Animals

1. Kûçik

   Dog

   Usage

   Guard dogs run loose in villages — best not to approach

2. Pisîk

   Cat

   Usage

   Common around towns

3. Çûk

   Bird

   Usage

   Small birds in general

4. Kevok

   Pigeon / dove

   Usage

   Everywhere in town squares, and common in songs and poetry

5. Kew

   Partridge

   Usage

   A hill bird that turns up constantly in songs and similes

6. Masî

   Fish

   Usage

   Also used for river-fish dishes

7. Hesp

   Horse

   Usage

   Still ridden in the mountains

8. Ker

   Donkey

   Usage

   The main pack animal in mountain villages — you will meet them on the road

9. Çêlek

   Cow

   Usage

   Also used when talking about dairy

10. Ga

    Ox / bull

    Usage

    Still pulls ploughs in the countryside

11. Pez

    Sheep / flock

    Usage

    Sheep herding is a mainstay here — cars stop for flocks crossing the road

12. Bizin

    Goat

    Usage

    More common than sheep on rocky slopes

13. Mirîşk

    Chicken

    Usage

    The same word is used for the meat

14. Dîk

    Rooster

    Usage

    They crow before dawn at village guesthouses

15. Werdek

    Duck

    Usage

    Seen by rivers and ponds

16. Gur

    Wolf

    Usage

    Lives in the highlands and comes up constantly in shepherds' talk

17. Rovî

    Fox

    Usage

    A folk-tale regular, and a byword for cunning

18. Hirç

    Bear

    Usage

    Lives in the mountains — ask a guide before trekking

19. Beraz

    Wild boar / pig

    Usage

    Wild boar live in the hills, though most people here do not eat them

20. Kêvroşk

    Rabbit / hare

    Usage

    Common in open country

21. Mişk

    Mouse / rat

    Usage

    Grounds for asking to change rooms at a cheap guesthouse

22. Mar

    Snake

    Usage

    Watch the rocks in summer — go straight to hospital if bitten

23. Kûsî

    Tortoise

    Usage

    Seen plodding across open ground

24. Beq

    Frog

    Usage

    Croaking by rivers and irrigation channels

25. Deve

    Camel

    Usage

    Seen in the arid south, and in festival processions

26. Şêr

    Lion

    Usage

    Not seen in the wild, but common as a name and a metaphor

27. Mêş

    Fly

    Usage

    Useful when asking for a cover over food

28. Pêşû

    Mosquito

    Usage

    Bad by rivers in summer — show this when asking for repellent

29. Mûrî

    Ant

    Usage

    Do not leave food out in your room

30. Mêşa hingiv

    Honeybee

    Usage

    Literally "honey fly" — mountain beekeeping is big and honey is the classic souvenir

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