Birds are truly amazing creatures. From the giant ostrich, which has a height of up to 2.7 meters, to the tiny robin, voted the UK’s most popular wild bird. There are countless English sayings about them. This article will look at idioms about birds to improve English vocabulary and speaking skills. We will look at the idiom meanings and also show example sentences using natural English.
We will look at 49 idioms on birds, to improve our English vocabulary. Are you a night owl? That means you like staying up late. Have you ever walked on eggshells? That means you had to be really careful when talking with someone because they were sensitive.
Related: 50 Sentences On Birds To Improve Speaking And Vocabulary
Idioms about birds
Did you know that the smallest living bird is the hummingbird? It’s so cute. Today we will talk about both small and large birds. The first section looks at general English idioms about birds. Then we will go into more detail about different types of birds, for example, chicken sayings, crow sayings, and eagle sayings. Afterward, we will have a comprehensive list of bird idioms that can help us improve our English vocabulary.
- Night Owl: This is a person who stays up late every night. It is part of their lifestyle.
Olivia is a night owl. She rarely goes to bed before 12.
2. Birds of a feather: Two people are extremely similar to one another.
We are birds of a feather. We both have the same hobbies and interests, don’t we?
3. Bird’s eye view: Looking at a place from above. We are able to see everything.
I got a bird’s eye view of the town from the top of the hill.
4. The Early Bird Catches the Worm: This proverb means that we benefit from doing things early, soon, or straight away.
I finished all my homework by 9 am. Now I can go out and enjoy the whole day. It just goes to show, the early bird catches the worm!
5. As graceful as a swan: This bird idiom is used to describe someone who moves and acts in a very graceful way.
Charlotte is as graceful as a swan when she does ballet.
Idioms about birds: Chicken sayings
One of the more common birds to have idioms made about them – chickens are very intelligent creatures with excellent memory ability. These chicken sayings can be used in a wide variety of social situations, so are an ideal tool to improve English skills.
6. Fox in the hen house: This bird idiom is used when we want to warn someone of the danger of giving a particular person responsibility. If we let the fox guard the henhouse, they will likely eat all the hens! It’s the same concept as giving a person who we can’t trust power. They might abuse that power.
Leaving David at home alone while we went on holiday would be like the fox in the hen house!
7. Walking on eggshells: We must be very careful what we say. If someone gets upset too easily, we could say we need to walk on eggshells around them.
8. Spring chicken: This is a young person. It can also be used together with “not”. For example, I am not a spring chicken anymore!
Theodore is just a spring chicken at the age of 25!
9. Chicken out: If we chicken out of something, we back down, or decide not to do something. The challenge is perceived as too risky, dangerous, or scary.
I chickened out of bungee jumping. I just couldn’t gather enough courage!
10. Henpecked: this is to be constantly criticized and ordered around by your partner – particularly a female partner.
Josh is just so henpecked. His wife won’t let him go out on the weekend with his friends.
Idioms about birds: Crow sayings
The crow is an interesting bird. Not only big and strong but also very intelligent, as this interesting article talks about. They have the intelligence of a 7-year-old child. What an amazing fact! It stands to reason that many crow sayings would come about. Here are five of the more common ones.
11. Crow’s feet: These are the fine lines around our eyes. They are often associated with aging.
Despite only being 20, Dennis already has crow’s feet.
12. Crow’s nest: This is a structure near the highest point of a ship. In the olden days, it was used to spot nearby ships, rocks, and other hazards.
A crow’s nest was built on the main mast of the ship.
13. As the Crow Flies: This is a measurement of the quickest route to a place. No winding roads or paths, just a straight line from point A to point B. Just like a crow or other bird would fly.
How far is the university from here? As the crow flies, it’s about 2 kilometers. But, with this traffic, it will feel much longer!
14: Eat crow: This is one of the more embarrassing of our idioms about birds. When we “eat crow” it means we accept failure and the fact that we were wrong.
Ava will be eating crow tonight. She said she was 100% confident about passing the English test, but she only scored 35%! She needs to study lots more if she wants to improve her English!
15: Crow about: This means to talk or boast about something you have done – your manner is overly proud.
I am sick of Liam crowing about his new car. Everyone knows he has rich parents, why does he have to rub it in all the time?
Idioms about birds: Eagle sayings
Eagles are some of the most iconic birds out there, and this article also mentions some other great birds. There are plenty of bird idioms that refer to eagles in the English language. From sport to science, there is an eagle saying to help you! Here are five of the more common ones we can utilize to improve English.
16: Eagle: If you get an eagle while playing golf, then you are doing well. An eagle is a score of two under par on each hole during a round of golf.
