aves

AH-vehsˈaβes

“aves” means “birds” in Spanish (The class of feathered, winged animals.).

birds

Also: poultry

NounfA1

A high-quality storybook illustration showing three distinct, brightly colored birds flying together in a formation against a clear blue sky, illustrating the concept of 'birds'.

📝 In Action

Las aves migratorias vuelan hacia el sur en invierno.

Migratory birds fly south in the winter.

Me gusta despertarme con el canto de las aves.

I like waking up to the singing of the birds.

En este parque hay muchas especies de aves.

There are many species of birds in this park.

Word Connections

Synonyms

pájaros (birds (smaller birds))
volátiles (flying creatures (formal))

Common Collocations

observación de aves – bird watching
alas de aves – bird wings

Vocabulary Collections

Birds Animals

Translate to Spanish

Words that translate to "aves" in Spanish:

birds→poultry→

✏️ Quick Practice

Quick Quiz: aves

Question 1 of 1

Which sentence correctly uses the word 'aves'?

📚 More Resources

👥 Word Family▼

ave(bird (singular)) — Noun

aviar(avian (related to birds)) — Adjective

pajarera(aviary/birdcage) — Noun

🎵 Rhymes▼

clavessuaves

📚 Etymology▼

The word comes directly from the Latin word *avis*, which also meant 'bird.' This root is the source for many bird-related words in Spanish and English (like 'aviary' or 'aviation').

First recorded: Before the 10th century

Cognates (Related words)

Portuguese: aveItalian: ave

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Frequently Asked Questions

Why do people sometimes say 'el ave' instead of 'la ave'?

This is a special pronunciation rule! 'Ave' is truly a feminine word, but because it starts with a stressed 'A' sound, Spanish uses the masculine article 'el' in the singular form ('el ave') to make the phrase sound better and avoid running the two 'A' sounds together. In the plural, this rule disappears, so we always use 'las aves'.