Looking for a list of birds beginning with the letter “L”? You’re not alone. Birdwatchers, nature enthusiasts, and even quiz-goers often need quick facts or answers to satisfy curiosity and deepen knowledge.
Yet, finding reliable information on specific birds can sometimes feel overwhelming—particularly when searching for unique species or lesser-known facts.
Did you know the Lilac-breasted Roller, a vibrant bird from Africa, is famous for its vivid colors and stunning aerial displays?
This guide dives into a selection of fascinating bird species whose names start with “L.” Whether you’re interested in striking visuals, distinctive calls, or diverse habitats, each bird has something unique to offer.
11 Birds That Start With L – (Info & Pictures)
Lazuli Buntings
Lazuli Buntings are vibrant and enchanting birds that start with L. Their scientific name is Passerina amoena.
Birds that start with L
These birds naturally inhabit open woodlands, open brush, streamside shrub, and shrubby fields of Central America, Southern Canada, and South America.
The male has a bright blue head and an orange-colored breast, while juveniles and females are grayish brown colors and have cinnamon or tan breasts. Their unique appearance makes them stand out from other birds beginning with L.
Lark Sparrow
The Lark Sparrow is one of the many birds that start with the letter L. Its scientific name is Chondestes grammacus. These birds live in the west and the Great Plains in prairies, grasslands, shrubs of Southern Canada, Central America, and northern Mexico.
The male’s courting display is a series of hops and couches. It is a fairly common bird and occurs in quite a large area. Female Lark Sparrows can sometimes use old mockingbird nests instead of their own.
The Lark Sparrow is easily identified by its bold chestnut and white facial stripes, rust-colored cap, and distinctive tail pattern.
Lanceolated Warbler
The Lanceolated Warbler is a small passerine bird that belongs to the birds that start with L. Its scientific name is Locustella lanceolate, found in the swampy open forests, reedbeds, and swampy edge of Northeast European Russia, Siberia, and Northern Japan.
Lanceolated Warbler
The Lanceolated Warbler has a streaked brown back and whitish-grey underparts with dark black eyes. Its melodic, warbling song is another addition to its subtle beauty.
During the breeding season, the Lanceolated Warbler’s natural habitat consists of dense shrubbery and undergrowth where it can build its nest and lay eggs.
Despite its unremarkable appearance, the Lanceolated Warbler is an essential part of the ecosystem, and like other birds beginning with L, it coexists with other birds naturally.
Large Grey Babbler
The Large Grey Babblers are birds that start with l, and their scientific name is Turdoides Malcolmi. This small bird is found in the open woodlands and scrublands.
As one of the birds starting with L, these social creatures live in large groups and are known for their melodic chatter. These birds have brown bodies with creamy white outer tail feathers.
Compared to other birds naturally found in their habitat, the Large Grey Babbler has a chunky build and a long tail that helps with balance when climbing trees.
Lapwing
Lapwings are birds that start with L. Their scientific name is Vanellus vanellus. The Northern Lapwing, also known as the Peewit, Green Plover, or Lapwing, is a bird of the plover family.
Their natural habitats include urban areas, parks, rural areas, farmland, and pond in India, China, Thailand, and Bangladesh.
With their glossy green-purple back, black and white plumage, and signature crest, Lapwings stand out amongst other birds.
Ladder Backed Woodpecker
The Ladder-Backed Woodpecker is a striking bird that belongs to the Picidae family, one of the many birds that start with L. Its scientific name is Picoides scalaris. The woodpeckers live in the desert scrub, riparian woodlands with deciduous trees of the southwestern United States.
It is easily recognizable by its distinctive black and white striped ladder-like pattern on its back and reddish crest. These interesting Birds are small in size, with a wingspan of only around 13 inches, making it one of the smaller birds beginning with “L.”The Ladder-Backed Woodpeckers are often spotted scaling tree trunks and branches.
