12 animals starting with F 

From the pretty and elegant - and very pink - flamingo to the incredible flying fish, here are 12 animals that start with the letter F.

Animals beginning with the letter 'F'

Flamingo 

Famed for their pink colouration, and for often standing on one leg, flamingos are tall wading birds – and in a group, are described as a ‘flamboyance’. Two species are found in Europe and Africa, and four in the Americas. 

• The world of the Caribbean flamingo in pictures

 Firecrest

This little bird battles with the similar-looking goldcrest for the title of UK’s smallest bird, measuring just 9cm in length and weighing only 5-7g. The firecrest can be distinguished from the goldcrest by the black stripe over its eye.

Fallow deer 

Naturalised in the UK, the fallow deer was first introduced by the Normans and is now widespread and common, associated with woodlands and deer parks. Some taxonomists consider the Persian fallow deer to be a subspecies, whilst others believe it to be a distinct species. 

• Meet all six species of British deer

Fin whale 

Growing up to 27m in length, the fin whale is the second longest living cetacean in the world – after the blue whale. The populations of fin whales were decimated by whaling in the 1900s when they were hunted for their meat, oil and baleen.

Fairy penguin 

Also known as little penguins, blue penguins and in the Māori language as kororā, the name ‘fairy penguin’ can refer to can refer to either of the two species found in the Eudyptula genus – as the two have been previously been considered the same species. They are found in New Zealand and Australia. 

 Fieldfare 

A member of the thrush family, the fieldfare is migratory and a winter visitor to the UK, coming here to feed on berries and seeds. It can be distinguished from other thrushes by the grey head and rump.

Fen raft spider

The fen raft spider is one of the largest spider species found in Europe. It is semi-aquatic and lives in lowland wetlands. It does not build webs to capture its prey, but waits in ambush instead.

Frigatebird 

The five living species of frigatebird - one of the weirdest birds in the world - all belong to the Fregatidae family and the Fregata genus. In all five species, the male has a bright red gular sac on his throat, which he inflates as part of his courtship display.

Flower mantis

Using aggressive mimicry, the praying mantises known as flower mantises are able to mimic flowers – enabling them to attract prey and to avoid predators. Most, but not all, flower mantises are found in the Hymenopodidae family.

Fiery clearwing

A beautiful little moth with red parts on its partially-transparent wings, the fiery clearwing is a rare and endangered species in the UK. It is now only found at a couple of sites in Kent, where its larvae feed on just two plants – curled dock and common sorrel.

Flying fish

One of the weirdest fish in the world, flying fish occur across tropical seas and are famous for their unlikely ability to leap out of the water and whizz through the air above the waves. All of the 50 or so species of flying fish have impressive ‘wings’, composed of either one or two pairs of wide, elongated fins that they unfurl to perform their aeronautical acrobatics.

Fossa

Fossas are Madagascar’s apex predator, a large mongoose-like carnivore that can grow to nearly 1.5m long (if you include the tail). Elusive and hard to spot, but Kirindy is said to offer better odds than other locations.