This page contains words for birds that are cognate in all or some of the six modern Celtic languages.
Click on the English versions that are links and you will be taken to the Celtiadur, where you can see what each word means, and how some of them are pronounced. There are also details of related words and expressions, and words in older versions of the Celtic languages, such as Middle Welsh and Old Irish. More Celtic Cognates
These words are cognate in all six Celtic languages.
| Gaeilge (Irish) |
Gàidhlig (Gaelic) | Gaelg (Manx) |
Cymraeg (Welsh) |
Kernewek (Cornish) |
Brezhoneg (Breton) |
English (Latin) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| coileach | coileach | kellagh | ceiliog | kulyek | kilhog | cockerel rooster |
| colm colmán |
calman colman |
calmane colmane |
colomen clomen |
kolom | koulm koulom |
pigeon dove |
| corr | corra | coar | crychydd | kerghydh | kerc'heiz | heron stork crane |
| druid | druid | truitlag | drudwy | trojen | tred tridig |
starling |
| eala | eala | olla(y) | alarch | alargh | alarc'h | swan |
| éan | eun | eean | edn* aderyn |
edhen | evn | bird |
| eireog | eireag | earrag | iar | yar | yar | hen chicken |
| faoileán faoileog |
faoileann faoileag |
foillan foilleig fooilleig |
gwylan | golan | gouelan | seagull |
| gé | gèadh | guiy | gwydd | goedh | gwaz | goose |
| gealbhan | gealbhonn | gialloon giallun giallyn jallyn |
golfan | golvan | golvan | sparrow |
| iolar | iolair | urley | eryr | er | erer | eagle |
| seabhac | seabhag | shawk shirragh |
hebog gwalch |
hok | gwalc'h | falcon hawk |
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These words are cognate in some of the Celtic languages.
| Gaeilge (Irish) |
Gàidhlig (Gaelic) |
Gaelg (Manx) |
Cymraeg (Welsh) |
Kernewek (Cornish) |
Brezhoneg (Breton) |
English |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| aí, a(o)i | ai | — | hwyaden | hos | houad | duck swan |
| lacha | lach | laagh | — | — | — | duck |
| tonóg | tunnag | thunnag | — | — | — | duck |
| bran | bran | — | brân | bran | bran | crow raven |
| feannóg | feannag | fannag | — | — | — | crow rook |
| fiach | fitheach | feeagh | gwyach | — | — | raven grebe crake |
| — | — | — | boda bwncath |
bargos | baou | buzzard |
| clamhán | clamhan | clowan | — | — | — | buzzard |
| — | stannaire searrach-ruadh |
stannair shirragh shyrragh-ruy |
— | — | — | buzzard |
| cailleach oíche | cailleach-oidhche | caillagh oie | — | — | — | owl |
| — | — | — | cyffylog | kevelek | kefeleg | woodcock |
| — | comhachag | — | cuan | kowann cowan |
kaouenn | owl |
| giúrann | giùran | — | gwyran | — | goirann† | barnacle goose |
| — | — | — | tylluan | — | toud | owl |
| ulchabhán | ullaid | hullad | — | oula | — | owl |
| cearc | cearc | kiark | — | — | — | hen chicken |
| cnagaire snag darach |
cnag | snoggeyder | caseg | kasek | kazeg koad | woodpecker |
| — | — | — | crëyr | — | *querhair | heron |
| — | — | — | ehedydd hedydd |
evidit* ahwesydh |
ehuedez* alc'hweder |
(sky)lark |
| fuiseog | uiseag | ushag | — | — | — | (sky)lark bird |
| fabhcún | faolchon | — | ffawcwn ffawlcwn |
falghun | falc'hun | falcon hawk |
| fáinleog áinleog |
fainnleag ainnleag |
— | gwennol | gwennol | gwennel | swallow swallow martin |
| gabhlán gabhlán gaoithe |
gòbhlan gobhlan-gaoithe |
gollan gollan geayee |
— | — | — | swallow swift swallow martin |
| — | — | — | garan | garan | garan | crane heron |
| lon lon dubh |
lon lòn-dubh |
lhondoo lhonnag |
— | — | — | blackbird thrush ouzel |
| smólach | smeòrach smèarach smaolach |
— | mwyalch | molgh molgh dhu |
moualc'h moualc'h zu |
blackbird thrush ouzel |
| truis | druid | treshlen | tresglen | — | dresk | blackbird thrush ouzel |
| scréachóg scréachóg choille |
sgreuchag sgreuchag-choille |
screeaghag screeaghag cheylley |
sgrechog (y)sgrech y coed |
kegin | kegin kegin-derv |
jay |
| snag breac meaig |
athaid | pieanat | pioden | piasenn | pig | magpie |
| spideog | brù-dhearg nighidh pigidh roban-roid |
spittag | brongoch | rudhek | boc'hruz | robin |
Geirfa Natur (Nature Glossary) - words for animals, birds, fish and other creatures in the modern Celtic language (Excel format, provided by Gwyn Harrison)
Complete Cognates, Partial Cognates . Cognates arranged thematically: Adjectives | Animals | Birds | Clothes | Colours | Conjunctions | Countries | Directions | Food and Drink | Landscape | Buildings | Languages | Metals | Musical terms | Numbers | Parts of the body | People | Pronouns | Prepositions | Sea creatures | Time expressions | Trees and Plants | Verbs | Weather | Tools | Other words | Names
The Celtiadur blog is a collection of Celtic cognates, with definitions, pronunciation, etymologies - includes the modern Celtic languages, older versions of these languages, such as Middle Welsh, Middle Breton and Old Irish, and their extinct and reconstructed relatives and ancestors, including Gaulish, Proto-Brythonic and Proto-Celtic.
On the Celtic Pathways podcast I discuss connections between the Celtic languages, and look for words with Celtic roots in non-Celtic languages, such as English, French, Spanish, Galician and Portuguese.
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If you would like to make any corrections or additions to this page, or if you can provide recordings, please contact me.
Breton, Celtiberian, Cornish, Cumbric, Gaulish, Irish, Lepontic, Lusitanian, Manx, Scottish Gaelic, Welsh
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