24 Birds with Red Chest –
Most Common to Hardest to See!

What’s This Post About?

Birds are incredibly stunning creations of nature, adding a flash of bright colors to our grim lives. However, some of these are even more conspicuously mesmerizing due to the gorgeous coloration they sport.

All the birds are spectacular, from the vibrant blues to the oranges, greens, reds, and yellow. Birds carrying a tinge of red on their plumage are even more charming to spot.

After all, red is the color of love, charm, and warmth. Flashing their stunning selves as they perch on the nearby fences or amidst the dense foliage of the trees, and even gracefully flying in the sky, these avians are a delight to watch.

The vibrant red color gives a splendid look to the birds. Hence, whether it is to attract mates, a warning sign, or simply a result of a carotenoid-rich diet, birds with red chests can never go unnoticed.

There are numerous birds with a dazzling brilliant red chest with hues of blood to scarlet to rosy reds, whether it is one of the finches, the stunning Grosbeaks, or even the magnificent Cardinals. While some of these birds are entirely coated in a red plumage, some have a distinct coloration on their chests.

Birds with Red Chest

With some birds don bright red wings while others have a remarkably spectacular red face, in this post, we’ve put together a list of birds with gorgeously red chests.

But before you get on your birding spree, make sure you have the right equipment to observe the fascinating birds’ stunning features closely.

Let’s explore the stunning red-chested birds.

1. House Finch

Ubiquitously found in the city parks, backyards, and farms, the tiny finches are small-bodied birds with relatively large, conical beaks.

Typically, the adult male house finches have a rosy red coloration around the face and upper breast. This plump breast is quite conspicuous when the bird is aviating in the sky and even when it is perched. The rest of the plumage, including the back, flanks, and tail, is boldly streaked with brown.

Having a widespread population across North America, the distinguishing factor that makes the house finches distinct from other finches is their red coloration. This color can sometimes tinge towards orange and even yellow.

The color variation depends on how much carotenoid-rich food the bird eats, giving it a bright red color if carotenoid consumption is more.

The gregarious species can be seen commonly flying around in the metropolitans. Usually feeding on seeds, they perch together on the elevated branches of the nearby trees, gather at bird feeders, and even forage on the ground.

2. Purple Finch

The purple finch is a stunning little bird known for its peculiar beauty, though the bird is not too frequent a sight. Swiveling around in shades of raspberry, the delicately colored finches are familiar winter visitors.

Despite being named the Purple Finch, the actual color acquired by these ravishing little birds falls in the hues of pinkish red. Like most bird species, the male is more flamboyant, flaunting the stunning colors’, while the females lack the rosy red coloration.

Typically inhabiting the coniferous forests, shrublands, and fields, these finches nest and perch in the tree’s high branches as they sing their melodious warbling songs. Preferring to stay isolated from the bustles of the human population, they’re not very common in urban towns.

3. Cassin’s Finch

The tiny little finch of the mountainous regions, the Cassin’s Finch, is an elegant sight. Primarily found in the coniferous forests, these birds fly towards the lower elevations during the winter.

Less popular and less conspicuous than their other mates, these finches have a concentration of red on the crown that fades to shades of rosy pink on the breast. In addition, a more peaked head and long conical bill of the finch, along with fine brownish streaks on the flanks, make the mountain dweller easily identifiable.

Small flocks of these perky finches twitter around, foraging for seeds on the ground and perching on tall evergreen forests, and feeding at groves of quaking aspen. Their boisterous, rollicking songs, often combined with mimicked calls of other birds, give a charming ambiance to the environment.

4. Painted Bunting

The Painted Bunting is an incredible sight, one of the most flamboyant and spectacular species of the bird kingdom, infused with gorgeous blue, red, green, and yellow feathers.

Belonging to the family of Cardinals, the Buntings have an impressive blend of colors, marking the lower body with bright red feathers. The females, however, have an entirely green plumage.

The dazzling songbirds commonly inhabit the Woodlands and forests as they cruise through the dense understory. Highly social birds, they forage in flocks and sing sweet rambling songs together.

If you’re trying to find the secretive bird amidst the forest, listen for the metallic chip calls.

5. Summer Tanager

The gorgeous strawberry-colored tanager, with entirely red plumage, is a brilliantly splashy sight. Unfortunately, unlike its male, the female has a mustard yellow plumage, sometimes making it hard to spot it among the dense foliage of the forest canopy.

