10 Birds With Red Feathers | Birds Advice

Have you ever painted any pictures of birds? If so, what color do you want their feathers to be; red, white, yellow, or blue? Many people prefer the red color. You might also like that. For your information, there are many red birds out there, and all of them are beautiful to look at.

What birds have red feathers? The most common red-feathered birds are northern cardinals, house finches, vermilion flycatchers, red factor canaries, summer tanagers, pine grosbeaks, scarlet tanagers, scarlet ibises, two barred crossbills, crimson rosellas, and more.

Are you curious to know about these birds? If so, then this article is going to be helpful for you. Once you finished reading this article, we would recommend you take a quick look at another article on blue-feathered birds.

Related Blog: 10 Birds With Blue Feathers | Read here

10 Birds with Red Feathers

1. Northern Cardinal

• Scientific Name – Cardinalis cardinalis
• Body Length – 21 to 23 cm (8.3 to 9.1 in)
• Weight – 0.09 lbs. (40.8 g)
• Wingspan – 30.5 cm (12 in)
• Lifespan – 3 years

#Distribution and Habitat

Northern Cardinals are readily available in the eastern United States from Maine to Minnesota to Texas, southeastern Canada, and southern Mexico. These birds are often be found in a few locations, such as Bermuda and Hawaii. They usually live in woodlands, gardens, shrublands, and wetlands.

#Identification

There are some differences between male and female cardinals. Males are brilliant red all over, with a reddish bill and black face, but females are pale brown overall with warm reddish tinges in the wings, tail, and crest. Both genders have the same black face and red-orange bill.

#Diet

Northern Cardinals mainly feed on insects, like grasshoppers, caterpillars, true bugs, beetles, flies, ants, and more. These birds also prefer grains and vegetables, such as flowers, seeds, waste grain, leaf buds, weeds, grasses, berries, and wild fruits. However, the young are mostly fed insects.

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2. House Finch

• Scientific Name – Haemorhous mexicanus
• Body Length – 14 cm (5.51 in)
• Weight – 0.4 to 0.48 lbs. (19 to 22 g)
• Wingspan – 20 to 25 cm (8 to 10 in)
• Lifespan – 10 to 11 years

#Distribution and Habitat

House finches are found in urban and suburban areas of the United States, southern Canada, and the Mexican state of Oaxaca. Their common habitats are farms, canyons, streams, arid lands, chaparrals, forest edges, and other semi-open areas.

#Identification

In appearance, adult male house finches have a slightly small body and rosy red plumage. They have conical seed-eating beaks, slightly long, flattened heads, and short wings. The tails of house finches are a bit shallower.

#Diet

In spring, house finches feed on buds and flower parts. Besides, these small songbirds mainly eat weed seeds and aphids. In late summer and fall, they prefer berries and small fruits. On the other hand, the young are fed regurgitated seeds.

3. Vermilion Flycatcher

• Scientific Name – Pyrocephalus Obscurus
• Body Length – 13 to 14 cm (5.1 to 5.5 in)
• Weight – 0.02 lbs. (13 g)
• Wingspan – 24.13 to 25.4 cm (9.5 to 10 in)
• Lifespan – 4 to 5 years

#Distribution and Habitat

Vermilion flycatchers are widely distributed in many regions, including southwestern Texas, southern Nevada, southern California, central Arizona, and many parts of South America. These birds usually prefer somewhat open areas, such as shrubs, savannahs, tropical and moist forests, riparian woodlands, and agricultural fields.

#Identification

The adult males of vermilion flycatchers have bright orange-red plumage. These birds feature dark brown masks on the back, wings, tail, and between the eyes. In contrast, the females are grey-brown with pale spots on the breasts. Both genders have black bills.

#Diet

Vermilion flycatchers are mainly carnivores. These birds feed on flying insects, such as grasshoppers, honeybees, crickets, and beetles. Flying suddenly out from an exposed perch, they capture insects, and their flights are short and direct.

4. Red Factor Canary

• Scientific Name – Serinus canaria domestica
• Body Length – 14 cm (5.5 in)
• Weight – 0.04 to 0.06 lbs. (12 to 29 g)
• Wingspan – 21 to 23.7 cm (8.26 to 9.33)
• Lifespan – 10 to 12 years

#Distribution and Habitat

Red factor canaries are found throughout North America. Compared to other bird species, these birds are not usually available everywhere. However, you find them at several spots, including bird clubs, pet stores, breeders, etc.

#Identification

In appearance, red factor canaries are entirely red. Adults are more reddish than juveniles. They’re slightly whitish on the wings and the tails. The bills and the legs are a bit grey. The eyes are small, rounded, and entirely black.

#Diet

When it comes to diet, carrots, red pepper, paprika, cherries, cayenne pepper, beets, and yams are red factor canaries’ favorites. There are some special foods, such as berries, sweet potatoes, squashes, beets, and tomatoes that help make their skin color brighter.

5. Summer Tanager

• Scientific Name – Piranga rubra
• Body Length – 17 cm (6.7 in)
• Weight – 0.06 lbs. (29 g)
• Wingspan – 28 to 30 cm (11.02 to 11.81 in)
• Lifespan – 5 years

#Distribution and Habitat

Summer tanagers are available from the southern United States to northern Iowa. These birds are also found in Mexico, Central America, northern South America, and Western Europe. Their habitats include open wooded areas, especially with oaks.

#Identification

Summer tanagers are usually medium-sized. Adult males have entirely bright red plumage, but adult females and immatures are bright yellow-green. In addition, they have blunt-tipped, pale bills. Their wings are slightly greener.

