A flash of any bright colour gets your attention when looking at birds. So in this article we will take a look at a list of 20 birds who have orange colouring. We will see what they look like, where they live and what their diet consists of.
The Male Orange Fruit Dove
The male orange fruit dove is a striking bird as seen in the picture above. The bright orange plumage and olive green head makes this dove stand out. These doves are around 23-27cms in length.
Native to
These birds are endemic to the Islands of Fiji only
Habitat
They live in forests
Diet
As its name suggests, these birds are big fruit eaters, they also supplement their diet with insects and caterpillars.
Male Flame bowerbird
A bird of around 25cms in length, it is beautifully coloured that looks like it has been dipped in a few tins of paint. The face is almost crimson red, which then leads into the brightest orange, then the yellow and finally a flash of black on the ends of the wings and tail, as you can see in the picture above.
Native to
Again another endemic bird and found in the wild only in Papua new Guinea
Habitat
Rainforests
Diet
Fruits, seeds, insects, spiders
Male Andean Cock-of-the-rock
This unusual looking bird has an upper plumage of bright orange, including a semi circular crest on his head which covers its beak, as you can see from the above picture. The tail is black and the wing black with white. These birds are quite big at around 27-32cms.
Native to
South America, this bird is known as the national bird of Peru
Habitat
Lives in Andean cloud forests
Diet
Mainly fruit supplemented with insects
Male varied thrush
Like its name the size of this Thrush can vary between 19-26cms. The orange color on them is a little less bright than the previous birds we have looked at, but still noticeable against the black as shown in the above picture.
Native to
Eastern North America
Habitat
Wet dense costal forests
Diet
Insects, berries and wild fruit
Male orange Oriole
These birds can measure between 17-22cms. The male as you can see in the picture above, has a flame orange head and neck, the breast and underbelly is not as flame orange. They have black around the eyes and bib, wings and tail.
Native to
North America, Mexico & Belize
Habitat
Tropical & subtropical forest and woodlands, some semi open area with trees and hedges
Diet
Mainly fruits, some insects
Male Orange Bishop
These little weaver birds can measure 13-15cms in length. They have a black head, bright orange neck and upper breast, back and tail, as seen above, they also have a black lower breast and underbelly.
Native to
Africa, sub Saharan
Habitat
Like to be near water, reed beds, grasslands farmland
Diet
Grass seeds, cereal seed, small insects
Male Flame colored Tanager
At 18-19cms these birds are medium sized. This bird, as its name suggests is flame orange, almost a red-orange color, everywhere except its wings and tail, which are mainly brown with white.
Native to
Mexico through Central America
Habitat
Forests
Diet
Mainly insects, has been known to eat fruit, berries
Male Akepa
Around 10cms this bid is on the smaller size. The male is a colorful orange – red as in the picture above They have a brown coloring to the ends of their wings and tail.
Native to
Endemic to Hawaii and Hawaiian Islands
Habitat
Wet forests
Diet
Insects, spiders, caterpillars, flower nectar
Male Rufous Hummingbird
This humminbird is a small bird at around 7.5cms. As seen above this pretty bird is mostly orange, with orange – red iridescent throat, a white throat, lower underparts.
Native to
Southern Alaska, (the only humming bird to go this far north for breeding in the world) North America
Habitat
Woodlands, forest edges
Diet
Nectar & insects
Male Flame Robin
These birds can grow up 13cms in length. A bright orange breast and throat with a white lower abdomen and flickers on the wing and tail along with a dark gray, as shown in the picture above.
Native to
South esatern Australia
Habitat
Prefers woodlands & forests
Diet
Mainly insects
Male Venezuelan Troupial
This attractive bird with its orange, black and white coloring making it stand out, as seen in the picture above. They grow to a length of around 22.5cms.
Native to
South America, as its names suggests Venezuela through to northeastern Colombia
Habitat
Open savannas, woodlands, forests
Diet
Mainly fruits and insects, they have been observed taking eggs from other birds’ nests
Male Ruddy Kingfisher
As you can see from the above picture this unusual looking bird has a large red bill. Its plumage is a rusty orange color, this can vary from bird to bird. They can grow to 25-27cms in length.
Native to
SouthEast Asia
Habitat
Tropical & subtropical forests
Diet
Fish, crustaceans & insects
Male Madagascan pygmy kingfisher
This little bird is the smallest kingfisher species at only 13cms in length. They have an orange plumage with white a breast and underbelly, as the above picture shows.
Native to
As its name suggests this bird is endemic to Madagascar
Habitat
Evergreen forest, savanna woodland
Diet
Unlike other kingfisher this bird has a diet of mainly frogs, & insects and therefore they are not reliant on water
Male Black-Headed Grosbeak
Although you can not see from the picture above this bird has black and white wings and tail, its most prominent feature is its orange breast, set against the black head. They are around 15-20cms in length.
Native to
North America
Habitat
Forests, woodlands, wetlands and suburbia
Diet
Seeds, berrie & insects
Male European Robin
This little bird at around 12-14cms is well known, particularly in the UK, and is used as Christmas card images. Its famous red breast as seen in the picture above, with white lower underparts and brown back wings and tail.
Native to
Europe, western Siberia, South to North Africa
Habitat
Woodlands, forest, gardens & parks
Diet
Seeds, worms, invertebrates, fruit & suet
Male Olive warbler
As you can see in the above picture this bird has an orange head, with a black flash across its eyes. The underside is gray buff color, with a darker gray to its back, black and white to the ends of the wings. The length of this little bird is around 12-14cms.
Native to
US, Central America
Habitat
Evergreen forests
Diet
Insect & other arthropods
Male Baltimore Oriole
These birds are usually around 15-20cms. With a black head and wings and a stunning bright orange breast and underbelly, make this another attractive bird.
Native to
Range is different in spring to summer Eastern to Central North America & winter Central & South America, Florida & the Caribbean
Habitat
Forest edges, open woodlands ,wetlands, parks & suburban areas
Diet
Nectar, berries & insects
Male Blackburnian Warbler
At around 13cms this pretty little bird has an orange head and breast, running into yellow / white on the underparts, with flashes of black on the head, and black &white wings.
Native to
Migratory between North America & South America
Habitat
Woodlands & mixed forests
Diet
Mainly insects, berries in the winter time
Male American Redstart
With mainly black coloring these birds have two flashes of orange on their flanks either side of their breast, wings and tail. Their size is around 11-14cms in length.
Native to
North & South America
Habitat
Woodlands & forests
Diet
Mainly insects
Male White-Browed Robin Chat
These birds have orange breast, neck and underbelly, black head with two white flashes above the eyes, with a gray back and wings and orange and gray tail, as seen in the above picture. They can measure around 19cms in length.
Native to
South, East and Central Africa
Habitat
Riverine forests, Parks, gardens
Diet
Mainly insects
In summary
I hope you have found this article on orange birds interesting. We have looked at 20 types of birds in total who have the colour orange on them, some have more than others, however I would argue that all the birds are very striking in their own way.
We have learnt what they look like with the aid of pictures and description and where they live in the world, what habitat they prefer and their diet.
I do hope this information helps you identify any orange coloured birds you may be privileged to see in the future.