26 Birds That Start With L (Facts, Habitats & Photos)

Birds that start with L include the finest mimic in the animal kingdom and the oldest known wild bird on earth, still raising chicks in her seventies. Larks, lapwings, loons, lorikeets, lovebirds and lyrebirds are all here.

This guide covers 26 birds beginning with L, with scientific names, range, diet and what makes each one distinctive.

Birds Starting With L: Complete List

Songbirds

Lyrebird

The superb lyrebird is the most accomplished vocal mimic known. It reproduces other birds with near-perfect accuracy and readily incorporates mechanical sounds — chainsaws, camera shutters, car alarms. Crucially the mimicry is learned socially, so sounds can persist in a population long after the original source is gone: lyrebirds have been recorded imitating machinery no longer used in the area. The male displays an elaborate tail while singing from a constructed mound.

Lark

Skylarks sing during sustained song flight, climbing and hovering while singing continuously — a single bout can run beyond half an hour. The song is a dense, unbroken stream rather than repeated phrases. Larks nest on the ground in open country, which has made them one of the clearest casualties of intensive farming, with steep declines across Europe.

Linnet

Named for its fondness for flax seed — linum in Latin. It was trapped in enormous numbers in Victorian Britain as a cage bird for its song, a trade that only ended with protective legislation. It feeds almost entirely on small seeds, which is why it has declined alongside arable weeds.

Long-tailed Tit

Builds one of the most remarkable nests of any bird — a closed dome of moss bound with spider silk, camouflaged with lichen and lined with well over a thousand feathers. The spider silk lets the nest stretch as the chicks grow, so it expands rather than bursting. Construction takes around three weeks. Failed breeders often help raise a relative’s brood instead.

Lapland Bunting

Breeds on Arctic tundra and is named for the long hind claw on each foot, an adaptation to walking on open ground rather than perching. It nests on the ground, and males sing in a short display flight because there is nothing to sing from.

Lark Sparrow

Distinguished by a bold harlequin face pattern of chestnut, black and white that is unlike any other North American sparrow. Males perform a display in which they hold the wings out and drag them, and unusually for sparrows they will sometimes use the abandoned nest of another species.

Water and Wading Birds

Loon

Loons have solid rather than hollow bones, which reduces buoyancy and helps them dive — some species reach 60 metres. That density comes at a cost: their legs are set so far back that they can barely walk, and they need a long running take-off across water, so a loon that lands on wet tarmac mistaking it for a lake can become stranded. The wailing call is among the most evocative sounds in northern wilderness.

Lapwing

Performs a tumbling, erratic display flight over breeding fields with a distinctive wheezing call, which gives it the alternative name peewit. Like the killdeer it will feign a broken wing to lead predators away from the nest. It has declined sharply across Europe as damp grassland has been drained and cultivation timings have shifted.

Limpkin

Feeds almost exclusively on apple snails, and its bill is adapted to the task — the tip curves slightly to the right, matching the natural curve of the snail shell, so it can extract the animal without breaking the shell. Its wailing night call has been used as a jungle sound effect in films for decades.

Laysan Albatross

The species includes Wisdom, the oldest known wild bird — first ringed as a breeding adult in 1956 and still returning to Midway Atoll to nest decades later, having raised dozens of chicks and flown an estimated several million kilometres. Albatrosses pair for life, lay a single egg, and take years to raise each chick, which is exactly why longline fishing bycatch has been so damaging.

Lake Duck

A small South American stiff-tail notable in scientific literature for having, proportionally, one of the largest reproductive organs of any vertebrate — in some individuals approaching the length of the bird itself. It is a well-documented example of the anatomical arms races that can arise from sexual conflict in waterfowl.

Owls and Birds of Prey

Little Owl

The owl of Athena, and the reason owls are associated with wisdom in Western culture — the goddess’s bird appeared on Athenian coinage, and Athene noctua still carries her name. Unusually among owls it is frequently active in daylight and is often seen perched openly on posts and walls. It was introduced to Britain in the nineteenth century.

Long-eared Owl

The prominent “ears” are feather tufts used for display and camouflage — the actual ear openings are asymmetrically placed on the sides of the skull, letting the bird locate prey by sound alone. When alarmed it stretches thin and upright against a trunk, and the streaked plumage makes it extremely difficult to pick out. It roosts communally in winter.

Lanner Falcon

Hunts cooperatively in pairs, one bird flushing prey while the other strikes — behaviour uncommon among falcons. It takes birds in flight, often low and fast rather than in the high stoop favoured by peregrines, and has a long history in Mediterranean and Middle Eastern falconry.

Parrots and Tropical Species

Lorikeet

Nectar specialists with a brush-tipped tongue covered in fine papillae that mop up nectar and pollen. Because their diet is liquid and sugary they are messy feeders with very loose droppings, which makes them demanding in captivity despite their colour. Rainbow lorikeets gather in noisy roosting flocks that can number in the thousands.

Lovebird

Named for the intense pair bonds — partners perch pressed together and preen each other extensively. Females of some species carry nesting material tucked into their rump feathers, which is a behaviour found in almost no other parrot. Despite the name, a single lovebird kept alone is not automatically unhappy, and pairs can be aggressive toward other birds.

Lady Amherst’s Pheasant

The male carries an extravagant black-and-white nape cape that he fans sideways in display, together with an extremely long barred tail. It is named after the wife of a British governor-general of India who first brought specimens to Britain in the 1820s. A feral British population established in Bedfordshire has since died out.

