22 Species of Red Birds [Images + IDs]

Prepare to be enchanted by the magnificent world of red birds! These captivating creatures with their vibrant crimson plumage are true marvels of nature. In this exciting blog post, we embark on an exhilarating journey to explore the secrets and wonders of red birds. Get ready to discover the diverse species, delve into their unique habitats, witness their fascinating behaviors, and unravel the mysteries behind their stunning red color. Brace yourself for an adventure that will leave you in awe of the dazzling beauty and remarkable stories that these red birds bring to our natural landscapes. Let’s dive in and immerse ourselves in the vibrant realm of red birds!

List of 22 Species of Red Birds

• Scarlet honeycreeper
• Northern Cardinal
• House Finch
• Summer Tanager
• Scarlet Tanager
• Purple Finch
• Painted Bunting
• Red Crossbill
• Crimson collared grosbeak
• Common Redpoll
• White-winged Crossbill
• Pine Grosbeak
• Cassin’s Finch
• Hepatic Tanager
• Pyrrhuloxia
• Vermillion Flycatcher
• Scarlet Ibis
• Painted Redstart
• Roseate Spoonbill
• Elegant Trogon
• Ringed Kingfisher
• Cinnamon Teal
• Eared Trogon 

Scarlet honeycreeper

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• Scientific name: Iridophanes pulcherrimus
• Life span: Up to 6 years
• Size: 11 cm (4.3 in)
• Weight: 10 g
• Origin: South America

The bright I’iwi, often referred to as the Scarlet Honeycreeper, is a native bird of Hawaii that consumes nectar. Its name comes from the flaming red feathers that cover its body, and it has black wings and a tail.
These birds are highly distinctive due to their colorful plumage and long, sharply decurved bills that are skilled at eating long, tubular flowers.
These birds are known to be highly hostile against other species who approach their nectar sources, aggressively driving them away. They are fairly noisy and boisterous in nature.
The I’iwis were formerly among Hawaii’s most common birds, but they are now a threatened species as a result of the area’s significant habitat loss and climate changes.

Scarlet tanager 

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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.

Northern cardinals

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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.

Summer tanager

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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.

House finch

• 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.

Purple finch

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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.

Red crossbill

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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 lengthy lives of 8+ years in the wild.

Painted bunting

• 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

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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.

Crimson collared grosbeak

• Scientific name: Rhodothraupis celaeno
• Life span: Up to 6 years
• Size: 16 cm (6.3 in)
• Weight: 36 g
• Origin: Central and South America

This somewhat stocky bird has a broad red collar and a black hood that extends to its neck. It has a thick, cone-shaped beak and an abnormally long tail. With a similar black helmet and bib, the female bird has dull green plumage. The elegant bird eats fruits, berries, seeds, and insects while perching in high trees and low shrubs.
The birds live in northeastern Mexico and are native to North America. However, during the winter, these migratory birds migrate south of their normal range, into Texas.

Common Redpolls

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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

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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.

Cassin’s finch

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• Scientific name: Haemorhous cassinii
• Life span: Up to 8 years
• Size: 15 cm (5.9 in)
• Weight: 19-23 g
• Origin: North America

The Cassin’s Finch, a small little bird found in hilly areas, is a beautiful sight. These birds migrate to lower altitudes during the winter.
These finches, which are less common and noticeable than their others, have a reddish concentration on the head that fades to a rose pink color on the breast. The mountain dweller is also recognized by its longer conical beak, more elongated head, and subtle brownish streaks on the sides.
These chirpy finches travel in small groups, searching for seeds on the ground, perching on tall evergreen trees, and eating in aspen groves. Their joyous songs create a delightful atmosphere in the surroundings, sometimes in combination with other birds.

Hepatic tanager

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• Scientific name: Piranga flava
• Life span: Up to 7 years
• Size: 18 cm (7.1 in)
• Weight: 25-31 g
• Origin: Western North America and Central America

The dark blood-red feathers, silver/gray beaks, and grey feet distinguish hepatic tanagers. Females are yellow, similar to summer tanagers. These birds mostly consume insects such as spiders, seeds, berries, and fruits.

These red birds may be found in open pine forests, especially in mixed pine-oak woodlands at higher altitudes.

Hepatic tanagers, like their summer counterparts, survive for around 5 years in the wild but may live for up to 11.9 years if they adapt well to their surroundings.

Pyrrhuloxia 

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• Scientific name: Cardinalis sinuatus
• Life span: Up to 10 years
• Size: 20-23 cm (7.9-9.1 in)
• Weight: 42-50 g
• Origin: Southwestern United States and Mexico

The Pyrrhuloxia is a member of the Cardinal family, often known as Desert Cardinals, and lives in the sweltering deserts of Southwest America.

With its spruce grey and red feathers, this bird appears just as stylish even if it does not have fully red plumage like the cardinal. It may be distinguished from northern cardinals by its robust yellow beak and taller, more beautiful crest of feathers.

These musical desert birds are strong because of the hard climate and become more aggressive during the mating season. However, during the winter, when they congregate in big flocks, sometimes numbering up to 1,000, they become highly social, setting aside their differences.

Vermilion Flycatcher Male

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• Scientific name: Pyrocephalus rubinus
• Life span: Up to 8 years
• Size: 13 cm (5.1 in)
• Weight: 8-12 g
• Origin: North, Central, and South America

Male vermillion flycatchers are recognizable by their brilliant red feathers and grey wings. They also have a pointed black beak which is very different from the females who are predominantly grey with a slight trace of reddish color around their tail feathers.

