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What is the difference between "el ave" and "el pájaro"?

What is the difference between "el ave" and "el pájaro"?

4
votes

What is the difference between "el ave" and "el pájaro"? Is one word used more than the other for birds? Do they refer to different types of birds or are they completely interchangeable? (Edited - "la ave" corrected to "el ave".)

34146 views
updated Nov 9, 2015
edited by Purdee
posted by Purdee

13 Answers

6
votes

Un pájaro is a kind of ave, un ave pequeña, from a woodpecker to a sparrow or a robin... un águila (eagle) is "un ave", but not "un pájaro", because it is too big to be considered "un pájaro"...

Why do we say "un ave" instead of "una ave" even if "ave" is feminine? Because otherwise the sound would be weird; the same with "un alma", "un agua", etc. The same rule applies to the definite article "el" or "la"; we would say "el alma", "el agua", and not "la alma" nor "la agua"...

fernandoburguete hotmail

updated Nov 9, 2015
posted by FernandoBurguete
Muchas gracias! - danvaud, Jul 20, 2014
I'm not disputing, but my Rosetta Stone just referred to vulture's as "Pájaros feos" y a peacock as "pájaro hermoso". That seems to go against this answer based upon size. - danvaud, Jun 15, 2015
It's partly correct, 'pájaro' can be used to refer to any bird, so can 'ave' the thing is that pajaro is more often associated with small birds and is more used in colloquial speech, while ave is associated with large birds and is more used in formal spch - MIGUELbM, Nov 9, 2015
3
votes

also don't know how to put in a link to the other question :(

Find the other discussion.

In the author's original question or in any answer that you wish to refer to, click the "link" enlace. [next to the Flag button]

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Paste the link into your answer (you can use the link icon, the globe with the arrow, in the menu above this editor to assist you if you wish to label the link.) The link will show the name of the thread that it refers to.

updated Oct 5, 2009
edited by 0074b507
posted by 0074b507
1
vote

Which is the pajaro and which is the ave (rapaz) here?

Ave vs pajaro

updated May 15, 2013
edited by Izanoni1
posted by Izanoni1
Well according to the answers given above, the red-tailed hawk (underneath) would be the ave and the little guy on top is the pajaro. Correcto? - amykay, Jun 13, 2010
Yeah, but judging from the pecking order (sorry, I couldn't resist) shown in the photo, I would have guessed that the little guy was the "ave rapaz." - Izanoni1, Feb 5, 2011
1
vote

I am trying to figure out how to put that little mark above the first "A" in pajaro.

Well, to put it in a reply like this one, look below the box that you wrote your answer in. It has a list of the Spanish letters with tildes that you can copy. For other places, look in the Reference Library for articles on typing Spanish characters

one method There are other methods. See the other Library article. Lots of previous threads on this topic.

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updated Feb 5, 2011
edited by 0074b507
posted by 0074b507
Glad you answered this, Quentin! It brought the actual question to the top and I learned about "ave" and "pájero" :-) - Janice, Feb 5, 2011
1
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Albert, this is not correct:

pájaro. (Del ant. pássaro). 1. m. **Ave, especialmente si es pequeña**

updated Oct 8, 2009
posted by 00494d19
1
vote

HI Alberto, well I am afraid that your friends are mistaken. This is the definition of ave in the dictionary:

ave1.

(Del lat. avis).

  1. f. Zool. Animal vertebrado, ovíparo, de respiración pulmonar y sangre de temperatura constante, pico córneo, cuerpo cubierto de plumas, con dos patas y dos alas aptas por lo común para el vuelo. En el estado embrionario tiene amnios y alantoides.

Now, we do commonly think that ave is a somewhat bigger bird. What your friend was thinking about is

Ave rapaz o de rapiña, carniverous birds.

updated Oct 8, 2009
posted by 00494d19
1
vote

I think this was recently answered. Try searching on pájaro in the answers section.

updated Sep 24, 2009
posted by schub
Thanks. I'd looked up "la ave". - Purdee, Sep 24, 2009
I tried that, but the other question didn't show up. I don't know why? - schub, Sep 24, 2009
I also don't know how to put in a link to the other question :( - schub, Sep 24, 2009
I thought that maybe it didn't turn up because it didn't use "la ave" but that still doesn't turn up any results. Then I thought it might be that the search term was too short. - Purdee, Sep 24, 2009
Maybe that's it....I tried other short search terms and they didn't find anything either. By the way, I think it is el ave, not la ave, as ave starts with an 'a'. - schub, Sep 24, 2009
Thanks for the correction about the definite article. I remember now that my teacher mentioned it in one of our first lessons. It's a feminine word by takes "el" in the singular. - Purdee, Sep 24, 2009
0
votes

I am trying to figure out how to put that little mark above the first "A" in pajaro. I don't know if I can do it on my keyboard - but I'd sure like to know how to do this. I have a Spanish learning program, and it will not count me as correct and/or let me continue unless I type it correctly.

updated Dec 30, 2011
posted by chadchambers
On Windows 7 you can use the Ctrl+Alt+a key combination for á. - paturg, Dec 30, 2011
0
votes

ave =bird pajaro =bird but thats where the similarity ends,an ave is a carnivore ( bird of prey ) , a pajaro is a herbivore although some pajaros like crows eat flesh.

updated Sep 25, 2009
posted by albert-fabrik-
What?! - --Mariana--, Sep 25, 2009
0
votes

sorry for the multiple posts . my computer is going haywire .

updated Sep 25, 2009
posted by albert-fabrik-
0
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Hello Heidita . Before I posted my answer to ave or pajaro yesterday , I discussed the subject of the post with three mexican natives that I happened to be eating lunch with .All three were in agreement that there is a difference between the use of the words pajaro and ave and they said ave is used for rapina ( bird of prey ) which is a carnivore ,so I asked them ,is a crow considered a rapina too since it also eats flesh, their answer was no a crow is a pajaro too . Why is it not considered a rapina if it eats flesh, their answer was because it also eats fruit, berries and whatever it can digest ,its a ( scavenger ) I have tried to research this subject and have not come to a ( resolve yet ) but I am not a quitter .Enter my girlfriend that does not speak or understand english.and when i asked her the same question told me that the difference was in the size. y no pun pretendido .

updated Sep 25, 2009
posted by albert-fabrik-
0
votes

HI Purdee, have a look at this thread.

it is el ave by the waywink

updated Sep 24, 2009
posted by 00494d19
0
votes

Awww, I asked this question last week! I understood that they're interchangeable.

updated Sep 24, 2009
posted by Cachai