Albatross

Anhinga

Avocet

Avian name with cool nickname potential in Blue or Jay.

Bluejay

Bananaquit

Bittern

Blackbird

Bluebird

The name of a small yellow bird that hasn't taken off in the way that some of its avian sisters – like Robin, Wren or Lark – have.

 Two of the most well known bearers of this first name are Canary Burton, an American keyboardist, composer and writer, and Canary Conn, an American singer and author.

Canary

Cassowary

The chickadee gets its distinctive name from its distinctive call: chick-a-dee-dee-dee!

Chickadee

This elegant surname has great potential to turn into an unusual first name, especially with its literary associations to both Stephen and Hart Crane.
 Crane is a surname that originated for a tall man with long, thin legs. It can now be seen as one of the newly stylish bird names, like Wren and Lark, and could fit in well with future classmates Zane, Kane, Dane, Lane, Rain--and Jane.

Crane

From Haruki Murakami's Kafka on the Shore, the story of a boy named Kafka -- crow in Czech.

Crow

Cardinal

Dipper isn't the most name-like of all the constellations, but with its fashionable -er ending and familiarity thanks to Disney Channel's Gravity Falls, it has become a possibility.

Dipper

One of the new bird names, like Lark and Wren, this one's associated with the billing and cooing sounds of love. Soft and gentle, Dove also has the admirable association with peace.
 Dove was actually an early bird, used as a first name in the seventeenth century and in the U.S. Top 1000 through the 1890's.
 One admirable surname association is with Rita Dove, the Pulitzer Prize winning poet and former United States Poet Laureate.

Dove

Solemn but soaring name with patriotic symbolism. 

Eagle

There is a whole new species of bird names open to the baby namer, from the light and feminine Lark to the sleek and powerful Falcon. 

Falcon

It feels like Finch should be a modern bird name that's as popular as Wren or Lark, but that's not the case - so it's one to consider if you're looking for a nature name that's familiar but rare. 

These colorful birds have made big contributions to science: the Galápagos finch played an important role in forming Darwin's theory of evolution, and the zebra finch has helped our understanding of how birds learn songs. 

Finch is also a surname belonging to, amongst other admirable people, the family in To Kill a Mockingbird.

Finch

Bird name possibility, rarer than Lark and Wren but with the same short, punchy feel.

Only five baby girls were named Finch in the most recent year, and four times as many baby boys.

Flamingo

Flycatcher

Francolin

Goose

Suggests the salty, windswept air of the seashore. 

Gull

Suggests the salty, windswept air of the seashore.

Godwit

Golden-Plover

Goldeneye

Goldfinch

Grassquit

Grosbeak

Grouse

Guillemot

Animal names are on the rise, especially more of the aggressive Hawk-Fox-Wolf variety than cute little Bunnys or Robins, and Hawk is a prime example. 
Hawk is more commonly heard as a surname, represented by uber-skateboarder Tony Hawk, a pioneer of modern vertical skateboarding. Variations include Hawke, as in actor Ethan, Hawks, as in Golden Age movie director Howard, Hawking, as in scientist Stephen, and Hawkins, as in musicians Coleman, Screamin' Jay and Sophie B, and was recently given to his baby boy by quarterback Tony Romo. There have been characters named or nicknamed Hawk in The Revenant, The Path and Robert B. Parker's Spenser novels. Hawk ranks at Number 699 on Nameberry.

Hawk

Heron may feel like a very usable nature name -- the heron is a long-legged wading bird -- but it was also the name of a 1st century Greek inventor and of an Egyptian saint. Highly unusual yet easy to understand and meaningful on several levels, Heron is a fantastic choice.

Heron

Heron fits in with the modern nature names that are so stylish at the moment, but it also has history as the name of a Greek inventor and Egyptian saint. Both were male, but Heron's image as a word name makes it accessible for girls as well. 

Sure it makes a big statement, but if you can call your child Wren, Robin or Falcon, why not also Hummingbird? This pint-sized jewel of a bird is a lovely connotation for the baby that's full of energy and spirit.