I can’t believe I got an eagle! I haven’t been playing golf long at all!
17: Eagle eyes: This person is highly observant with good eyesight.
The store clerk has eagle eyes. He always catches shoplifters.
18: Eagle-eyed: The same meaning as above, but this phrase works as an adjective. Correctly using adjectives is essential for improving English. Take this example: We can say that the store clerk is eagle-eyed, rather than has eagle eyes.
My pet cat is eagle-eyed. He never misses anything.
19: The eagle has landed: This phrase was probably coined by Neil Armstrong when he landed on the moon. These days, however, it is used as an exclamation after a great accomplishment.
The guys won the baseball cup. The eagle has landed, it’s now party time!
20: Soar like an eagle: To fly high and well just like an eagle does.
My company’s fortunes are soaring like an eagle. I am ecstatic!
Related: 50 + Lines On Eagle To Make Your English Really Fly!
Idioms about birds: Fly sayings
It’s not only birds that can fly – other creatures and also planes can too. There are lots of English idioms about flying, so here are some of the more common fly sayings to help us improve English.
21: Fly by the seat of your pants: This means using instinct or reactions to deal with a situation, rather than logic or rationale.
The team flew by the seat of their pants and managed to scrape a victory.
22: On the fly: Very similar to the above saying – we don’t plan but act on instinct or reaction.
Amelia came up with some ideas on the fly during the meeting.
23: Fly over: Describes the route of flight, for instance, a bird flew over your house.
Can you see all those birds flying over the field?
24: Fly by night: A person or business who is unreliable. We use this to describe sales or business matters.
The fly-by-night salesperson wouldn’t answer his phone when I had a problem with the computer he sold me.
25: Fly off the handle: We use this fly saying to describe someone who suddenly became too angry.
Have you ever flown off the handle? What for?
Air idioms
It makes sense that when learning idioms about birds, there would be plenty of sayings about air, as that is what birds use to fly every day! Here are some of the more popular air idioms:
26: Hot air: We use this to describe someone who talks a lot but doesn’t do anything.
Don’t worry about Liam’s warning, he is full of hot air. He won’t do anything. Tomorrow he will have forgotten about your mistake.
27: Up in the air: This means a potential plan remains undecided.
Our holiday plans are up in the air this year due to my husband, Noah, losing his job.
28: Love is in the air: This romantic saying is used when two people are close to becoming romantically involved.
Love is in the air between Oliver and Charlotte!
29: Breath of fresh air: A refreshing change to the ordinary situation.
Our new boss is a breath of fresh air. No more nagging or negative comments, like our old manager used to do!
30: Clear the air: After a falling out the people decide to explain their problem or worry in a calm way.
I feel so much happier now that I have cleared the air with Ava. A bad atmosphere is just no fun.
Duck sayings
Did you know that ducks have highly waterproof feathers? They can dive under the water and still remain completely dry under the feathers. These amazing birds have spawned many popular idioms about birds, so let’s have a look at some of the more common duck sayings.
31: Ugly Duckling: This is primarily a children’s story, but is also used to describe a person who eventually becomes beautiful or successful, after initially being the underdog.
Some people cruelly called Sophia an ugly duckling when she was a child, but now she is a model!
32: Odd duck: This is a strange person.
Michael is an odd duck. He never uses his vacation time, he just goes to work. What a waste!
33: Duck face: This is a pouting expression – like a duck’s bill.
Isabella made a funny duck face for the photograph.
34: Sitting duck: Describes being in a vulnerable location or position – it is possible you could be attacked there.
If we leave our handbags open in the market, we’ll be sitting ducks for pickpocketers.
35: Mud duck: An ugly person
We should never call anyone a mud duck, as it is too upsetting for them.
Related: 35 duck sentences for better English
Idioms about birds: Goose sayings
Did you know that geese are very social animals? They like to be around other animals on the farm. Perhaps because these animals are so nice, many sayings about geese have come about. Here are some of the more common goose sayings we can use to improve English.
36: Goose egg: This means a score of zero in a sports game, coming from American English.
The soccer team left the match with a goose egg, again!
37: Goose and gander: When someone says “what’s good for the goose is good for the gander”, they mean people should receive equal treatment, it is against the idea of discrimination.
I told Elijah that he could only have one cake, just like his sister. Why should he have more? What’s good for the goose is good for the gander!
38: Silly goose: This bird idiom is used to describe a silly or foolish person. It is often used in an endearing fashion.
Martin, you silly goose! Your t-shirt is on back to front!
39: Wild Goose Chase: This is a fruitless endeavor. Like trying to improve English by studying only Chinese!
I went on a wild goose chase last weekend to find the perfect pair of jeans. I couldn’t find any that were just right.
