Arkansas is a state known for its natural beauty, from its rolling hills to its winding rivers. This diverse landscape is home to a wide variety of bird species, including the striking Red Bird. With its bright red plumage and unique features, this bird is a favorite of birdwatchers and nature enthusiasts in the state. In this blog post, we’ll take a closer look at the world of Red Birds in Arkansas, exploring their characteristics, habitat, behavior, and the best birding locations to observe them in action. Whether you’re an experienced birder or simply curious about the natural world, join us on this exciting journey as we discover the captivating world of Red Birds in Arkansas.
Types of Red Birds in Arkansas:
While some of these birds live in Arkansas all year round, others only visit during the summer or winter seasons. This guide will also show the frequency of these birds based on the checklists submitted by birdwatchers of Arkansas on ebird. Let’s now delve into the specifics and examine each of these species in more depth to learn all there is to know:
- Northern Cardinal
- House Finch
- Summer Tanager
- Purple Finch
- Painted Bunting
- Scarlet Tanager
- Red Crossbill
- Common Redpoll
- Pine Grosbeak
- White-winged Crossbill
Northern cardinals
The Northern Cardinal is a common backyard bird in Arkansas and can be observed throughout the year in backyards, small forests, and parks.
Frequency in Arkansas: Northern cardinals have been reported 65% on Summer checklists and 60% on winter checklists by Birdswatchers of Arkansas.
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- Scientific name: Cardinalis cardinalis
- Life span: Up to 15 years
- Size: 21 cm (8.3 in)
- Weight: 33-65 g
- Origin: Eastern and Central North America
Male Northern Cardinals are distinguished by their distinctive red plumage, beak, and spiky mohawk-like hair. Northern cardinals are dimorphic birds, with both sexes being nearly totally distinct in color.
Females have red parts on their tails and wings, and preserve the red beak, with the rest of their plumage being a pale brown.
In the wild, these birds typically live for 3 years, while some have been reported to survive for up to 15 years, which is an unusual lifespan for tiny birds like cardinals.
The majority of Northern cardinals may be found in southeast California, where they spend most of their time hunting and eating tiny insects, fruits, berries, and seeds in woodland borders, thickets, residential gardens, cities, and desert washes.
House finch
The House Finch is another common bird species in Arkansas and is frequently spotted around bird feeders.
Frequency in Arkansas: House finches have been reported 20% on Summer checklists and 22% on winter checklists by Birdswatchers of Arkansas.
- Scientific name: Haemorhous mexicanus
- Life span: Up to 11 years
- Size: 12-15 cm (4.7-5.9 in)
- Weight: 16-27 g
- Origin: North America
Male house finches have predominantly brown plumage with a red gradient running up from the breast to the face. Females are typically brown and white and are less colorful.
At altitudes below 6,000 feet, these little birds spend most of their time in the dry desert, desert grassland, chaparral, oak savannah, streamsides, and open coniferous woods. They may be found in these habitats mostly grazing on weed seeds, berries, various fruits, and tiny insects in order to stock up on protein.
House finches have a rather long lifetime in the wild, where they may survive for roughly ten years, while captive finches have been known to live for twelve years.
Scarlet tanager
Scarlet Tanagers are commonly spotted in summer they are quite rare to be spotted in winter in Arkansas.
Frequency in Arkansas: Scarlet tanagers have been reported as 10% on Summer checklists and 0% on winter checklists by Birdswatchers Arkansas.
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- Scientific name: Piranga olivacea
- Life span: Up to 10 years
- Size: 18 cm (7.1 in)
- Weight: 22-28 g
- Origin: North, Central, and South America
The Scarlet Tanagers are stunning birds with eye-catching blood-red bodies and highly defined jet-black wings and tails that flash their magnificent plumage.
These songbirds live in deciduous woods and sit high in the forest canopy and mostly eat insects. They are difficult to see but their rich burrow songs may help in identifying them.
During the autumn, songbirds migrate to South America, changing their stunning red feathers into yellow-green ones.
Purple finch
Purple Finches are relatively common in winter in Arkansas but have rarely been spotted in summer.
Frequency in Arkansas: Purple finches have been reported as 0% on Summer checklists and 5% on winter checklists by Birdswatchers of Arkansas.
