Animals That Start With H

65 animals Animals and nature Checked 9 Oct 2026

Here are 65 animals that start with H, 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.

H lists 65 animals. Horse, hen, hamster and hedgehog are friendly names for preschoolers, while the hippopotamus is a fun long word to clap out by syllables.

Birds are a strength of this letter. The hummingbird, heron, hornbill, hoopoe and harpy eagle bring colour and variety. Ocean names add the hammerhead, hermit crab and horseshoe crab, which, despite its name, is not a true crab. The honey badger and howler monkey are great for older children who want animals with a reputation.

Animals starting with H: 65
Best known: horse, hawk
Longest name: horseshoe crab
Most are: mammals

Best-known animals that start with H

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

horse
hawk
hare
hen
hamster
husky
hedgehog
hornet
hippo
heron
hummingbird
hyena
halibut
hammerhead
hippopotamus
honeybee
honey badger
hermit crab
horseshoe crab
hagfish
harpy eagle
hoopoe
hornbill
howler monkey
hyrax

All animals that start with H

#	Name	What it is	Type
1	haddock	important food fish on both sides of the Atlantic; related to cod but usually smaller	fish
2	hagfish	eel-like sea creature that makes lots of slime	other
3	hake	any of several marine food fishes related to cod	fish
4	halibut	marine food fish of the northern Atlantic or northern Pacific	fish
5	hammerhead	medium-sized live-bearing shark with eyes at either end of a flattened hammer-shaped head	fish
6	hamster	short-tailed Old World burrowing rodent with large cheek pouches	mammal
7	harbor seal	small spotted seal of coastal waters of the northern hemisphere	mammal
8	hard clam	an edible American clam; the heavy shells were used as money by some American Indians	mollusc
9	hard tick	ticks having a hard shield on the back and mouth parts that project from the head	spider or scorpion
10	hare	swift timid long-eared mammal larger than a rabbit having a divided upper lip and long hind legs	mammal
11	harp seal	common Arctic seal; the young are all white	mammal
12	harpy eagle	huge powerful eagle of tropical American rainforests	bird
13	harrier	hawks that hunt over meadows and marshes and prey on small terrestrial animals	bird
14	harvest mite	larval mite that sucks the blood of vertebrates including human beings causing intense irritation	spider or scorpion
15	harvest mouse	any of several small greyish New World mice inhabiting e.g. grain fields	mammal
16	hawk	diurnal bird of prey typically having short rounded wings and a long tail	bird
17	hawk moth	any of various moths with long narrow forewings capable of powerful flight and hovering over flowers to feed	insect
18	hawk owl	grey-and-white diurnal hawk-like owl of northern parts of the northern hemisphere	bird
19	hedge sparrow	small brownish European songbird	bird
20	hedgehog	small nocturnal Old World mammal covered with both hair and protective spines	mammal
21	heifer	young cow	mammal
22	hen	adult female chicken	bird
23	hermit crab	small soft-bodied marine crustaceans living in cast-off shells of gastropods	crustacean
24	heron	grey or white wading bird with long neck and long legs and (usually) long bill	bird
25	herring	commercially important food fish of northern waters of both Atlantic and Pacific	fish
26	herring gull	large gull of the northern hemisphere	bird
27	hippo	massive thick-skinned herbivorous animal living in or around rivers of tropical Africa	mammal
28	hippopotamus	massive thick-skinned herbivorous animal living in or around rivers of tropical Africa	mammal
29	hobby	small Old World falcon formerly trained and flown at small birds	bird
30	hog	domestic swine	mammal
31	hog badger	southeast Asian badger with a snout like a pig	mammal
32	honey badger	nocturnal badger-like carnivore of wooded regions of Africa and southern Asia	mammal
33	honey eater	Australasian bird with tongue and bill adapted for extracting nectar	bird
34	honey guide	small bird of tropical Africa and Asia; feeds on beeswax and honey and larvae	bird
35	honeybee	social bee often domesticated for the honey it produces	insect
36	hooded seal	medium-sized blackish-grey seal with large inflatable sac on the head; of Arctic and northern Atlantic waters	mammal
37	hooded skunk	of Mexico and southernmost parts of southwestern United States	mammal
38	hookworm	parasitic bloodsucking roundworms having hooked mouth parts to fasten to the intestinal wall of human and other hosts	worm
39	hoopoe	bird with a fan-shaped crest and striped wings	bird
40	horn fly	small black European fly introduced into North America; sucks blood from cattle especially at the base of the horn	insect
41	hornbill	tropical bird with a large curved bill	bird
42	horned lizard	insectivorous lizard with hornlike spines on the head and spiny scales on the body; of western North America	reptile
43	horned owl	large owls having prominent ear tufts	bird
44	horned toad	insectivorous lizard with hornlike spines on the head and spiny scales on the body; of western North America	reptile
45	horned viper	highly venomous viper of northern Africa and southwestern Asia having a horny spine above each eye	reptile
46	hornet	large stinging paper wasp	insect
47	horse	solid-hoofed herbivorous quadruped domesticated since prehistoric times	mammal
48	horse fly	large swift fly the female of which sucks blood of various animals	insect
49	horseshoe bat	any of numerous bats of the family Hipposideridae of northwest Africa or Philippines or Australia having a...	mammal
50	horseshoe crab	large marine arthropod of the Atlantic coast of North America having a domed carapace that is shaped like a horseshoe...	other
51	house finch	small finch originally of the western United States and Mexico	bird
52	house fly	common fly that frequents human habitations and spreads many diseases	insect
53	house martin	common small European martin that builds nests under the eaves of houses	bird
54	house mouse	brownish-grey Old World mouse now a common household pest worldwide	mammal
55	house sparrow	small hardy brown-and-grey bird native to Europe	bird
56	house wren	common American wren that nests around houses	bird
57	howler	monkey of tropical South American forests having a loud howling cry	mammal
58	howler monkey	South American monkey with a very loud call	mammal
59	hummingbird	tiny American bird having brilliant iridescent plumage and long slender bills	bird
60	humpback	large whalebone whale with long flippers noted for arching or humping its back as it dives	mammal
61	hunting spider	ground spider that hunts its prey instead of using a web	spider or scorpion
62	husky	breed of heavy-coated Arctic sled dog	mammal
63	hydra	small tubular solitary freshwater hydrozoan polyp	other
64	hyena	doglike nocturnal mammal of Africa and southern Asia that feeds chiefly on carrion	mammal
65	hyrax	small furry African mammal related to elephants	mammal

