Birds’ eyes are more varied in color than human eyes. These colors may include blue, red, yellow, white, or even black. So if you have recently come across a bird with blue eyes and are wondering what species it was, you are at the right place. In this blog post, we have created a list of birds with blue eyes. furthermore, you will learn interesting facts about these birds; their plunge, habitat, and much more so continue reading.
List of birds with blue eyes:
1. Great Cormorants
- Scientific name: Phalacrocorax carbo
- Lifespan: 10-15 years
- Size: 33 inches
- Native to: North America, Europe, Africa, China, India, Southeast Asia, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea and Australia
The Great Cormorant, now found across the Old World, was formerly a rare and local breeder in a small region of eastern Canada. Its population in North America has seen significant growth in recent years, and the nesting area has now been extended southward into New England.
Their main diet includes fish, with a little number of crabs and marine worms. Diet may be more diversified where the birds are located near fresh water.
Great Cormorant typically begins breeding around 4-5 years of age. They reproduce in colonies. The Male selects the nesting location and makes a show to entice the female by flapping wings and flashing white rump patches. At the nest, pairs perform a writhing and neck-twisting show.
They lay 3 to 5 pale blue-green eggs. Both sexes incubate for 28–31 days and regurgitate food to feed the young.
Their first flight occurs around 50 days after their hatching and the chicks may stay in the nest for around 40 to 50 days after their first flight
2. Brown Pelicans
- Scientific name: Pelecanus occidentalis
- Lifespan: 30 years
- Size:45 inches
- Native to: U.S. Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico, and the southeastern coast
These graceful birds have long, slender necks, big beaks, and often black bodies.
Brown Pelican flocks glide and flap in synchrony as they soar low over the waters. They dive headfirst into the water in search of fish, which is an impressive aspect of their eating. The fact that this species is now common in the United States is a victory for environmentalists who were able to stop the use of DDT and other persistent pesticides here; until the early 1970s, the Brown Pelican was in grave danger of extinction.
These birds choose to nest in trees despite spending much of their time near the shore. Did you know that pelicans use the skin on their feet to incubate their eggs? You certainly do now!
Both sexes incubate for around 28–30 days. Both parents feed the young. After around 5 weeks, the young may abandon ground nests and congregate in groups where returning parents may be able to identify their own offspring. Before climbing about in branches, young may stay in tree nests for a longer period of time (perhaps up to 9 weeks). Age at first flight allegedly ranges from 9 to 12 weeks or more. After babies depart the colony, adults continue to feed them for a while.
3. Double Crested Cormorants
- Scientific name: Phalacrocorax auritus
- Lifespan: up to 20 years
- Size: 30 inches
- Native to: North America, from the Aleutian Islands in Alaska down to Florida and Mexico
The Double-crested cormorant is the most widely spread in North America and the only one that is often likely to be spotted inland.
These birds mostly eat fish and other small aquatic creatures mostly by diving from the surface and swimming underwater while using their feet as propulsion (may sometimes use wings as well). They may forage in muddy or clear water, more often at mid- to upper-levels of water than at the bottom.
They lay 3 to 4 eggs which are bluish-white in color. Both sexes incubate for 25–33 days. The young are fed by both parents and may leave ground nests after three to four weeks and explore the colony, but they eventually come back to the nest to eat. Usually, the young make their first fly at about 5–6 weeks and becomes independent at 9–10 weeks.
Their diet varies with the season and location and comprises a highly diverse range of fish, as well as frogs, salamanders, crabs, shrimp, and crayfish; sometimes snakes, mollusks, and plant debris.
Usually, the first breeding occurs at the age of 3 years. On the water, males perform displays for females by diving, splashing with their wings, and bringing up weeds. Male shows at the nest location by squatting and calling as his wings vibrate.
4. Northern Gannet
- Scientific name: Morus bassanus
- Lifespan: about 35 years
- Size: 40 inches
- Native to: Canadian colonies: three in the Gulf of St. Lawrence, Quebec, and three in the North Atlantic off the coast of Newfoundland
They seem to be enormous and are almost as big as albatrosses. Their primary source of food, fish, is easily torn apart by their razor-sharp beaks.
The long, narrow wings of adult northern gannets are paired with pointed tails. They often have a white main body with black wingtips and a golden crown.
If you encounter these birds, you have probably already seen how quickly they dive to get their prey.
diving down quickly and emerging with a mouth full of fish. These birds are not presently threatened and often nest on cliffs.
5. Satin Bowerbird
Image Source
- Scientific name: Ptilonorhynchus violaceus
- Lifespan: 20 to 30 years
- Size: 12-inch
- Native to: eastern Australia
Eastern Australia is home to the medium-sized satin bowerbird. Adult males have eyes that are vivid violet and a small, light beak that is totally black, glossy, and blue-purple in hue.
