Beautiful Pink Birds In Florida [Images + IDs]

Spread the love

So you saw a pink bird in Florida and are wondering which species it was? You are at the right place.
The Florida Ornithological Society Records Committee (FOSRC) estimates that there are approximately 500 species of birds in Florida, a state well-recognized for its nature. Among them, there are a few which are pink in color.
The American flamingo, roseate spoonbill, scarlet ibis, purple finch, and house finch are a few examples of pink birds found in Florida.

While some, like the roseate spoonbill, are year-round residents of the state, others, like the purple finch, only visit in the winter (nonbreeding season).
Here are some interesting information and photographs of them.

List of Pink Birds in Florida

1. Spoonbill Roseate

Image Source

Scientific name: Platalea ajaja
Lifespan: 10 years

Size: 24 inches
Native to: southern Florida, coastal Texas, and southwestern Louisiana
Beaks typically measure 4-6 inches (10-15 cm) in length.

These big Florida birds have a delicate pink tint that makes them seem beautiful from a distance but strange up close.
They are sometimes mistaken for American flamingos, but their long spoon-shaped beak, white necks, and pink plumage make them easy to spot.
Roseate spoonbills consume crustaceans and other aquatic invertebrates that are rich in the carotenoids that give these birds their pink hue and cause their feathers to change that color.
Along Southern Florida’s coastline, from the southern islands of the Florida Keys, Florida Bay, and Everglades up to Tampa, roseate spoonbills may be observed all year round.
Visit the islands of Sandy Key, Tern Key, and Joe Key between November and March for the greatest chance to observe these pink birds in Florida Bay.
“Ding” Darling National Wildlife Refuge and Venice are two other well-known locations to observe roseate spoonbills in Florida.
If you decide to go looking for them, watch for flocks of pink birds, often with egrets and ibises nearby, feeding in the shallows of fresh and saltwater.
They are predators that consume tiny fish, frogs, newts, crustaceans, and aquatic insects.
In Southern Florida, breeding occurs from November to December; in Central Florida, it takes place around April. They will construct their nests in tall trees or mangroves and deposit two to five pale eggs with brown markings.
As they age, these birds will lose the feathers on the top of their heads, much as people do.

2. American Flamingo

Image Source

Scientific name: Phoeniconaias minor

Length: 90 cm
Wingspan: 1 m
Weight: 2-3 Kg

Beak length on average is 5-7 inches (12.7-17.8 cm).

The American flamingo is a large, pink bird with long legs and a neck. The primary and secondary flight feathers of these wading birds are black, and they have red wing coverts and pink plumage overall. They also have pink legs and pink beaks with black tips.
South Florida and the Florida Keys are home to American flamingos. Despite the fact that certain populations may remain in Florida Bay all year round, the best months to observe them there are from March to May.
The Everglades, Biscayne Bay, Hialeah, and the Florida Keys are among the greatest locations in Florida to watch American flamingos.
They may also be easily distinguished by their cry, which is similar to a goose honking.
American flamingos have a wingspan of up to 5 feet, a height of up to 5 feet, and a weight of up to 8 pounds.
They go by the moniker “rosy flamingos,” because the food they consume gives them their pink tint.
The omnivorous American flamingo consumes brine, tiny seeds, aquatic invertebrates including fly larvae, shrimp, and mollusks, as well as algae and algae-like substances.
To flush out their food, they often wade through shallow waters while kicking up muck with their feet and bills.
American flamingos are very social birds and are often seen in flocks of a few couples to a few hundred or thousands. Although they are typically non-migratory, they may travel short distances if their habitat is disturbed or if they need to find additional food.
Florida previously had native American flamingos, but by the turn of the 20th century, they had vanished entirely from the state. Since that time, more and more of these flamingos have returned to the area they once called home and are populating it.

