Hatch of the Day – the football teams with feathery nicknames!

The Robin. The small but feisty bird is a competitive midfield warrior, regarded by many as the best passer-ine in the business. Maybe that’s why it appears to be the most popular bird nickname, with Charlton Athletic, Bristol City, Cheltenham Town and Swindon Town all using it to a degree. They also all play in red, which might be the more obvious reason.   

Wrexham also play in red and used the nickname but not because of their red kit – it was after their former club secretary and manager Ted Robinson in the first half of the 20th Century, when the team were often called 'Robin's Team'. These days Wrexham are flying under Hollywood owners Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney and more commonly known as the Welsh Dragons.

The Robin is unusual in that it sings most of the year, fiercely defending its territory like a mini Vinnie Jones. For us, their song brings us moments of cheer in the dark and gloomy months of winter, which football can too of course, unless you’re a Manchester United fan.  

This time the bantam, the nickname of Bradford City. The bantam is a small fowl, which is also the reason some Premier League footballers fall on the floor and roll about. But the bantams were known to be tough for their size and, according to a post by writer John Dewhirst, Bradford City saw in themselves the small but fearless fighting spirit.

There are no bluebirds over the white cliffs of Dover, or Wales. Or anywhere in the UK to be honest, with North America the home of the colourful insect eaters. So where did Cardiff City get their nickname? Well, the colour of the kit is the first clue, when they changed from an interesting choice of chocolate and amber to blue and white, sometime around 1910.

But the bluebird nickname is said to have come from a classic children’s play, called The Blue Bird, written by the Belgian playwright Maurice Maeterlinck. The bird is a symbol of happiness in the play which came to the New Theatre in Cardiff in late October 1911. It got rave reviews and someone decided adopting the name for the team in their new blue and white kit just made sense. It was so popular that the blue bird symbol was later officially taken on by the club. 

Barrow AFC also share the nickname, but we think this is just because of their blue and white kit.

Liverpool’s legendary manager Bill Shankly once said: "Football is a simple game complicated by idiots." We agree that keeping it simple is often best. Take Swansea’s nickname. The Swans. No messing about. Just a shortening of the place name. It wouldn’t work for every town or city, granted. But if you’re shortened name refers to a magnificent bird with the power and grace to match superstars like Kylian Mbappe, Lauren James and Mo Salah, then why not.    

Next up the Magpies. Three teams take the much-maligned bird as their mascot, Newcastle United, Notts County, and Dorchester Town, all who play in a Magpie-esque black and white. And why not, it’s a more relevant choice of nickname than a Zebra we’d say. For one, the Magpie is incredibly intelligent, a quick thinker and always one step ahead, like footballing high-flyers such as Aitana Bonmatí, Kevin de Bruyne and Lionel Messi. The birds have also adapted well to the modern game and are found as much in our towns and cities as they are in the countryside.  

Before Norwich City became known as the Canaries, they played in blue and white and at one stage played at a stadium called The Nest. It wasn’t until the 1907/08 season, after they had fledged The Nest, that they introduced the famous yellow and green kits they play in today. The inspiration was said to be the Dutch and Flemish migrants who came to the city in the mid-16th century. They introduced canaries to the city, as well as reviving the textile industry.

Canaries, the birds, were brought to mainland Europe from islands such as the Canary Islands by Spanish sailors. They soon became a popular pet because of their beautiful, refined voice, something which Norwich super fan and soon to be former majority shareholder Delia Smith knows all about.

The Brazilian men and women’s football teams are also known as the Canaries, so Norwich can claim they play the beautiful game, or joga bonito, a bit like Brazil.  

Owls have always been said to be smart and wise, but this isn’t the reason Sheffield Wednesday are known as The Owls. Their nickname came about because the team used to play at Owlerton, a suburb of Sheffield. Interestingly Owlerton is thought to have got its name from the many Alder trees which used to grow in the area. But we definitely think going with the bird's nickname was a better option.

Unless you’re a Brighton & Hove Albion fan that is. The name ‘seagull’ refers to a group of seabird species, such as the Herring Gull, Common Gull and Kittiwake, not just one species. But for Brighton fans, it has been their nickname for decades, with many gulls seen along their stretch of coast. Many are big loud birds with big personalities, always looking for opportunities to show off their fantastic ball (chip) winning skills.  

The story behind the name goes that in a Brighton pub one winter’s eve Crystal Palace fans were chanting their nickname ‘eagles, eagles’, to which Brighton fans started singing back ‘seagulls, seagulls’. The name stuck and was adopted by the club, with a ‘seagull’ now featuring on the club badge.

Crystal Palace, by the way, got their eagle nickname after being inspired by the Portuguese side Benfica. In the 70s they were one of the top teams in Europe and their nickname is the eagles. Colchester United are also known as the eagles, linked to the city’s Roman history. 

Although they play in white, yellow and blue, one of Leeds United’s nicknames is the Peacocks, those flamboyant birds which know how to put on a show. Fancy, eye-catching football was certainly enjoyed by the Leeds fans under former head coach Marcelo Bielsa. But the nickname is much older than that and refers to the pub across the road from the ground, where the odd pint has been known to be enjoyed before a game.

Elsewhere, Bromley are known as the Ravens, linked to the borough’s coat of arms, and Dungannon Swifts, who play in the Northern Irish Premiership, are simply known as the Swifts. Meanwhile West Bromwich Albion are sometimes called the Throstles, the Black Country word for thrush. This is linked to when the team started playing at the Hawthorns, where thrushes were commonly seen in the hawthorn bushes from which the area took its name. 

Although not nicknames, there’s a few other teams which feature birds on their badge, such as Tottenham Hotspur’s cockerel, Liverpool’s mythical Liver Birds and Coventry City’s Phoenix.  We would go into more detail, but unfortunately the whistle has blown and we’re out of extra time.  
 

Like all good top-class strikers, even we miss the odd open goal. If we’ve missed off your club who has a feathery nickname, or we’ve made a decision you think needs to go to VAR, let us know!