You may struggle to come up with many more kinds of red birds aside from the well-known cardinal. From backyard songbirds to birds that spend their time wading through wetlands, North America is home to a variety of birds with fiery red plumage.
We hope you like learning about the 13 different types of red birds, as well as some of the brightest and boldest colored birds in North America.
1. NORTHERN CARDINAL
Scientific name: Cardinalis cardinalis
Length: 8.75 in
Weight: 1.6 oz
Wingspan: 12 in
Despite the fact that they only range from the Eastern United States to the Southwest and Rockies, the Northern Cardinal is arguably North America’s most well-known red bird.
The cheerfully brilliant crimson color of the male Northern Cardinal is sure to capture notice, as is his loud and musical chirping. Females have tints of red in their brownish feathers, but they aren’t as vividly colored as males.
Attracting cardinals to your bird feeders is a lot of fun. Sunflower seeds are a favorite food of these seed-eaters. You may be able to see them nesting if you live in an area with heavy foliage. During the breeding season, you may expect to hear a male’s frequent “chip” as he protects his area.
2. SCARLET TANAGER
Scientific name: Piranga olivacea
Length: 7 in
Weight: 0.98 oz
Wingspan: 11.5 in
Scarlet Tanagers are difficult to miss when they stand out against a green forest backdrop, as they are native to the Eastern United States. Male Scarlet Tanagers have a bright red and black coloration that distinguishes them from Northern Cardinals, similarly to females. Females, on the other hand, are a brighter green that harmonizes better with greenery.
Males, like females, molt their scarlet feathers after the breeding season and replace them with green feathers. They then move through the Andes mountain range and into Western South America.
3. VERMILLION FLYCATCHER
Scientific name: Pyrocephalus rubinus
Length: 6 in
Weight: 0.51 oz
Wingspan: 10 in
Despite his small size, the Vermillion Flycatcher packs a punch! The magnificent crimson head and body of this tiny insect-eating bird. The male has the most noticeable red feathers of both sexes. On the lower belly and beneath their tail, females have a little pinkish patch.
Desert habitats are home to the vermillion flycatcher. They may be found mostly in Mexico, although some colonies have spread north along the Gulf Coast and into Southern Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, and southern California.
4. HOUSE FINCH
Scientific name: Haemorhous mexicanus
Length: 5.7 in
Weight: 0.74 oz
Wingspan: 10 in
The House Finch, which can be found all over the United States, visits feeders on a regular basis throughout the year. The simple songs of these sweet finches, as well as their easily recognized red and brown plumage, are well-known.
Females are brown and white streaked, with males having the distinctive red head and neck. The Purple Finch has a much deeper raspberry color than the House Finch, and they have a similar appearance to it. Around human-constructed structures, they prefer to build nests.
5. SUMMER TANAGER
Scientific name: Piranga rubra
Length: 7.75 in
Weight: 1 oz
Wingspan: 12 in
The Scarlet Tanager and the Summer Tanager look a lot alike, but there are a few things that set them apart. First and foremost, it is bigger than the scarlet Summer Tanager. Males have crimson wings with just a small amount of black at the end of each feather, which is second. Females are third, and they range from yellow-green to yellow with faint red undertones.
In the eastern United States, south of the Great Lakes, and in California, Arizona, and New Mexico, find Summer Tanagers.
6. PINE GROSBEAK
Scientific name: Pinicola enucleator
Length: 9 in
Weight: 2 oz
Wingspan: 14.5 in
The colder environments of Canada and the northern Rocky Mountains are preferred by the Pine Grosbeak. It prefers to live among spruce and fir trees, which suits its name. They may congregate in bushes looking for berries or fruit if you live up north.
The iconic red and gray coloring is only seen on adult males. Instead of the red heads and backs of males, females have a yellowish head and back.
7. RED WARBLER
Scientific name: Cardellina rubra
Length: 12.5-13.5 in
Only the highland regions of southern and western Mexico are home to the beautiful Red Warbler. Pine, fir, and oak woods are their favorite. Adults have a silvery white cheek patch and are red all over. Females are somewhat lighter than males in color.
8. SCARLET IBIS
Scientific name: Eudocimus ruber
Length: 25 in
Weight: 2 lb
Wingspan: 38 in
The Scarlet Ibis is a South American waterbird that is essentially the Northern Cardinal. The Scarlet Ibis may be observed foraging for inanimals or shellfish in the mud of marshes or even on wet lawns, completely red with just a little black on its wingtips.