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- Scientific name: Haemorhous purpureus
- Life span: Up to 7 years
- Size: 14 cm (5.5 in)
- Weight: 20-25 g
- Origin: North America
The purple finch is a beautiful tiny bird renowned for its unusual appearance. Despite having the name “Purple Finch,” these adorable tiny birds really have a pinkish-red color. Similar to other bird species, the females lack the rosy red coloring, while the males are more flamboyant and show off their gorgeous colors.
These finches often live in coniferous woods, shrublands, and fields, where they nest and perch while singing their lyrical songs. They are uncommon in metropolitan centers because they prefer to remain far from the activities of the human population.
Summer tanager
Summer Tanager is common in summer but not a common winter bird in Arkansas.
Frequency in Arkansas: Purple finches have been reported as 25% on Summer checklists and 0.5% on winter checklists by Birdswatchers of Arkansas.
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- Scientific name: Piranga rubra
- Life span: Up to 8 years
- Size: 16 cm (6.3 in)
- Weight: 22-27 g
- Origin: North, Central, and South America
Male summer tanagers are almost all red, with a gray/silver beak. Females, on the other hand, are nearly all yellow, making these birds as dimorphic as they get. Summer tanagers spend most of their time in the gaps and borders of open deciduous or pine-oak woods.
While on the move, these red birds will chase insects such as wasps, bees, and caterpillars, as well as consume fruits, tiny berries, and rare seeds.
Tanagers live for around 5 years in the wild, which is about average for other wild birds, while captive summer tanagers are likely to live longer, similar to most other birds.
Red crossbill
Red Crossbills are not frequently spotted in Arkansas.
Frequency in Arkansas: Red crossbills have been reported as less than 1% in checklists submitted by Birdswatchers of Arkansas
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- Scientific name: Loxia curvirostra
- Life span: Up to 10 years
- Size: 15 cm (5.9 in)
- Weight: 26-39 g
- Origin: North America and Europe
Red Crossbills are recognizable by their reddish-orange feathers with grey wing feathers and beaks that tend to cross over one another as their name crossbill implies. Females, like summer tanagers, have a richer golden color with grey parts blended throughout.
Because of their urge and need to eat pine seeds, these crossbills spend most of their time in coniferous woods. Red crossbills may be found as long as there are pine trees around. This is why some of these birds may be found in heathlands.
Red crossbills eat spruce, pine, Douglas-fir, hemlock, larch, and tiny insects throughout their rather long lives of 8+ years in the wild.
Painted bunting
Painted Buntings are not commonly found in Arkansas. These birds are renowned for their vibrant and striking colors, with males boasting a bright blue head, green back, and red underparts, while females possess a less vibrant green hue.
Frequency in Arkansas: Purple finches have been reported as 5% on Summer checklists and 0% on winter checklists by Birdswatchers of Arkansas.
- Scientific name: Passerina ciris
- Life span: Up to 8 years
- Size: 11-13 cm (4.3-5.1 in)
- Weight: 12-17 g
- Origin: North America
With stunning blue, red, green, and yellow feathers, the Painted Bunting is one of the most colorful and spectacular kinds of birds, and it is a sight to see.
The Buntings, which are members of the Cardinal family, have a striking combination of colors, with vivid red feathers identifying the lower body. The females, on the other hand, are fully covered in green fur.
The brilliant songbirds often live in the woods and woodlands. They graze in swarms and sing lovely wandering melodies together. These birds are very social.
Pay attention to the metallic chip sounds if you’re attempting to locate these birds in the jungle.
White-winged Crossbill
White-winged Crossbills are not commonly found in Arkansas
Frequency in Arkansas: White-winged Crossbills have been reported as less than 1% in checklists submitted by Birdswatchers of Arkansas
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- Scientific name: Loxia leucoptera
- Life span: Up to 4 years
- Size: 5.9-6.7 in (15-17 cm)
- Weight: 29 g
- Origin: Northern parts of the United States
White-winged Crossbill finches have long, crossed beaks. Males have red wings and tails, as well as two white wing bars. Females have two white wing bands and are yellow and brown.
White-winged When cone harvests are weak farther north, Crossbills reside in woods in Canada, Alaska, and possibly northern US states. They may be seen munching on seeds in spruce woods.
