Pet name for a baby birdling.

October 28, 2008 5:59 AM

What poultry pet name can I use for my baby?

We have been calling our first born child "little chicken", our second born is called "little duck" but we're stuck with a bird name for our third child. Goose and turkey have negative connotations. Can you suggest a sweet sounding bird-like pet name for our baby? (Anonymous because we should be able to do this on our own and hate to admit failure as parents to even come up with a pet name.)

posted by anonymous to writing & language (61 comments total)

Can you expand it to just "birds" and then you can use something like chickadee? Otherwise maybe a diminutive like gosling? Or you can go with a proper name. I think Andalusian has a nice ring to it. Otherwise I think Pigeon or Peahen are your best options.
posted by jessamyn at 6:01 AM on October 28, 2008

Little Bird
posted by sondrialiac at 6:01 AM on October 28, 2008

(but it better be your last baby...)

For what it's worth, as the youngest of four I didn't get a lot of stuff that my older siblings did. It happens! Other stuff will make up for it, I promise.
posted by sondrialiac at 6:03 AM on October 28, 2008

Poulet is the french word for chicken and is cute.
posted by scabrous at 6:07 AM on October 28, 2008

To add to scabrous: Petit(e) Poulet, perhaps?
posted by Grither at 6:08 AM on October 28, 2008

I'm with jessamyn for Pidgeon (aka. Pidge), especially since that is the pet name the Tramp gives Lady in "Lady and the Tramp". :D

otherwise:
Little Sparrow
Squawkers
Henny Penny
Gosling
Little Hoots (owl)
posted by gwenlister at 6:10 AM on October 28, 2008

Little Bustard?
posted by le morte de bea arthur at 6:18 AM on October 28, 2008 [1 favorite has favorites]

Sorry
posted by le morte de bea arthur at 6:18 AM on October 28, 2008

I like Little Bird or even Baby Bird.
posted by pearlybob at 6:19 AM on October 28, 2008

young dove
posted by trig at 6:21 AM on October 28, 2008

How about Little Swan? Or Little Peacock (yes, peacocks are considered poultry)?


I like birds of prey, myself, so my kids would be kestrel, osprey, hawk, falcon....
posted by magstheaxe at 6:22 AM on October 28, 2008

Little Pterodactyl?
posted by jozxyqk at 6:23 AM on October 28, 2008

If its a boy, little rooster, if its a girl, little hen? But if you ask me, planning this is weird. Let your pet names evolve naturally...
posted by who else at 6:25 AM on October 28, 2008 [1 favorite has favorites]

partridge, quail, pheasant. I guess grouse is too negative? Or if you're royalty, I guess swans count - little cygnet?
posted by Jakey at 6:26 AM on October 28, 2008

little gosling or "gozzle"; cygnet
posted by amtho at 6:30 AM on October 28, 2008

Pulkeh (yiddish for drumstick)
posted by watercarrier at 6:31 AM on October 28, 2008

When i was but a child we had a parakeet named Tweety Pie.
I hit him over the head with an egg beater
posted by citybuddha at 6:37 AM on October 28, 2008

I was called "silly goose" all the time. Little biddy if it's a girl. Don't these things just evolve?
posted by weezetr at 6:37 AM on October 28, 2008

fey emu

little ostrich
posted by geos at 6:41 AM on October 28, 2008

Little guinea
Little peacock(hen)
Little pidgeon
Little quail
posted by Pollomacho at 6:41 AM on October 28, 2008

Little Dodo? :)

How about a penguin? Owl? Lark? Chickadee? Merlin? Swan? Warbler?
posted by nitsuj at 6:42 AM on October 28, 2008

Turkey!
posted by electroboy at 6:48 AM on October 28, 2008

A squab is a baby pigeon or quail. In a previous life, my rapper name was Squabby K. But feel free to use it.
posted by kimdog at 6:53 AM on October 28, 2008

Broiler.
posted by saladin at 6:54 AM on October 28, 2008 [1 favorite has favorites]

Some names derived from bird language:

Tziftzif
Keedle
Ker-Ker
Ukoo


and

Chica
posted by watercarrier at 6:54 AM on October 28, 2008

Definitely "Little Cygnet".

Kind of has a ring to it, don't you think?

;)
posted by Cygnet at 6:55 AM on October 28, 2008

Puffin? Auklet? Bunting? Sparrow? Loon? Brant? Chukar?

Really, the list is endless, depending on how you deep into bird nomenclature you want to go. I say pick out a few that you like and then wait until the infant's personality develops enough to choose a related name.
posted by mollweide at 6:55 AM on October 28, 2008

Chicken-related names include, Buckeye, Buttercup and Bantam.

I like Baby Buckeye, myself, although DH and I have sometimes called our little boy "Chicken Boo."

Love Bird?
posted by MonkeyToes at 6:56 AM on October 28, 2008

Well, my wife has been calling our new son "nugget." Which never fails to make me picture him coated in batter and dipped in honey mustard sauce.