Lawrence’s Goldfinch
Lawrence’s Goldfinch is a marvel among birds that start with L, with its scientific name Spinus Lawrence. These birds beginning with L, live in the stream, small lakes, and farm ponds of the Southwestern United States.
birds that start with L, Lawrence’s Goldfinch
These small chirping birds have greyish heads and backs, yellowish patches on their wings, and chests with smaller pale bills.
The male dons a black mask over his eyes, making him look like a charming bandit, while the female boasts a more subdued look. These Birds start their day with a sweet, bubbly song that echoes through the fields and meadows.
Laysan albatross
The Laysan albatross’s scientific name is Phoebastria immutabilis, and one of the most beautiful birds that starts with L. Mostly found in the colder oceans of Antarctica to Australia, South Africa, and South America. They are mostly found nesting on other Hawaiian islands as well.
With a wingspan of up to six feet, this bird has snowy white feathers, a hooked beak, and pinkish legs. Watching the Laysan albatross soar through the sky alongside other birds naturally adds beauty to nature.
Lanner Falcon
Lanner Falcon’s scientific name is Falco biarmicus. Its natural habitats are deserts, forests, woods, plains, and savannas of Western Palearctic, Arabian Peninsula, South America, and Central and Southern Africa.
Laner falcon, birds that start with L
These falcons are birds that start with L and stand out with their striking appearance, boasting greyish brown with scaly patterned wings, white underparts, and a pointed bill. This falcon is famous for its impressive hunting skills and agility in flight.
Large Ground Finch
The scientific name of the large ground finch is Geospiza magnirostris. This ground finch inhabits the subtropical, tropical dry forests and tropical dry shrubland of the Galápagos islands, Ecuador.
These birds that start with L have attractive appearances. That includes a blackish body with streaked grey wings and a tail. After the first rainy season, they start mating. The finch male performs courtship displays to attract females in their breeding season.
Least bitterns
Least bitterns are birds that start with the letter L, and their scientific name is Ixobrychus exilis. These birds are found in the natural habitat, including saltwater, brackish, and freshwater wetlands of southern Florida and North and Central America.
Birds that start with L
They’re longer than an American Robin but shorter than a European Starling. Least bitterns feature rather plain feathers in hues of brown and gray, but their throats and bellies brighten to a light tan.
Their loud buzzing vocalization sounds like musical reeds, making them stand out among the other birds that live around them in freshwater wetlands.
Loggerhead Shrike
The Loggerhead Shrike (Lanius ludovicianus) is a small but fierce songbird found in North America. Known for its unique predatory skills, this bird impales prey like insects and small animals on thorns or barbed wire, creating a “larder” for future meals.
It prefers open habitats, such as grasslands and agricultural fields, where it can easily spot and ambush prey from elevated perches. Despite its small size, the Loggerhead Shrike is a skilled hunter with a specialized hunting method.
However, its population is declining due to habitat loss and pesticide exposure.
Lark
Larks, belonging to the family Alaudidae, are small to medium-sized birds often found in dry, open landscapes, mainly across the Old World and Australia. Their brown, streaked plumage allows them to blend into their surroundings, helping them avoid predators.
Larks primarily eat seeds but will supplement their diet with insects, especially while feeding their young. These birds are known for their melodious songs and impressive flight displays, often used to attract mates.
Notably, the Eurasian Skylark has gained cultural significance due to its beautiful, complex song.
Lorikeet
Lorikeets are colorful, energetic parrots native to Australia and nearby islands. Known for their bright, multi-colored feathers and lively behavior, they feed primarily on nectar and pollen, using a unique brush-tipped tongue.
The Rainbow Lorikeet is especially well-known, sporting vivid blue, green, orange, and red plumage. These social birds often travel in large, noisy flocks and can be seen feeding on flowering trees in both rural and urban areas.
Lorikeets nest in tree hollows, where both parents take an active role in raising their young.
Loon
The Common Loon (Gavia immer), or Great Northern Diver, is a striking aquatic bird native to North America and parts of Europe. Recognized by its haunting calls, the loon is an exceptional diver that hunts fish using its powerful legs and webbed feet.
During the breeding season, it wears a distinctive black-and-white checkered plumage. Loons nest on secluded shorelines near lakes, where they build simple nests close to the water’s edge. Known for their loyalty, they often mate for life and return to the same breeding grounds each year.