Summer Tanagers are one of the most beautiful breeding songbirds of North America, inhabiting the woodlands and coniferous forests. The favorite spot of these striking birds is the tops of leafy trees, especially the oak, pine, and willow trees.

Perching high up in the trees, they make pretty distinctive, chuckling call notes and sing robin-like songs.

These reasonably common migratory birds move towards Mexico, South and Central America during the winters.

6. Hepatic Tanager

The conspicuous tanager inhabits the open pine and pine-oak forests of the highlands. Dwelling in the mountain ranges of Arizona and Mexico, the spectacular plumaged bird sings melodious, caroling songs amidst the interior of the trees.

The male of the species has a bright red upper body with a greyish red plumage, while the female tends to be yellowish mustard.

Initially, these species of American songbirds were classified as Tanagers. Recent research, however, refutes this, claiming that these Hepatic Tanagers are actually a member of the Cardinal family due to their remarkably similar plumage and voice.

7. Scarlet Tanager

Flashing their brilliant plumage, the Scarlet Tanagers are eye-catching gorgeous birds with spectacular blood-red bodies and distinctively marked jet-black wings and tails.

Inhabiting the deciduous forests, these songbirds perch high in the forest canopy, typically feeding on insects. It is hard to spot them; but their rich burry songs can help recognize them as they make raspy calls amidst the trees.

The songbirds migrate towards South America during the fall season, transitioning their gorgeous red feathers into yellow-green.

8. Northern Cardinals

The breathtakingly stunning backyard birds, widespread throughout regions of North America, are a perfect combination of beauty, conspicuousness, and familiarity.

Calling out their high-pitched metallic chips, loud, sweet whistles, and singing their melodious songs, the Cardinals add a ray of dazzle to the atmosphere. Sporting a brilliant red plumage, the birds add regality to their personality with a prominent, sharp crest on their heads.

The long tail, red conical beak, and black face of the Redbird make it easily identifiable. The females are not donned in red. Instead, they have an overall brownish plumage with a tinge of redwings and tails.

The stunning backyard birds are usually seen in pairs, or small flocks, near the dense foliage. In winters, these nonmigratory birds give a breathtaking view of the snowy landscapes.

Read our post to find out what do cardinals eat . 

What do Cardinals Eat? Feed Them This to Attract Them!

Are you in search of the best feed that you can provide to attract Cardinals to your backyard? Read ahead to find out more about it.

9. Pyrrhuloxia

Dwelling in the hottest deserts of Southwest America, the Pyrrhuloxia belongs to the family of Cardinals - also referred to as Desert Cardinals.

Though not entirely red plumage like the cardinal, this bird is no less dapper in looks, with its spruce grey and red feathers. A longer, elegant crest of feathers and stout yellow bill make it distinguishable from the northern cardinals.

Due to the harsh climatic conditions, these melodious desert birds are quite tough and vigorous, becoming extremely fierce and territorial during the breeding season. But these same birds are quite gregarious during the winter season when they join together in large flocks - sometimes even up to 1000, forgetting their agitations.

The lack of trees in their habitat has made them accustomed to usually forage, shrubs, and bushes on the ground.

10. White Winged Crossbill

The stout little bird is peculiarly named with an overall reddish, rosy pink and black plumage because of its white-winged bars that can be easily detected in flight.

The white-winged crossbill is a blossoming bird of the northern woods; the white-winged crossbill is an incredibly social bird, moving around in a chattering flock between spruce trees. The vibrant birds would chuckle in the treetops, hanging upside down and taking spontaneous flights to another tree.

These birds typically feed on spruce cones with their twisted bills. In fact, a single bird can eat up to 3000 conifer seeds in one day!

11. Elegant Trogon

Out of the many Trogon birds inhabiting the tropical forests, the Elegant Trogons are the only ones that occur regularly in North America.

These spectacular birds have a culmination of gorgeous colors, having a metallic green head, tinging towards blue, and a rosy red underbody, with a prominent white streak on the neck marking the distinction.

Stunning in appearance, the stout hooked bill of the bird aids in its insectivorous diet. They can often be seen erupting from the trees to catch their prey.

12. Eared Trogon

Belonging to the family of Trogons, these elegant species are also known as Eared Quetzals. Not too common species found around, they inhabit the South Eastern parts of Arizona and Madrian Sky Islands, dwelling the pine and pine-oak forests in the canyons and mountains.