Laced Woodpecker

A green Southeast Asian woodpecker that spends much of its time on the ground feeding on ants and termites rather than excavating trees — a habit shared with several other green woodpeckers, whose tongues are exceptionally long and coated with sticky saliva for extracting insects from tunnels.

Ladder-backed Woodpecker

A desert species that nests in agave stalks, yucca and cactus where there are no trees, and forages on cholla and mesquite. Its barred back gives it the name. It illustrates how far woodpeckers have adapted beyond forest — the family is far more ecologically flexible than it appears.

Limestone Wren-Babbler

Restricted almost entirely to limestone karst outcrops in Southeast Asia, which behave like islands for the species that specialise on them — each isolated block can hold a distinct population. That makes such birds acutely vulnerable to quarrying, since destroying one outcrop can remove an entire population.

Other Species in This Group

Lark-Like Brushrunner

Coryphistera alaudina is its scientific name. A little South American bird that resembles a lark, the brushrunner can be hidden in the scrub and woodlands where it forages thanks to its dark coloration and spiky crest. It constructs a covered nest that resembles a Dutch oven and then covers it with leaves and twigs to keep predators at bay. Lark-like brushrunners are actually birds that form a family and might even form flocks of mixed species when it isn’t their mating season.

Lanceolated Warbler

Locustella lanceolata is its scientific name. The brown flecked back and grey underparts of the male and female warblers are the same. Five eggs are laid by the female on a grassy tussock, frequently near water. Southeast Asia, Japan, and Northeast Russia are the native habitats of lanceolated warblers. Unless they bounce around or start singing, it is difficult to notice these birds due to their excellent camouflage. When a bird calls, its head moves, making it challenging to pinpoint the source of the sound. The beak of the Lanceolated Warbler is two-toned, with dark brown on top and pink below.

Ladder-Tailed Nightjar

Hydropsalis climacocerca, given name Ladder-tailed Nightjar can blend in because of its “ground-cover” coloration. The courageous nightjar creates a diversion display to deter predators from its nest. It can hunt at night because of its huge eyes and wide lips. Ladder-tailed nightjar is also referred to as a “goatsucker” since it was thought that since it was frequently spotted in fields with goats, it was there to suck the milk from the goats’ teats.

Lagden’s Bushshrike

Malaconotus lagdeni is its scientific name. Africa is the species’ home continent. With its solid gray head and bright yellow head, breast, and underparts, it is a stunning bird. Because of its lateral flattening, its beak is ideal for snagging the insects, small snakes, and lizards that it feeds on. The Lagden’s Bushshrike uses hoots and whistles to communicate. If a Lagden’s bushrike lives in the east of its area, it has yellow breasts; if it lives in the west, it has orange breasts.

Lemon Dove

Columba larvata is its scientific name. With its grey plumage and cinnamon breast, the Lemon Dove mixes perfectly with its sub-Saharan African surroundings. The male’s shiny, greenish neck makes him easy to identify. The Lemon Dove, in contrast to other doves, spends time hunting for food on the ground. Breeding Lemon Dove pairs are monogamous and lifelong partners.

Large Grey Babbler

Name in Latin: Argya malcolmi Resides in Nepal and India The Large Grey Babbler is a very basic grey-brown bird, with a dark grey face that highlights its bright yellow eye. They are very animated birds that spend a lot of time jumping around on the ground in groups. Fun fact: The babbler’s cry, which is a loud, relentless babble of sounds, gave rise to the species’ name.

Frequently Asked Questions

What birds start with the letter L?

Twenty-six are covered here, including lark, lapwing, linnet, loon, lorikeet, lovebird, lyrebird, little owl, long-eared owl, long-tailed tit, limpkin, lanner falcon, Lapland bunting, lark sparrow, Laysan albatross, Lady Amherst’s pheasant, laced woodpecker, ladder-backed woodpecker, ladder-tailed nightjar, lake duck, lemon dove, lanceolated warbler, large grey babbler, limestone wren-babbler, Lagden’s bushshrike and lark-like brushrunner.

Which bird is the best mimic?

The superb lyrebird. It reproduces other birds almost perfectly and readily copies mechanical sounds including chainsaws and camera shutters. Because the mimicry is learned socially, sounds can persist in a population long after the original source has disappeared.

Which is the oldest known wild bird?

Wisdom, a Laysan albatross first ringed as a breeding adult in 1956 and still returning to Midway Atoll to nest decades later — having raised dozens of chicks and flown an estimated several million kilometres.

Why can’t loons walk properly?

Because their legs are set very far back on the body, which is excellent for diving and useless for walking. Combined with solid rather than hollow bones, that makes them superb underwater but nearly helpless on land, and they need a long water run to take off.

How does a long-tailed tit’s nest stretch?

It is bound together with spider silk, which is elastic. As the chicks grow the dome expands with them rather than splitting — a nest holding a large brood can stretch considerably from its original size.

Why is the little owl associated with wisdom?

Because it was the bird of Athena, Greek goddess of wisdom, and appeared on the coinage of Athens. Its scientific name, Athene noctua, still carries hers — and that association is the origin of the wise-owl idea in Western culture.

Sources

Classifications, ranges and conservation statuses follow current ornithological and IUCN references. Wisdom the Laysan albatross: US Fish and Wildlife Service ringing records. Lyrebird mimicry persistence and long-tailed tit nest construction: peer-reviewed behavioural research.

This article is for general information. Do not disturb nesting birds — many species are legally protected during the breeding season.

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