40: The goose that laid the golden egg: This means a great source of money.
Levi’s company is really the goose that laid the golden egg.
Idioms about birds: Hawk sayings
There are over 200 species of hawks around the world. The fact that they are so widespread is perhaps why we have idioms about them in the English language. Here are some of the more common hawk sayings.
41: Hawkish: This can describe the appearance of someone – they have sharp facial features as a hawk does. Also, it means a political stance angled towards confrontation or war.
The government’s hawkish policies have drawn much criticism worldwide.
42: The hawk: Similar to the above phrase hawkish, the hawk is a noun and is used to describe a person.
That politician has become a hawk in recent years.
43: Hawks and doves: Hawks are people with aggressive and confrontational political ideals, while doves prefer diplomacy and discussion.
The two parties are a perfect example of hawks and doves. One wants to impose heavy sanctions, the other wants a summit.
44: Hawkshaw: This is a casual word for a detective.
The hawkshaw found evidence of a great crime.
45: Between hawk and buzzard: This means to be caught between two dangerous factions or rivals. A buzzard is a similar type of bird to a hawk. This expression is like between a rock and a hard place.
The independent politician was stuck between a hawk and a buzzard.
Idioms about birds: Parrot idioms
Parrots are very interesting birds. Did you know they are America’s fourth favorite pet? It goes without saying that these creatures make a valuable addition to our idioms about birds. Let’s use these parrot sayings to speak naturally and further improve our English skills.
46: Parroting: Repeating exactly what someone else said.
Parroting is a way students can practice and improve their English ability.
47: Sick as a parrot: Feeling really unwell.
I have been sick as a parrot this week, but am starting to feel better now.
48: Parrot-fashion: Doing something mechanically, lacking thought or consideration.
Mason completed his homework parrot-fashion. It’s no surprise he only got a “D’.
49: In fine feather: If we are in fine feather, then we are in great condition.
You’re in fine feather this morning. Did you have a large coffee?
50: Parrot words: This is the same as parroting, with the added nuance of perhaps not understanding what you are actually saying! By the way, I thought there were going to be 49 idioms about birds, but after finishing writing, it looks like there are 50 now!
Don’t listen to him, it’s just parrot words.
Bird related words
Now that we have looked at all those idioms about birds, how about improving our English vocabulary further with some single-word expressions to describe our avian friends? Let’s look at 10 bird-related words:
- Beak: The hard and long outside of a bird’s mouth.
- Emu: A large Australian bird.
- Fly: This is what most birds do!
- Feathery: Describing the appearance of something.
- Nest: A bird’s home.
- Egg: Birds lay these.
- Chick: A baby bird.
- Hen: A female chicken
- Migrate: Some birds move to different areas in different seasons.
- Flock: A group of birds.
Bird idioms list
We have looked at sayings from many kinds of birds, from crows to eagles and everything in between. One of my favorite birds is the parrot. Did you know they taste with the roof of their mouth, not their tongue? Anyway, here is the complete list of today’s idioms on birds. A good way to use them is to first repeat them several times, then write them down, then repeat them again. Speaking, hearing, and writing can, together, be a powerful tool to improve English.
- Night Owl
- Birds of a feather
- Bird’s eye view
- The Early Bird Catches the Worm
- As graceful as a swan
- Fox in the hen house
- Walking on eggshells
- Spring chicken
- Chicken Out
- Henpecked
- Crow’s feet
- Crow’s nest
- As the Crow Flies
- Eat crow
- Crow about
- Eagle
- Eagle eyes
- Eagle-eyed
- The eagle has landed
- Fly by the seat of your pants
- On the fly
- Fly by night
- Fly over
- Fly off the handle
- Hot air
- Up in the air
- Love is in the air
- Breath of fresh air
- Clear the air
- Ugly Duckling
- Odd duck
- Duck face
- Sitting duck
- Mud duck
- Goose egg
- Goose and gander
- Silly goose
- Wild Goose Chase
- The goose that laid the golden egg
- Hawkish
- The hawk
- Hawks and doves
- Hawkshaw
- Between hawk and buzzard
- Parroting
- Sick as a parrot
- Parrot-fashion
- In fine feather
- Parrot words
Idioms about birds: from chickens to eagles and everything in between
Idioms about birds can help us improve and sound natural in conversation. They can also help boost listening comprehension and cultural awareness. That’s why they can help us improve English so much! Which of today’s bird sayings was your favorite? My personal favorite expression is “night owl.” That’s because I am one! I also really liked one of the phrases from chicken sayings – chicken out. That’s because I chickened out of skydiving last year! What kind of bird idiom are you similar to?