Mammals that start with H

horse
hare
hamster
husky
hedgehog
hippo
hyena
hippopotamus
honey badger
howler monkey
hyrax
hog
house mouse
humpback
harbor seal
heifer
harvest mouse
howler
hog badger
harp seal
hooded seal
horseshoe bat
hooded skunk

Birds that start with H

hawk
hen
heron
hummingbird
harpy eagle
hoopoe
hornbill
hobby
house martin
honey guide
harrier
hawk owl
house finch
hedge sparrow
house sparrow
honey eater
house wren
horned owl
herring gull

Fish that start with H

halibut
hammerhead
herring
haddock
hake

Reptiles that start with H

horned lizard
horned toad
horned viper

Insects that start with H

hornet
honeybee
horse fly
house fly
horn fly
hawk moth

Spiders and scorpions that start with H

hunting spider
hard tick
harvest mite

Other animals that start with H

horseshoe crab
hagfish
hydra

Filter all 65 animals that start with H

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Questions people ask

How many animals start with H?

This list has 65 animals starting with H, from well-known ones like horse, hawk, hare to rarer kinds.

What animals start with H?

Well-known examples are horse, hawk, hare, hen, hamster, husky, hedgehog, hornet.

What mammals start with H?

horse, hare, hamster, husky, hedgehog.

What birds start with H?

hawk, hen, heron, hummingbird, harpy eagle.

What fish start with H?

halibut, hammerhead, herring, haddock, hake.

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.

See every letter on one page: animals A to Z