78	box turtle	chiefly terrestrial turtle of North America; shell can be closed tightly	reptile
79	brain coral	massive reef-building coral having a convoluted and furrowed surface	other
80	brant	small dark geese that breed in the north and migrate southward	bird
81	bream	any of various usually edible freshwater percoid fishes having compressed bodies and shiny scales	fish
82	brent goose	small dark geese that breed in the north and migrate southward	bird
83	brill	European food fish	fish
84	brine shrimp	common to saline lakes	crustacean
85	brittle star	an animal resembling a starfish with fragile whiplike arms radiating from a small central disc	other
86	bronco	an unbroken or imperfectly broken mustang	mammal
87	brontosaurus	huge quadrupedal herbivorous dinosaur common in North America in the late Jurassic	reptile
88	brook trout	North American freshwater trout; introduced in Europe	fish
89	brown bat	any of numerous medium to small insectivorous bats found worldwide in caves and trees and buildings	mammal
90	brown bear	large ferocious bear of Eurasia	mammal
91	brown rat	common domestic rat; serious pest worldwide	mammal
92	brown trout	speckled trout of European rivers; introduced in North America	fish
93	brush turkey	black megapode of wooded regions of Australia and New Guinea	bird
94	buck	mature male of various mammals (especially deer or antelope)	mammal
95	budgerigar	small Australian parrot often kept as a pet	bird
96	budgie	small Australian parakeet usually light green with black and yellow markings in the wild but bred in many colors	bird
97	buffalo	large shaggy-haired brown bison of North American plains	mammal
98	bug	general term for any insect or similar creeping or crawling invertebrate	insect
99	bull	uncastrated adult male of domestic cattle	mammal
100	bull shark	a most common shark in temperate and tropical coastal waters worldwide; heavy-bodied and dangerous	fish
101	bull snake	any of several large harmless rodent-eating North American burrowing snakes	reptile
102	bulldog	a sturdy thickset short-haired breed with a large head and strong undershot lower jaw	mammal
103	bulldog ant	any of the large fierce Australian ants of the genus Myrmecia	insect
104	bullfinch	plump finch with a rosy red breast	bird
105	bullfrog	largest North American frog; highly aquatic with a deep-pitched voice	amphibian
106	bullhead	any of several common freshwater catfishes of the United States	fish
107	bumblebee	robust hairy social bee of temperate regions	insect
108	bunny	(usually informal) especially a young rabbit	mammal
109	bunting	any of numerous seed-eating songbirds of Europe or North America	bird
110	burro	small donkey used as a pack animal	mammal
111	bush baby	agile long-tailed nocturnal African lemur with dense woolly fur and large eyes and ears	mammal
112	butterfly	diurnal insect typically having a slender body with knobbed antennae and broad colorful wings	insect
113	butterfly fish	small usually brilliantly colored tropical marine fishes having narrow deep bodies with large broad fins	fish
114	butterfly ray	a stingray with a short tail and a broad fin	fish
115	button quail	small quail-like terrestrial bird of southern Eurasia and northern Africa that lacks a hind toe	bird
116	buzzard	the common European short-winged hawk	bird

Mammals that start with B

bear
bull
bat
buffalo
bunny
beaver
badger
bulldog
bison
beagle
bobcat
baboon
blue whale
buck
boar
black bear
brown bear
bronco
bush baby
bongo
brown bat
bloodhound
black rat
brown rat
bighorn
billy goat
bandicoot
black buck
bonobo
bottlenose
burro
barking deer
bonnet monkey
bearded seal

Birds that start with B

blackbird
bluebird
blue jay
budgie
barn owl
bald eagle
budgerigar
bullfinch
bird
bunting
booby
brant
buzzard
bantam
brush turkey
black duck
bank swallow
barn swallow
black swan
barred owl
brent goose
bittern
black kite
bee eater
bearded vulture
black vulture
black grouse
button quail

Fish that start with B

barracuda
bass
brill
black bass
beluga
bream
blue runner
blue shark
bull shark
bonito
butterfly fish
butterfly ray
bluefin
blowfish
brown trout
brook trout
bluegill
bullhead
bluefish
blue catfish
bonnet shark
black marlin
blue marlin

Reptiles that start with B

boa
blind snake
bull snake
basilisk
box turtle
brontosaurus
black racer
beaded lizard

Amphibians that start with B

bullfrog
barking frog

Insects that start with B

bee
butterfly
beetle
bumblebee
bug
black fly
blow fly
bee fly
bedbug
bark beetle
bulldog ant
blister beetle

Spiders and scorpions that start with B

black widow
barn spider

Crustaceans that start with B

barnacle
blue crab
beach flea
brine shrimp

Other animals that start with B

basket star
brain coral
brittle star

Filter all 116 animals that start with B

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Questions people ask

How many animals start with B?

This list has 116 animals starting with B, from well-known ones like bear, bull, bat to rarer kinds.

What animals start with B?

Well-known examples are bear, bull, bat, buffalo, bee, butterfly, bunny, beaver.

What mammals start with B?

bear, bull, bat, buffalo, bunny.

What birds start with B?

blackbird, bluebird, blue jay, budgie, barn owl.

What fish start with B?

barracuda, bass, brill, black bass, beluga.

Source: Princeton WordNet, a public dictionary database, reviewed by our editors to keep only clear, real members of the list. Meanings are short dictionary glosses.

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