Due to their use of tools and mixing of “paint” to cover the walls of their bower, satin bowerbirds are regarded by many ornithologists as among the most technologically sophisticated birds.
These constructions are built by males using eye-catching stuff. The females will then visit numerous of these nearby bowers to inspect the architecture and potential mates before making their choice.
Bower decorating is very competitive, and many males would take decorations from neighboring bowers in order to better their own.
If a female stumbles into a bower she loves, she joins it, but the mating process is still ongoing. Then, while carrying a prized possession in his beak, the male must dance for her. For whatever reason, these birds like blue-colored decorations.
All bowerbirds are frugivores, meaning they mostly consume the fruits of trees and shrubs. They also sometimes eat seeds, insects, and spiders.
6. Blue-Eyed Shag
- Scientific name: Leucocarbo
- Lifespan: 15 to 20 years
- Size: 30 inches
- Native to: Antarctica
If you’ve ever had the good fortune to see one, you know just how beautiful these water birds can be. They have blue skin around each of their eyes and are white and black in color.
These birds often reside in big colonies and do their breeding on land that is distant from ice and water.
Although you may not have seen them in the United States, they are stunning birds with blue eyes.
it often eats fish or other tiny aquatic organisms. These birds are now not threatened with extinction and are widespread. Subantarctic Islands such as Chile and the Falkland Islands
7. Blue-Eyed Ground-Dove
Image source
- Scientific name: Columbina cyanopis
- Lifespan: 5-7 years
- Size: 6 inches
- Native to: Cerrado region of Brazil.
There are just a few of these birds alive in the wild; specifically, there are only approximately sixteen blue-eyed ground-doves left.
They have lovely black markings on their reddish-brown bodies, and their white bellies are speckled. These birds’ remarkable blue eyes are what really stands out about them.
It typically eats seeds and tiny insects. Only around 16 of these highly endangered birds are still present in the wild.
8. Western Jackdaw
- Scientific name: Corvus monedula
- Lifespan: 5 years
- Size: 13–15 inches
- Native to: North West Africa
These are petite, mostly-black birds. In regions of Europe and Northwestern Africa. In addition to the carrion diet that the corvid family is renowned for, they will also consume eggs, chicks from other birds’ nests, small rodents, and insects. These birds are now not threatened with extinction and are widespread.
9. Philippine Eagle (birds with blue eyes)
- Scientific name: Pithecophaga jefferyi
- Lifespan: 30 to 40 years
- Size: 35 inches
- Native to: the Philippines
These gorgeous birds are now at grave risk of extinction. The Eagles are One of the biggest and most powerful raptors in the world and were used to be called monkey-eating eagles, but their name was subsequently changed.
These birds are brown and white with stunning blue eyes and a beak that is somewhat blue.
lemurs are their main source of food.
10. White Ibis
- Scientific name: Eudocimus albus
- Lifespan: 25 to 27 years
- Size: 21 to 28 inches
- Native to: Virginia via the Gulf Coast of the United States
The white ibis often lives in marshlands in Southeast America.
They are an aquatic species that mostly consume fish and other invertebrates from shallow water.
They are fairly common in their native environment since they are not presently considered endangered.
These birds often congregate in flocks in the wetlands’ shallow water, where they capture their prey. They are mostly white, with vivid red legs and a crimson mask.
11. Crowned crane
- Scientific name: Balearica regulorum
- Lifespan: up to 30 years
- Size: 40 inches
- Native to: eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, Uganda and Kenya to southeastern South Africa.
The distinctive crest on the grey-crowned crane’s head makes it an immediately recognizable bird. The grey-crowned crane (Balearica regulorum), which is also often seen in farms, and the black-crowned (Balearica pavonina). crane are the two species of crowned crane that exist in nature.
Grey crowns prefer grassy, very humid environments next to lakes, large rivers, and swamps. However, the decline and degradation of its habitats, as well as the growth of populated areas, pose its greatest threats.
The omnivorous grey-crowned crane tramples on possible food by walking in a certain manner and stomping its feet. In the wild, this crane’s diet includes tubers, sedge seeds, juvenile fish, worms, grasshoppers, and other insects and tiny invertebrates. Nearly nine times longer than their body, their gut is exceptionally lengthy.
They form flocks only when it is not breeding season. When they find their partners, they become monogamous. The couples will dance and strut together as part of their ritual, which serves to strengthen their relationship. During the mating season, grey-crowned cranes may become quite territorial.