Scarlet Ibises are generally not interested in feeders, and they only call while flying. As far north as southern Florida, they have been sighted.
A hybrid ibis has emerged from a cross between Scarlet and White ibis populations. It is bright pink in color.
9. ‘I’IWI (SCARLET HONEYCREEPER)
Scientific name: Drepanis coccinea
Only the Hawaiian islands are home to this red honeycreeper. We are including Hawaii here because it is part of the United States, despite the fact that it isn’t technically in North America. Adults have black wings, a black tail, and a pink hooked beak. They are scarlet red in color.
The nectar inside of flowers is reached by the long and curved bill of the ‘Iiwi. Because they travel to higher elevations throughout the year following the bloom of native flowers, they are referred to as “altitudinal migrants.”
10. PAINTED BUNTING
Scientific name: Passerina ciris
Length: 4.7-5.1 in
Weight: 0.5-0.7 oz
It’s difficult to determine if the Painted Bunting belongs to one color group, given its many colors. However, due to its crimson body, it ranks high on our list. Males have multicolored plumage with a red throat, belly, and back, whereas females are a vibrant greenish-yellow.
They spend their winters in Central America and Mexico. They get into the United States. In two primary breeding areas, I was there for the season. Northern Mexico, Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Louisiana, and western Mississippi are all part of the western population in the mid-south. The southeastern coastal areas of northern Florida, Georgia, and Carolina’s are home to the second breeding area, or eastern population.
Scientific name: Cardinalis sinuatus
Length: 8.3 in
Weight: 0.8-1.5 oz
You may assume Pyrrhuloxias look like a cardinal dipped in gray paint due to their body form, head crest, and red coloring. The Northern Cardinal is, in reality, quite closely linked to them. Because you may locate these birds in the northern part of Mexico, western Texas, southern Arizona, and southern New Mexico, they can be considered their southwestern cousins.
The bodies of both males and females are gray, with crimson on their crests, wings, and tail. Males have a crimson stripe down their front and side, as well as across their face. Throughout the breeding season, they are territorial, but throughout the winter, they congregate in amicable flocks.
12. HEPATIC TANAGER
Scientific name: Piranga flava
Length: 8.0 in
Weight: 1.3 oz
Wingspan: 12.5 in
Adults males are red throughout, with streaks of gray on the back and around the eye, while females are yellow. Insects and spiders that are obtained by moving slowly through the branches of trees are the main food of hepatic Tanagers.
In the summer, they may be found in Arizona and New Mexico’s mountain ranges, as well as year-round in Mexico. They, on the other hand, may be found across Central and South America, and have a even larger range.
13. APAPANE
Scientific name: Himatione sanguinea
Length: 5.1 in
Weight: 0.56-0.51 oz
The Apapane is a Hawaiian honeycreeper that only lives on the islands, much like the Iiwi. In reality, they may be found on all of the major islands and are the most prevalent honeycreeper. They use a narrow beak with a slight downward slope to drink nectar from flowers. They’re considered important pollinators because they come into touch with so many flowers throughout their daily quest for food.
Adults are a bright crimson red with a pale rump and black on their wings.
TYPES OF PINK BIRDS
We thought we’d give honorable mention to two birds that many of you may be familiar with because pink is merely a lighter red.
1. ROSEATE SPOONBILL
Scientific name: Platalea ajaja
Length: 32 in
Weight: 3.3 lb
Wingspan: 50 in
The Roseate Spoonbill, which is found on the pinker side of the red spectrum, is one of several birds on this list that live in coastal or marshy environments. From a deep pink at the wingtips down to a light pink at the wingtips, its feathers’ lovely gradient fades.
On the Gulf of Mexico’s southern shore, Roseate Spoonbills dwell. The pink color and spoon-shaped beak distinguish them.
2. FLAMINGO
Scientific name: Platalea ajaja
Length: 32 in
Weight: 3.3 lb
Wingspan: 50 in
The flamingo species are divided into four categories. The only species that naturally occurs in North America is the American Flamingo, sometimes known as the Caribbean flamingo. Although the flamingo is beloved as a Florida symbol, they are only found as far north as they go, and even then, you will find them in limited numbers. The Keys, as well as much of southern Florida, including the Everglades, are frequently found in these regions.
Flamingos come in a variety of pink hues, from light pink to dark salmon. Carotenoids, such as those found in brine shrimp, may be used by these birds to give their feathers a pink hue.