A ravishing emblem of various colors, the bird has a glossy green plumage streaked with blue and white feathers down to the tail and a bright red chest and underbody that is quite conspicuous.

The bird has a rather large, stocky body relative to its tiny head. The sides of the head protrude relatively small ears, appearing as fine plumes, with hair-like wisps growing around them. However, you would hardly spot this unflashy feature of the bird.

13. Scarlet Honeycreeper

The brilliant I’iwi, also known as the Scarlet Honeycreeper, is a nectarivorous, passerine species and is a native bird of Hawaii. It has black wings and tail, getting its name from the fiery red cloak of feathers on its body.

The bright and vibrant appearance of these birds, along with the long, deeply de-curved bill, adept at feeding on long, tubular flowers, makes the bird quite easily recognizable.

These birds are quite loud and raucous in nature; these birds are known to be pretty aggressive to species that come towards their nectar sources, fiercely chasing them away.

Once one of the most plentiful birds in Hawaii, the I’iwis are now an endangered species, having faced the considerable loss of habitats and climatic changes in the region.

14. Scarlet Honeyeater

A primary nectar-feeding bird, the Scarlet Honeyeater is a small passerine bird belonging to the Honeyeater family.

Sporting a stunningly flamboyant scarlet red coloration on the face and back, also extending down to the chest, with underparts covered in white, its wings and tail are covered in black plumage, which gives the bird an incredibly conspicuous appearance. Note the sharply curved bill of the bird.

A denizen of open forests, woodlands, wetlands, and even rainforests, the scarlet bird is a native of Australia. It might be a treat to sight the gorgeous little fellow in the flowering plants in urban areas such as parks, roadsides, and even your backyard.

15. Apapane

One of the most widespread species of the Hawaiian honeycreepers is the Apapane, a gorgeous crimson red plumaged bird with a short yet pointed black bill and streaks of white under feathers in the tail. These birds are relatively more minor in size than the I’iwi.

These vivid blood-red birds are found on all the larger islands and forests, where they typically dwell in the upland forests and under the forest canopy at high elevations. Quite gregarious in nature, these birds are often found in flocks, aviating in the sky or collecting together at a flowering tree.

Particularly fond of the ohi’a flowers, the Apapane rely significantly on the nectar of these flowers, playing a prominent role in their pollination.

16. Pine Grosbeak

Belonging to the family of Finch birds, the Pine Grosbeak is a relatively large and plump bird with a heavy chest. The adult males of the species are covered in a rosy pink plumage with the wings streaked in grey and white and a long black tail.

The females, however, have a layer of muted grey feathers with their heads and rump covered in yellowish-orange feathers.

This stout finch is prevalent in the Spruce, Pine, and fir forests of the North and high mountainous regions. An infrequent visitor to the East of North America, the bird, sometimes irrupts out of its range to feed in abundance.

Primarily feeding on seeds, the thick, conical bill lets the bird easily crush the seeds and nip off the tree buds.

17. Crimson Collared Grosbeak

Sporting a strikingly dark plumage, this rather stocky bird has a black hood extending to the neck and a wide crimson red collar. It has an unusually long tail and a stout, cone-like beak. The female bird has a dull green plumage with a similar black hood and bib.

Dapper in appearance, the bird usually takes short flights, alternating its rapid wing beats. Perching around in elevated trees and low bushes, the suave bird feeds on fruits, berries, seeds as well as insects.

Native to North America, the birds reside in Northeastern Mexico. However, these migratory birds move South of their range, towards Texas, in the winters.

18. Rose-breasted Grosbeak

Belonging to the family of Cardinals, these medium-sized, stocky birds are a stunning sight, frequently visiting the backyard and adding a splendid splash of color.

Far and wide, they are found in the eastern coniferous forests, woodlands, and parks; they sing melodiously cheerful songs with sweet whistling notes.

The stumpy Rose-breasted Grosbeak is stunningly colored with a jet-black head extending down till the tail and a gorgeous red patch from the throat down to the breast.

The remaining underbody is covered in white feathers, with aesthetic white patches on the wings and tail. Note the hefty conical bill of the frolicking bird!

Unlike the males, the females have a brownish plumage with an overdose of yellowish streaks.