These birds reside along streamsides, in drier more arid areas, savannahs, and ranches where they feed on little insects by hiding behind plants before springing out to capture the insects with their wings. they do also eat seeds and fruits however, little insects are the most abundant source of their diet.

These birds have a modest life in the wild, often surviving between 4 and 5 years, which isn’t all that lengthy, yet, like with most other birds, flycatchers are likely to live longer in captivity.

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.
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.
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.

Painted Redstart

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• Scientific name: Myioborus pictus
• Lifespan: Up to 10 years
• Size: 12-13 centimeters (4.7-5.1 inches)
• Origin: North America (breeding range: southwestern United States and Mexico)

The Painted Redstart (Myioborus pictus) is a visually striking songbird found in Mexico and the southwestern United States. The male displays a black body with a red breasts, a white belly, and white wing patches. It measures about 12-13 centimeters in length. This species favors habitats such as pine-oak forests, canyons, and streamside woodlands. Painted Redstarts are highly active birds, diligently foraging for insects and spiders. During the breeding season, males engage in elaborate courtship displays, including fluttering flights and melodious songs. Females construct cup-shaped nests woven with grass, bark, and moss, where they lay 3-5 eggs. Both parents actively care for the young. Conservation efforts aim to protect their habitats and raise awareness about their importance. Birdwatchers and nature enthusiasts are captivated by the Painted Redstart’s vibrant plumage and energetic behavior.

Roseate Spoonbill

• 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.

The Roseate Spoonbill (Platalea ajaja) is a captivating wading bird found in the Americas. With a height of about 28 to 34 inches and a wingspan of 50 to 53 inches, it stands out for its stunning appearance. The bird displays rosy pink plumage, a bald greenish-yellow head, and long reddish-orange legs. Its most distinctive feature is its spoon-shaped bill, perfectly adapted for feeding in shallow waters. The Roseate Spoonbill inhabits wetland areas such as marshes and coastal lagoons, where it forages for small aquatic organisms. During the breeding season, it forms large colonies and builds nests in trees or shrubs. Conservation efforts have contributed to the recovery of their populations, and they are now classified as a species of least concern. Birdwatchers and nature enthusiasts are fascinated by the elegance of the Roseate Spoonbill.

Elegant Trogon

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• Scientific name: Trogon elegans
• Lifespan: Up to 8 years
• Size: 28-30 centimeters (11-12 inches)
• Origin: North America (breeding range: southwestern United States and Mexico)

The Elegant Trogon (Trogon elegans) is a breathtaking bird found in the southwestern United States and parts of Mexico. With its vibrant plumage and striking features, it captivates birdwatchers and nature enthusiasts alike. The male Elegant Trogon displays a combination of deep green on its head and upperparts, a bright red breast, and a vivid turquoise tail. Females exhibit a more subdued plumage with grayish-brown tones. These medium-sized birds prefer habitats like oak woodlands and pine forests. Known for their elusive nature, Elegant Trogons are skilled at blending into their surroundings. Their unique appearance and limited distribution make them highly sought-after sightings for bird enthusiasts.

Ringed Kingfisher

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• Scientific name: Megaceryle torquata
• Lifespan: Up to 10 years
• Size: 38-43 centimeters (15-17 inches)
• Origin: North, Central, and South America (from southern Texas to central Argentina)

The Ringed Kingfisher (Megaceryle torquata) is a striking bird known for its robust size and impressive hunting skills. Found in the Americas, from the southern United States to Argentina, it is the largest kingfisher in the region. With a length of about 35 to 40 centimeters (14 to 16 inches), the Ringed Kingfisher exhibits a distinctive blue-gray plumage, a shaggy crest, and a powerful, dagger-like bill. Both males and females display a prominent white collar and a chestnut-colored belly. These territorial birds inhabit a variety of habitats, including rivers, lakes, and coastal areas. They are adept fishermen, perching patiently before diving swiftly into the water to catch fish and other aquatic prey. Their loud, rattling calls echo through their territories, making them a recognizable and charismatic presence in their environments.

Eared Trogon 

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• Scientific name: Euptilotis neoxenus
• Life span: Up to 8 years
• Size: 30-35 cm (12-14 in)
• Weight: 141-184 g
• Origin: Southwestern United States and Mexico

These Trogons are also known as Eared Quetzals. They are a rare species that live in the southern regions of Arizona and the Madrian Sky Islands, where they may be found in pine and pine-oak woods in canyons and mountains.
The bird is a beautiful symbol with a variety of colors. Its glossy green plumage is striped with blue and white feathers down to its tail, and its brilliant red breast and underbody are highly noticeable.
In contrast to its small head, the bird has a very massive, stocky body. Small, somewhat protruding ears on the sides of the head resemble feathery plumes and are surrounded by wisps that resemble hair.

Final Thoughts on Species of Red Birds

As we conclude our exhilarating journey into the world of red birds, we are left spellbound by their captivating beauty and the stories they tell. These feathered gems, with their vibrant crimson plumage, have provided us with a glimpse into the wonders of nature’s palette. We have marveled at the diverse species, from the fiery Scarlet Tanager to the elegant Northern Cardinal, each bringing its unique charm. Exploring their habitats and behaviors has deepened our appreciation for their resilience and adaptability. The symbolism attached to their red color, representing passion, vitality, and even love in different cultures, adds another layer of fascination. Let us carry the memories of these awe-inspiring red birds and continue to celebrate the vibrant hues and captivating tales that nature so graciously bestows upon us.