Unlike other birds, these birds may reproduce at any time of year as long as there is adequate food. They often heard in big groups.
Common Redpolls
Common Redpolls are not commonly sighted in Arkansas.
Frequency in Arkansas: Common Redpolls have been reported as less than 1% in checklists submitted by Birdswatchers of Arkansas
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- Scientific name: Acanthis flammea
- Life span: 2 to 3 years
- Size: 4.5 and 5.5 in
- Weight: 12 and 16 grams
- Origin: southern Canada and the northern states
These common redpolls are distinguished by their red, white, and brown plumage, which includes a red and white forehead and breast, as well as brown and white wings. Females have a little patch on their forehead as well, but the rest of their body is brown and white.
A common redpoll may be found in boreal woods of pines, spruces, and larches.
These birds consume seeds from birch, alder, and spruce trees, as well as a variety of tiny invertebrates such as caterpillars, beetles, flies, and so on.
The highest lifespan for a redpoll was roughly 7 years and 10 months, however, the majority of redpolls spend far shorter lives, between 4 and 5 years.
Pine Grosbeak
Pine Grosbeaks, males showcase a rosy red plumage, are not commonly observed in Arkansas.
Frequency in Arkansas: Pine Grosbeaks have been reported as less than 1% in checklists submitted by Birdswatchers of Arkansas
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- Scientific name: Pinicola enucleator
- Life span: Up to 10 years
- Size: 22-24 cm (8.7-9.4 in)
- Weight: 40-80 g
- Origin: Northern North America and Eurasia
Pine Grosbeaks are distinguished by their greyish-white wings and tail feathers, red body and head, and black beak and feet. Female grosbeaks are not nearly as colorful as males, having plumage that is mostly light grey with touches of orange around the body and tail.
Pine Grosbeaks spend most of their time in coniferous woodlands, where they may rest on a horizontal branch to hunt tiny insects, seeds, buds, berries, and other refreshing foods.
These birds have been observed to survive up to 9 years old, sometimes even longer, indicating that they have reasonably lengthy lifespans for birds of their size.
Final Thoughts on Red Birds in Arkansas
Arkansas is a wonderful place to see a variety of red birds in their natural habitat. With diverse ecosystems ranging from the Ozark Mountains to the Mississippi Delta, there are numerous opportunities to observe these vibrant creatures. Whether you are an experienced birder or simply enjoy the beauty of nature, Arkansas offers a great chance to spot these beautiful red birds.
Frequently Asked Questions:
What are the most common red birds in Arkansas?
The two most common red birds found in Arkansas are the Northern Cardinal (Cardinalis cardinalis) and the House Finch (Haemorhous mexicanus). The Northern Cardinal, with its vibrant red plumage, is a year-round resident known for its melodious songs and frequent visits to feeders. The House Finch, while not entirely red, displays a reddish hue on its head, breast, and rump. It is also a common sight in Arkansas, often seen in urban and suburban areas, as well as woodlands and grasslands. Both species bring a burst of color and charm to the Arkansas birdwatching experience.
What red-headed birds can you see in Arkansas?
In Arkansas, you can spot several red-headed birds, including:
- House Finch: Male House Finches display a reddish hue on their heads, chests, and rumps.
- Red-headed Woodpecker: This woodpecker features a vibrant red head, neck, and throat.
- Scarlet Tanager: The male Scarlet Tanager flaunts a red head and body, contrasting with black wings.
- Red-bellied Woodpecker: While not entirely red-headed, it has a red cap on the back of its head.
- Pileated Woodpecker: The Pileated Woodpecker boasts a red crest on its head, making it a striking sight.
Where are some good places to go birdwatching in Arkansas?
Arkansas is home to many great birdwatching spots, including the Hot Springs National Park, the Ozark National Forest, and the Mississippi River State Park.
What is the best time of year to spot red birds in Arkansas?
The best time to spot red birds in Arkansas is generally in the spring and summer months when they are more active and visible.
Are there any endangered red birds in Arkansas?
Yes, there are some endangered red birds in Arkansas, including the Red-cockaded Woodpecker and the Henslow’s Sparrow. Conservation efforts are underway to protect these species and their habitats.