Bird, generic
Animals in the Bible
In the Bible
The Hebrew and Greek words for it, and every verse where each is used
בַּעַל כָּנָף ba‘al kanaf · 2 verses
עוֹף ‘of · 70 verses
עַיִט ‘ayit · 6 verses
צִפּוֹר, צִפַּר tsippor, tsippar · 37 verses
ὄρνεον orneon · 10 verses
πετεινός peteinon · 20 verses
πτηνόν ptēnon · 1 verse
οἰωνόβρωτος oiōnobrōtos · 2 verses
What it stands for
Birds, especially birds of prey, are often, but not always, used in Scripture as symbols of uncleanness or disaster. This seems to be related to the fact that in warfare, the unburied corpses of the dead are fed on by vultures, eagles, and crows.
More about it
The Hebrew word tsippor generally refers to small birds about the size of the sparrow, while the word ‘ayit, where it refers to a bird and not an animal, refers to any large bird of prey. In the New Testament the Greek word orneon refers to birds of prey, but in the deuterocanonical books this word is used to refer to birds in general. In the books of Maccabees the word for birds of prey is oiōnobrōtos. The remaining Hebrew and Greek words are all used for birds in general, and if the size or type of bird is important, the specific type is indicated by the individual context. The Latin word volatilis is also a general word for birds of all kinds.
Also in Birds
Sources
Plants and Trees in the Bible, Animals in the Bible and Human-made Things in the Bible © United Bible Societies, 2025 (adapted from Each According to its Kind: Plants and Trees in the Bible by Robert Koops, All Creatures Great and Small: Living Things in the Bible by Edward R. Hope, and The Works of Their Hands: Man-made Things in the Bible by Ray Pritz), CC BY-SA 4.0; adapted for eRhema