Birds are widely considered the closest living relatives of which extinct group of animals?

Dinosaurs (theropod dinosaurs).

Animals & Nature

Birds Word Search

This birds word search hides words like owl, eagle, parrot to find. Play it free online or print the PDF with the answer key, a handy birds vocabulary activity.

10 words · 11×11 grid · Medium · Answer key included · Free printable PDF

Animals & Nature

Show / hide answers

Tap the first and last letter of a word — or use arrow keys and Enter. Dragging works too.

FLAMINGO
CARDINAL
STARLING
PENGUIN
SPARROW
PEACOCK
OSTRICH
PARROT
EAGLE
OWL

🎉 Solved — all 10 words found!

True stories

The pigeon that saved a battalion

Argonne Forest, France

In October 1918, in the Argonne Forest of France, hundreds of American soldiers were trapped behind enemy lines and, by mistake, were being shelled by their own side. Their last hope was a homing pigeon named Cher Ami. Released with a note begging the gunners to stop, the bird rose into a storm of fire and was shot down, then somehow climbed again and flew about 25 miles back to headquarters. He arrived shot through the breast, blinded in one eye, with a leg hanging by a tendon and the message still in its capsule. The shelling stopped, and 194 men were saved. Cher Ami was honored as a hero.

A crow that pays its debts

Seattle, Washington

In Seattle, Washington, a young girl named Gabi began sharing her snacks with the crows in her yard, then started leaving them peanuts every day. Over time the birds came to know her, waiting on the fence when she stepped outside. Then the gifts began. The crows brought back small treasures and lined them up on the feeder tray: beads, buttons, a tiny screw, a polished bit of glass, even an earring her mother had lost in the garden. Scientists say crows can recognize faces and remember kindness, sometimes repaying those who feed them. For Gabi, each shiny scrap felt like a thank-you note left by a feathered friend.

Print this Birds word search

Did you know?

owl: An owl cannot roll its eyes in their sockets, so it swivels its head up to 270 degrees to look around.
eagle: A bald eagle can spot a rabbit from nearly two miles away, with eyesight roughly four times sharper than ours.
parrot: Parrots do not have vocal cords; they shape sound with a muscular voice box called a syrinx, deep in the chest.
penguin: A penguin cannot fly through air, but flaps its wings to fly through water, steering with its feet like a rudder.
sparrow: House sparrows followed people around the globe, and now live on every continent except Antarctica.
peacock: A peacock's tail has little true pigment; its blue and green come from tiny crystal structures that bend light.
ostrich: An ostrich's eye is bigger than its brain, the largest eye of any land animal, about the size of a billiard ball.
flamingo: Flamingos are born gray; the pink comes from pigments in the shrimp and algae they eat, so a plain diet fades them.
cardinal: A cardinal often stays bright red all year, because its feathers keep their color instead of fading after the breeding season.
starling: Starlings gather in huge swirling flocks called murmurations, wheeling together in shifting shapes that can number hundreds of thousands of birds.
pelican: A pelican's throat pouch can hold more fish and water than its own stomach, working like a net to scoop up meals.
vulture: A vulture's stomach acid is so strong it can destroy dangerous bacteria in rotting meat that would sicken most other animals.
kingfisher: The kingfisher's blue feathers hold almost no blue pigment; tiny structures scatter light to create that flashing electric color.
woodpecker: A woodpecker's tongue is so long it wraps around the back of its skull, cushioning the brain against constant hammering.
hummingbird: A hummingbird can beat its wings dozens of times each second and is the only bird able to fly fully backward.

Trivia

What is the name for a scientist who studies birds?
An ornithologist.
Which is the smallest bird in the world, weighing only about two grams?
The bee hummingbird.
What flightless bird lays the largest egg of any living bird?
The ostrich.
Birds are widely considered the closest living relatives of which extinct group of animals?
Dinosaurs (theropod dinosaurs).
What is a group of crows commonly called?
A murder.

Trivia · 1 / 5

What is the name for a scientist who studies birds?

An ornithologist.

In their words

Hope is the thing with feathers that perches in the soul, and sings the tune without the words, and never stops at all.
Emily Dickinson

A bird doesn't sing because it has an answer, it sings because it has a song.
Maya Angelou

Is this birds word search free to print?

This birds word search is a free printable puzzle with 10 hidden words in an 11×11 grid. Find words like FLAMINGO, CARDINAL, STARLING hidden across, down, and diagonally. You can play it right here in your browser — tap the first and last letter of a word — or download it as a printable PDF with the full answer key on page two. It's free for personal and classroom use, so teachers can print copies for a whole class with no sign-up and no account. Word searches like this one are a proven way to build vocabulary, spelling, and word-shape recognition, which is why they're a favourite with ESL learners, elementary classrooms, and anyone who likes a quiet puzzle with their coffee.

Print this Birds word search