Hummingbird

Though this feels like a modern invention, Jay has been in use for centuries. Early Jays often were named in honor of founding father John Jay, whose surname derived from the jaybird. A popular mid-century choice, Jay was in the Top 100 from 1956 to 1970. In the last couple of decades he was replaced by such more elaborate forms as Jayden, Jaylen, and Jayce. But Jay could make a comeback in tandem with cousins May, Kay, Fay, and Ray.
 In literature, the most prominent Jay wasn't a Jay at all—Gatsby's birth name was James Gatz. In real life, the honor goes to Jay Leno, also born James.
 In India, Jay is used as a modern variant of the Hindi Jaya, which means "victory."

One of the boys' names newly appropriated for girls -- either on its own, as a pet form of any J name, or as a singular middle name. 

With the likes of Wren and Lark highly fashionable right now, Kestrel could make for a fun — and fierce — alternative for either gender.

Kestrel

A kestrel is a bird of prey. It has good potential as a strong girls' name, similar to Falcon for boys.

The kittiwake is a black, white and grey seabird which takes its name from its distinctive call. A dramatic nature-inspired middle name or a super quirky route to the nickname Kit.

Kittiwake

The kittiwake is a black, white and grey seabird which takes its name from its distinctive call. A dramatic nature-inspired middle name or a super quirky route to the nicknames Kit and Kitty.

Kiwi

Kingfisher

Martin is one of those names like Arthur and Vincent and George that is in the process of throwing off its balding middle-aged image to start sounding possible again, used in full without the dated Marty nickname. 
 Notable Martins are too numerous to mention as the name has been so well used throughout time and in so many countries. Martin became part of the basic European stock of names, largely due to the popularity of the fourth century St. Martin of Tours. Also influential were the German founder of Protestantism Martin Luther and civil rights leader Martin Luther King (originally born Michael and renamed in honor of Martin Luther), eighth President Martin Van Buren, and influential philosophers Heidegger and Buber.
 More current Martins include actors Sheen and Short, writer Amis, and director Scorsese.
 Two books with eponymous Martin titles are Martin Chuzzlewit by Dickens and Martin Eden by Jack London.
 Martin also is enjoying popularity in countries such as Chile, Spain and Austria.
 Yes, a Martin revival appears to be right around the corner -- if only we can think of a new nickname.

Martin

Magpie

Mallard

Mockingbird

Murrelet

Night-Heron

Nighthawk

Noddy

Nuthatch

A bird name from the same Latin root as Aurelio.

Oriole

A bird name from the same Latin root as Aurelia, Oriole is extremely rare as a name: No babies were given the name in the US in 2022. But most people are aware of the Oriole bird, which makes this name uncommon yet possible.

Professional surfer Craig Elmer Chapman went by the avian nickname Owl. We could see it working as a given name, a la Hawk and Dove.

We have Hawk and Finch and Lark and Wren — who says Owl can't be a baby name, too?

Phoebe is the Latin variation of the Greek name Phoibe, which derived from phoibos, meaning "bright." In classical mythology, Phoebe is the by-name of Artemis, goddess of the moon and of hunting. The masculine version of Phoebe is Phoebus.
 
A mythological, biblical, Shakepearean, and Salinger name, the warm and captivating Phoebe was given a boost in popularity by one of the Friends.
 
In the New Testament, Phoebe is a church deaconess. Shakespeare used the name (spelled Phebe) for a rustic denizen of the forest in As You Like It, Phoebe Pynchon was a cheerful young girl in Hawthorne's The House of Seven Gables, while Phoebe is Holden Caulfield's sympathetic, precocious ten-year-old sister in Catcher in the Rye.
 Bill and Melinda Gates used Phoebe for their daughter.

Phoebe

The name of a small songbird, similar to a Lark – but far less commonly used as a name. Could give you the adorable nickname Pip.

Pipit

Parrot

Passerine

Pelican

Penguin

Petrel

Pigeon

Plover

Puffin

Make that bird name, and while it does work for both genders, it's far more popular for girls, via Raven Symone. 

Raven

Bird name Raven, once a symbol of pride for both African-American and Wiccan parents, is finding new life as a superhero name. Raven Darkholme is the real name of Mystique, heroine of the X-Men films played by Jennifer Lawrence. And there is another Raven superheroine in Teen Titans. Some parents may still choose Raven to signal black pride or mystical powers or maybe even Edgar Allan Poe fandom, but we are guessing most inspiration is coming from the comics.

alyshadragonfriend's list "Bird Names 2.0" of 146 great name ideas: Albatross - Woodpecker!

Bird Names 2.0

A list of bird names that could be used for people or for pets or even characters in a story.