3. Scarlet ibis

Scientific name: Eudocimus ruber
Lifespan: 16 years
Size: 22 to 30 inches

Native to: Northern South America southward along the coast of Brazil

The scarlet ibis is a huge, distinctive bird with a long neck, long legs, and a long, thin, decurved beak. It has webbed pink legs, a vivid red-pink tint for its plumage, and black wing tips. In general, guys are a little bit bigger than females.
Since being brought to Florida, the scarlet ibis has become a common sight in Southern Florida’s marshes, swamps, inland wetlands, lawns, and small ponds.
These birds are often seen wading in shallow water and using their long beaks to probe the mud and plants in search of food.
Scarlet ibises are excellent flyers, extremely migratory, and capable of traveling considerable distances while spending most of their time wading and strolling on the ground.
They may be seen flying in a traditional V formation in groups of thirty or more.
Because they are carnivores, scarlet ibises mostly eat fish, insects, frogs, crabs, mollusks, and tiny snakes.
Scarlet ibises are pink like the other Florida birds on our list because they consume crustaceans, which contain carotene.
Around mangrove woods, they create their colonies of nests using twigs and branches. Both mates will incubate the eggs and feed the chicks after the female lays a clutch of three to five smooth matte eggs.
The scarlet ibis is Trinidad & Tobago’s national bird.

4. Purple finches

Image Source

Scientific name: Carpodacus
Lifespan: 5 to 9 years

Size: 15.2 cm
Native to: Southern Canada, New England, and west coast regions of the United States

Purple finches are not, despite their name, purple. These little birds have brown wings and short, forked tails.
Male purple finches have striped backs, pink-red breasts, backs, and rumps. Females have a white line over the eye and are light brown above and white below.
Northwest Florida throughout the winter, from October to May, is home to purple finches. They are widespread in several settings with trees.
In northern Canadian coniferous woods, purple finches nest before migrating to the southern US for the winter.
They consume seeds, berries, and insects like omnivores.
They often congregate at bird feeders. Make sure to fill your feeder with thistle, millet, and sunflower seeds if you want to attract purple finches to your garden.
These rosy birds eat the foliage on the ground as well as in trees and shrubs. They construct their nests high in the vegetation of of twigs, weeds, grass, hair, and moss in lowland coniferous and mixed woods.
The female will lay 3-6 light greenish-blue eggs with black and brown markings.
The state bird of New Hampshire is the purple finch.

5. House Finch

Image Source

Scientific name: Haemorhous mexicanus

Lifespan: 11 years
Size: 14 cm
Native to: Western North America

Widespread songbirds known as house finches have shallowly notched tails, small wings, and conical beaks.
The breasts, eyebrows, foreheads, and rumps of males are streaky pink-red, whereas those of females are brown above and streaked below; they lack pink.
House finches were brought to Florida and are now common, particularly in Northwestern Florida.
The fundamental distinction between house finches and purple finches is the smaller size, milder coloring, and wider range of the former.
Male house finches sing a lengthy, rambling warble made up of several brief notes. Their “cheep” is loud and distinct.

House finches sing with various “accents” and in a variety of durations with more or fewer syllables depending on where they are.
House finches are sociable and vocal birds that congregate in big groups in urban parks, suburban backyards, farms, and forest margins.
They consume a variety of foods, including seeds, buds, tiny fruits, berries, and small insects on occasion.
You could also witness flocks of house finches gathered around bird feeders during the non-breeding season. Don’t forget to provide milo, millet, and black oil sunflower seeds if you want to draw one to your garden.
Females prefer to mate with males that have the brightest faces, which is why the pink-red hue of the males is caused by the berries and fruits they eat. They lay between 3 and 6 tiny, light blue eggs with black specks during their late winter and early spring breeding season.

Final Thoughts on Pinks Birds in Florida

Our list of pink birds in Florida comes to an end here.
There are several of them in the state, including purple finches, roseate spoonbills, and American flamingos.
You should be able to identify each of these birds the next time you see or hear them in person!
And in case you loved it, here are some of our other well-read pieces about birds: In Florida, there are 25 occurrences of songbirds and 15 instances of green-headed birds.

Beautiful Pink Birds In Florida [Images + IDs]