#Diet

Summer tanagers mainly feed on insects, such as bees, wasps, beetles, bugs, flies, cicadas, caterpillars, grasshoppers, crickets, and some spiders. When the insect population is scarce, they change their feeding habit to small fruits and berries.

6. Pine Grosbeak

• Scientific Name – Pinicola enucleator
• Body Length – 20 to 25.5 cm (7.9 to 10 in)
• Weight – 0.12 lbs. (56 g)
• Wingspan – 33 cm (13 in)
• Lifespan – 9 to 10 years

#Distribution and Habitat

Pine grosbeaks are usually found in the boreal forests of northern Eurasia and North America. They usually prefer to live somewhere near to their breeding grounds or relatively close to the southern boreal forests. These birds live in open spruces, pine forests, as well as subalpine forests.

#Identification

Pine grosbeaks have heavy, thick chests and rounded heads. Their bills are thick and conical but much stiffer than other finch species. The tails are long and slightly grooved. Adult males are usually reddish-pink and grey, while adult females and immatures are grey with reddish-orange or yellow spots on the scalp.

#Diet

Pine grosbeaks mainly eat buds, seeds, and fruits from spruces. These birds also feed on juniper, pine, mountain ash, birch, maple, blackberry, crabapple, burdock, and ragweed. Typically, they’re primarily vegetarians. But, they catch insects and spiders in summer.

7. Scarlet Tanager

• Scientific Name – Piranga olivacea
• Body Length – 16 to 19 cm (6.3 to 7.5 in)
• Weight – 0.063 lbs. (29 g)
• Wingspan – 25 to 29 cm (9.84 to 11.41 in)
• Lifespan – 11 to 12 years

#Distribution and Habitat

Scarlet tanagers are mainly found in eastern North America. These birds are long-distance migrants because they travel twice a year. Their habitats include hilly ash, maple, mixed pine-oak trees, and sometimes coniferous trees.

#Identification

Adult male scarlet tanagers are reddish-pink and grey, especially their belly. On the other hand, adult females and immatures are reddish-orange or yellow on the head and the tail. They have dark grey and a couple of white wing fins to recognize them.

#Diet

Most scarlet tanagers mainly feed on insects, wild fruits, and berries. The most common insects include spiders, snails, worms, millipedes, berries, beetles, moths, caterpillars, bees, aphids, mulberry, wasps, sumac, and more.

8. Scarlet Ibis

• Scientific Name – Eudocimus ruber
• Body Length – 55 to 63 cm (22 to 25 in)
• Weight – 1.4 lbs. (635 g)
• Wingspan – 54 cm (21 in)
• Lifespan – 16 years

#Distribution and Habitat

Scarlet ibises are found in large areas of South America and the Caribbean. These birds are typically out there in the coastal areas, swamps, wetlands, clays, coastlines, rainforests, tidal mudflats, and shallow lakes. Sometimes, they visit tropical states, like Florida.

#Identification

Adult scarlet ibises come up with bright red plumage overall with black wingtips. These birds have long, pink legs with partially webbed toes. Their bills are curved and pale red, which they use to probe grasses, shallow waters, and mudflats in search of food.

#Diet

Scarlet ibises feed on various diets, like frogs, worms, crabs, crustaceans, small fish, mollusks, and other insects. Since they’re wading birds, they can eat small fish and crustaceans. You can also feed them a commercial pellet diet.

9. Two Barred Crossbill

• Scientific Name – Loxia leucoptera
• Body Length – 17 cm (6.69 in)
• Weight – 0.063 lbs. (29 g)
• Wingspan – 26 to 29 cm (10.23 to 11.41 in)
• Lifespan – 3 to 4 years

#Distribution and Habitat

Two-barred crossbills are out there throughout North America and Northeastern Europe. When these birds don’t find enough food, they move to further south. Their habitats are coniferous forests of Canada and Alaska.

#Identification

Adult males come up with red or pinkish feathers while females are yellow or green. However, there are a lot of variations in their appearance. Compared to other male crossbills, they’re slightly brighter. There are black and white on the wings.

#Diet

Two-barred crossbills mainly feed on seeds, especially black oil sunflower. During the summer months, these birds prefer insects. Besides, they like to eat small fruits, berries, and tree buds. Mothers feed their young various regurgitated seeds.

10. Crimson Rosella

• Scientific Name – Platycercus elegans
• Body Length – 36 cm (14 in)
• Weight – 0.26 lbs. (120 g)
• Wingspan – 44 to 53 cm (17.32 to 20.86 in)
• Lifespan – 20 to 30 years

#Distribution and Habitat

Crimson rosellas are usually found in southeastern South Australia, Victoria, coastal New South Wales, Tasmania, and southeastern Queensland. These birds prefer old, moist forests, woodlands, and temperature rainforests.

#Identification

Crimson rosellas come in a variety of colors. Their features are mostly scarlet red and bright blue. Immature birds are greenish-olive to yellowish-olive with bright blue cheeks. These birds have pointed bills and long tails.

#Diet

In the wild, crimson rosellas mainly feed on various seeds, eucalyptus, grasses, shrub seeds, insects, insect larvae, fruits, berries, and some plant flowers. In captivity, they love to eat good quality seeds, pellet mixes, fresh fruits, and vegetables.

Final Words

Once you spot these beautiful red-feathered birds, take several photographs. If possible, feed them a wide variety of foods in your backyard. If you properly take care of them, they will hopefully come back again and again.

However, we hope you have learned a lot about birds that feature red feathers. If you have ever spotted a red-feathered bird we didn’t talk about in this article, let us know below in the comment section. Follow us on Twitter, Facebook, and Pinterest.