Little Owl
The Little Owl (Athene noctua) is a small owl species found across Europe, Asia, and parts of North Africa. It has a compact body, round head, and piercing yellow eyes, with brown-and-white spotted plumage that offers effective camouflage.
Though mainly active at night, Little Owls are sometimes seen hunting during daylight. Their diet includes small mammals, insects, and even other birds. This owl species nests in tree cavities or rock crevices and defends its territory fiercely.
Despite its size, the Little Owl is known for its bold and efficient hunting.
Laughing Kookaburra
The Laughing Kookaburra (Dacelo novaeguineae), native to eastern Australia, is a large kingfisher famous for its loud, “laughing” call used to mark territory. With its stout body, brown wings, white underparts, and dark eye stripe, this bird is easy to identify.
Laughing Kookaburras are effective hunters, feeding on insects, small reptiles, and occasionally small mammals. They nest in tree hollows or termite mounds and often form close family groups.
In these groups, offspring from previous years assist in raising younger chicks, a behavior unique to the species.
Lesser Flamingo
The Lesser Flamingo (Phoeniconaias minor) is the smallest species of flamingo, common across sub-Saharan Africa and parts of India. Standing about two to three feet tall, these birds have light pink feathers and black-tipped wings, with their pink coloration coming from algae in their diet.
Lesser Flamingos breed in large colonies around saline lakes, where they construct mud nests to protect a single egg. With a wingspan of three to four feet, these flamingos are strong fliers and are particularly notable for their ability to withstand the harsh conditions of alkaline lakes.
Limpkin
The Limpkin (Aramus guarauna), sometimes called the “Crying Bird” for its distinctive wailing call, is a wading bird native to wetlands across Florida, Central America, and South America.
Its long legs and neck make it well-suited to marshy environments, where it primarily feeds on apple snails, using its specialized bill to extract them from shells. The Limpkin’s brown feathers, flecked with white, provide natural camouflage.
builds nests near water, often in dense vegetation or low trees, laying up to eight eggs in these protected spaces.
Q. What is a bird that starts with an L?
Various birds start with L. Some are lapwing, lanner falcon, and Least bitterns.
Q. What parrot starts with L?
Lorikeet is a parrot that starts with L.
Q. Which north African bird starts with L?
The lark is a common bird in Europe, Asia, and North Africa.
Final Thought
In summary, birds that start with L offer a fascinating glimpse into the diversity and complexity of the avian world. Species like the Laughing Gull and Little Blue Heron showcase the varied habitats these birds inhabit, from coastal areas to wetlands.
The Lake Duck and Lesser Scaup, being diving ducks, demonstrate unique foraging behaviors, while the Laced Woodpecker and Lark-like Brushrunner exemplify the adaptability of birds to different environmental conditions.
Birds such as the Little Egret and Lesser Goldfinch highlight the importance of migratory patterns, often traveling long distances between breeding and wintering grounds.
The Lesser Scaup, a medium-sized bird, and the small songbird, the Lesser Goldfinch, illustrate the range in size and physical characteristics found in these species.
Its characteristics like the red crown of the Lesser Goldfinch, the bright yellow of the American Goldfinches, and the black head and yellow bill of the Little Egret are just a few examples of the stunning visual diversity.
Moreover, these birds’ feeding habits, from seeds and insects to small fish, reflect their ecological roles.
Their presence in various regions, from Southeast Asia to Central and South America, underscores the global importance of avian species and the need for continued conservation efforts.
Now, checkout the entire series of birds that start with or begin with the letter: A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H, I, J, K, L, M, N, O, P, Q, R, S, T, U, V, W, X, Y, Z.
Hi, I’m Olivia Kepner and I am a zookeeper here in San Diego. Since I was a young girl I have always been fascinated by animals and species across the globe.
I used to beg my parents to take me to our local zoo every single weekend. Well, I say local – it was more like a two hour drive away. But they took me as much as they could, allowing me to fall in love with the animals again and again.
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