Birds That Start With H

21 birds Animals and nature Checked 9 Oct 2026

Here are 21 birds 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 holds 21 birds, and the word house appears in several of them: house sparrow, house martin, house finch and house wren. Those are the birds many people see near their homes.

The hummingbird is a tiny favourite, able to hover in mid-air. The hornbill has a large curved bill, and the harpy eagle is a powerful rainforest hunter. The hoopoe has a striking crest. The homing pigeon is known for finding its way back home over long distances.

Birds starting with H: 21
Best known: hawk, heron
Longest name: house sparrow

Best-known birds that start with H

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

hawk
heron
hummingbird
house sparrow
hornbill
harpy eagle

All birds that start with H

#	Name	What it is
1	harpy eagle	huge powerful eagle of tropical American rainforests
2	harrier	hawks that hunt over meadows and marshes and prey on small terrestrial animals
3	hawk	diurnal bird of prey typically having short rounded wings and a long tail
4	hawk owl	grey-and-white diurnal hawk-like owl of northern parts of the northern hemisphere
5	hedge sparrow	small brownish European songbird
6	hermit thrush	North American thrush noted for its complex and appealing song
7	heron	grey or white wading bird with long neck and long legs and (usually) long bill
8	herring gull	large gull of the northern hemisphere
9	hobby	small Old World falcon formerly trained and flown at small birds
10	homing pigeon	pigeon trained to return home
11	honey buzzard	Old World hawk that feeds on bee larvae and small rodents and reptiles
12	honey eater	Australasian bird with tongue and bill adapted for extracting nectar
13	honey guide	small bird of tropical Africa and Asia; feeds on beeswax and honey and larvae
14	hoopoe	any of several crested Old World birds with a slender downward-curved bill
15	hornbill	bird of tropical Africa and Asia having a very large bill surmounted by a bony protuberance; related to kingfishers
16	horned owl	large owls having prominent ear tufts
17	house finch	small finch originally of the western United States and Mexico
18	house martin	common small European martin that builds nests under the eaves of houses
19	house sparrow	small hardy brown-and-grey bird native to Europe
20	house wren	common American wren that nests around houses
21	hummingbird	tiny American bird having brilliant iridescent plumage and long slender bills

Short birds with H

hawk
heron
hobby

Questions people ask

How many birds start with H?

This list has 21 birds starting with H, from well-known ones like hawk, heron, hummingbird to rarer kinds.

What birds start with H?

Well-known examples are hawk, heron, hummingbird, house sparrow, hornbill, harpy eagle.

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: birds A to Z