Perhaps already I've said too much.
posted by ook at 6:56 AM on October 28, 2008

Ack, strike that comma after "include."
posted by MonkeyToes at 6:56 AM on October 28, 2008

Oh, check out the drop down list for bird names at the Cornell Ornithology Lab if you'd really like to be overwhelmed. These for species that occur in North America, so keep in mind it's not a full accounting of bird names.
posted by mollweide at 6:58 AM on October 28, 2008

Little Goose.
posted by davidmsc at 7:08 AM on October 28, 2008

Could it be time for "little chicken" to be upgraded to "big chicken", freeing up their previous name to be used by their new sibling?
posted by tomcooke at 7:10 AM on October 28, 2008

Lil hummingbird sounded good I thought, but you can't yell that like you can "Little Chickennnn!" and "Little Duuuuck!" So go with Little Jay (BlueJay) or Little Seagull for more yellable names.
posted by cashman at 7:10 AM on October 28, 2008

Actually, seriously now, I think "Little Robin" would be a great nickname. If it must be a larger, poultry-like bird, I'd go with "Little Swan".
posted by Cygnet at 7:11 AM on October 28, 2008

I resent the fact that Turkey has negative connotations for you. The turkey is a proud bird!

Canard (french for duck) would also be cute.
posted by mmascolino at 7:12 AM on October 28, 2008

Little puffin?
posted by flexiblefine at 7:23 AM on October 28, 2008 [1 favorite has favorites]

Bantam?
Wigeon?
Plover?
Titmouse?

Not all exactly 'poultry' but I see most respondents are reading this as 'any bird'.

If 'pigeon' pleese spel corectly.
posted by Phanx at 7:28 AM on October 28, 2008

Little Eagle
Hawk
Raven
posted by watercarrier at 7:38 AM on October 28, 2008

Butterball.
posted by Faint of Butt at 7:44 AM on October 28, 2008

I call mine Chicky Nugget
posted by jasondigitized at 7:47 AM on October 28, 2008

My favorite poultry-related nickname is "chook" - a friend from somewhere in small-town England used it as an term of endearment for just about everyone.
posted by restless_nomad at 7:51 AM on October 28, 2008

Eggy Weggy
posted by watercarrier at 7:55 AM on October 28, 2008

I think "pheasant" is cute.
posted by [NOT HERMITOSIS-IST] at 8:09 AM on October 28, 2008

Owlet?
posted by coppermoss at 8:49 AM on October 28, 2008

Budgie Bird.
posted by pearlybob at 8:50 AM on October 28, 2008

Little Dove, Little Phoebe, Little Jay

Real bird names: Lesser Scaup, Least Grebe, Little Blue Heron, Least Bittern, Greater Pewee

Not so good: Albatross, Bufflehead, Whip-poor-will, Goatsucker, Screech-Owl, Bushtit, Lark
posted by hydrophonic at 9:13 AM on October 28, 2008

I'm going to second Butterball. These things matter. I was told I was called Butterball as a baby because I was quite chubby and while I'm not sure I really remember being called it directly, I certainly remember being told that that's what I was called. I still retain a deep sense of contentment knowing my parents had a pet name just for me and I see in my older niece the same thing. She loves knowing the half dozen names we used to, and sometimes still do, call her.
posted by funkiwan at 9:26 AM on October 28, 2008

Golubchik, a Russian endearment (literally, "little pigeon").
posted by mogget at 9:49 AM on October 28, 2008

I like Little Puffin.
posted by pseudostrabismus at 10:05 AM on October 28, 2008

I like Little Sparrow -- and then he or she will have a theme song!
posted by pised at 10:43 AM on October 28, 2008

My daughter and I perpetuate a stupid, outdated joke, so her occasional nickname is chickenbutt. This is always followed up by her giggling endlessly, and sometimes reciprocation. Not the most respectful name, but it works for us.
posted by mitzyjalapeno at 10:57 AM on October 28, 2008

little puffin?

i also like gosling. i called my son 'dominant gosling' for a while when he was a kid.
posted by lester at 11:13 AM on October 28, 2008

ORTOLAN
posted by Greg Nog at 12:22 PM on October 28, 2008

Peep.
posted by klarck at 1:49 PM on October 28, 2008

Little Owly!
posted by NikitaNikita at 2:38 PM on October 28, 2008

Piyo. or Piyo-piyo. "piyo piyo" is transliterated japanese onomatopoeia for the noise a baby bird makes (like when english speakers would prolly use "cheep cheep"). Its also the name of a japanese baby duck character I think. "little bustard" is by far the best answer in this thread, especially if you imagine in it being said with a boris 'n' natasha accent.
posted by jeb at 5:28 PM on October 28, 2008

In the novel Wives and Daughters by Elizabeth Gaskill, the father calls his daughter Goosey.
posted by Foam Pants at 6:45 PM on October 28, 2008

Old Crow
posted by salvia at 8:50 PM on October 28, 2008

I like Little Sparrow, Little BlueJay (or Bluebird) or Little Dove
posted by ahimsa at 3:26 AM on October 29, 2008

I guess grouse is too negative?

I think it is a fine name.
posted by grouse at 1:25 PM on November 6, 2008 [1 favorite has favorites]