12. Blue-eyed cockatoo
- Scientific name: Cacatua ophthalmica
- Lifespan: 50 years
- Size: 20 inches
- Native to: the lowland forests of New Britain east of New Guinea
Despite being one of the less common captive cockatoos, they make wonderful pets and grow to be a beloved part of the family very fast.
These cockatoos need a lot of upkeep and care, but in exchange, you get a funny and loving companion.
The blue-eyed cockatoos are only on the islands of New Ireland and New Britain. The Bismarck Archipelago, which is located near Papua New Guinea, includes these islands. The Blue Eyed Cockatoo, a species that is fragile, builds its nest in the virgin woods that cover these remote islands. These lovely birds are severely threatened by rapidly expanding logging, the eradication of virgin lowland forests, illegal trapping, and other activities.
Furthermore, the cockatoos like eating a range of organic seeds, nuts, fruits, and tree blooms in their native habitat. It goes without saying that you should include some fresh fruits and vegetables, such as oranges, apples, celery, cabbage, and carrots along with a specific cockatoo’s diet. They will be both, a delight and a nutritious addition that is rich in important vitamins and proteins. Water for drinking should be replaced often, and baths should be offered occasionally.
13. Black-headed cuckoo dove
- Scientific name: Macropygia phasianella.
- Lifespan: six to 10 years.
- Size: 16 to 17 in
- Native to: the Philippines
The Brown Cuckoo-Dove was previously known as the “Pheasant-tailed Pigeon because of its long tail, which it sometimes uses as a balancing or support while foraging in the trees, particularly when hanging upside down or doing other acrobatic maneuvers to obtain a far fruit or berry, The species moves with a waddling motion, its body upright, and its tail elevated slightly to keep it clear of the ground. It seldom eats on the ground but sometimes collects grit from the forest floor.
Brown Cuckoo-Doves consume the fruit, berries, and seeds of several trees, shrubs, and vines found in the rainforest. Early in the morning and late in the day is when they often eat in the trees, frequently hanging upside down to get fruit. They can break down extremely tough seeds.
Breeding Brown Cuckoo-Doves build a sparse nest of twigs and sticks arranged perpendicularly on a limb in rainforest trees, bushes, and the tops of vines and ferns. When the young are initially hatched, they are coated in long, thick down.
14. Paradise birds
Image Source
- Scientific name: Parotia wahnesi
- Lifespan: 8 years
- Size: 16 inches
- Native to: the mountain forests of Huon Peninsula and Adelbert Mountains, northeast Papua New Guinea.
The medium-sized Wahnes’s parotia (Parotia wahnesi) is a member of the bird-of-paradise family (Paradisaeidae). This species is found only in the highland forests of northeast Papua New Guinea’s Huon Peninsula and Adelbert Mountains. Arthropods and fruits make up the majority of the diet.
The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species rates Wahnes’s parotia as Vulnerable.
It is classified as a C2a danger and is listed in CITES Appendix II (1). This suggests that there are less than 10,000 adult birds left, divided into subpopulations of fewer than 1000 and that their number is most likely falling.
The male has a large, wedge-shaped tail feather, three erectile spatule head wires below each eye, an iridescent yellow-green breast shield, and extended black plumes. A rich brown bird with a blackish head is the female. It is around 43 centimeters long.
Little is known about this species’ existence and habits. The polygamous male engages in a magnificent wooing dance on the woodland floor.
Green Oropendola:
Image Source
- Scientific name: Psarocolius viridis
- Lifespan: 15-20 years
- Size: 46-56 centimeters (18-22 inches)
- Origin: Central and South America (from Mexico to Brazil)
The Green Oropendola is a remarkable bird known for its unique appearance and distinct vocalizations. Found in the rainforests of Central and South America, this bird stands out with its bright green plumage and long, hanging tail feathers. It belongs to the Blackbird family and lives in large, social colonies. Male Green Oropendolas have a fascinating display behavior where they gather in groups and create intricate hanging nests made from woven grasses and leaves. These nests can be seen hanging from tree branches, swaying gently in the jungle breeze. The birds’ calls, a mix of gurgles, whistles, and chatters, create a cacophony of sounds that resonate through the forest, adding to the vibrant atmosphere of the jungle. Observing the Green Oropendola’s nesting behavior and listening to its melodious calls are memorable experiences for those fortunate enough to encounter this charismatic bird.
Final thoughts on birds with blue eyes
Blue isn’t a common eye color in birds however some species of birds have blue eyes which we have listed above. We hope that your interest has been piqued by learning about these stunning birds with blue eyes. if you liked this blog post we are sure that you will also like blackbirds with yellow eyes