19. Red-Breasted Sapsucker

The brilliant plumaged bird has a blood-red head, neck, and breast, with a muted shade of yellow, mottled with black on the lower body. This stunning bird is a medium-sized member of the Woodpecker’s family, showcasing their still tail, upright posture, and piercingly sharp bill.

An inhabitant of America’s forests, the bird nests on the hemlock, aspen, and ponderosa pine trees, typically occupying the middle or lower trunk of the trees.

Feeding primarily on the saps, this flamboyant sapsucker drills rows of holes in the tree barks.

20. Red Cross Bill

An enchanting, medium-sized finch dwelling in the coniferous Woodlands, the peculiar bill of the bird aids it in feeding on the nutritious seeds of hemlock, fir, and spruce cones. These birds are particularly fond of conifer seeds, which make up a significant part of their diet.

Take a look at how they are twisted at the edges, crossing each other on the ends.

Having a rusty, brick-colored plumage, the bird has darker wings and tail. In contrast, the females have an olive green plumage with yellow underparts. 

With their rollicking songs and metallic calls, the gregarious birds usually occur in flocks, perching on treetops. Practicing a nomadic lifestyle, especially in winters, the crossbills often irrupt to a further away region.

21. Vermillion Flycatcher

These small yet spectacular birds are one of the most attractive members of the Flycatcher family. Sporting a gorgeously vibrant red color, the conspicuous bird is a delightful sight of the desert landscapes.

The females of the species are a dapper too, covered in hues of subtle grey, with warm shades of salmon-red on the underparts.

These stunning flycatchers are usually found perching on small trees, bushes, and edges of wetlands. This aids the bird in consuming an insect-rich diet.

Widespread throughout Central America and South America regions, they can be seen perching on top of the shrubs and fences, ready to attack the insects that fly by.

22. Painted Whitestart

Belonging to the family of New World warblers, these stunningly painted species are a bird of surpassing beauty. Largest among the warblers, they have an entirely black plumage in most of their bodies from the head to the tail, while the breast and underbelly are a bodacious, ruby red.

Adding to their incredible radiance are the white patches on their wings and outer tail. Unlike other warblers of its kind, this gorgeous warbler is prevalent throughout Central America, Mexico, and Texas regions.

Typically found in the canyons and mountainous regions with oaks and pines, these robust and lively birds are often sighted fluttering their wings around, usually perching in the lower trees, as they forage on the insects in the plants and on the ground, flashing their beautifully fanned tail.

23. Scarlet Ibis

The flamboyant ibis, flaunting an incredibly gorgeous orange-red plumage, with an extraordinarily long, curved bill, the wader bird is indeed a spectacular creation of nature.

The unmistakable ibises, with their dazzling plumage, inhabit tropical South America and the Caribbean. The peculiar beak of the bird aids it to probe for food in the shallow water, grass, and mudflats.

These hard-to-miss birds are colonial roosters, gathering in thousands in number after spending days feeding on the mudflats. Having a reasonably steady population, these birds are under legal protection from the national authorities.

24. Scarlet Robin

The bird has an impressively bright red scarlet chest and an entirely black head, wings, and tail, a medium-sized robin with a plump and stout body. A patch of conspicuously white feathers surrounds the eyes. The underbody of the robin is covered in white.

Differing markedly from the males, the females lack the striking appearance, having a drab grey-brown plumage with a lighter reddish chest.

Dwelling in varied habitats, such as open forests, grasslands, farmlands, and even rainforests, they can occasionally be spotted in the backyard as well.

Preferring plantations with thick undergrowth, these birds usually perch low in the plants to hide from predators and lurk behind to capture the prey from the ground.

Keep Reading!

Birds of colors are always a mesmerizing sight to look at, and especially when the bird sports a gorgeous red color, it’s an even beautiful glance to see the spectacular creature flittering its wings.

Red is an invigorating color of passion, love, and joy. However, redbirds can never be boring, and that’s precisely the case with Red Chested Birds.

We hope that this extensive list of red-chested birds added to your pool of knowledge for these magnificent creations.

Interested in exploring more about these brilliantly colored birds? Read our blog identifying 13 astounding birds with red heads and with pictures.

13 Astounding Birds with Red Heads With Pictures! (Backyard Friendly)

Wondering what type of red-headed bird just fluttered by you in your backyard? It’s not as easy to figure out as you’d think. There are quite a few!

Posted in: Identifying Birds