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Top 15 Most Colorful Birds in The World

It is in our nature to appreciate the diverse aesthetics in the world around us. And what better way to do that than enjoying nature’s most colorful birds? Next time you go birding or for a nature walk, look for these fifteen most colorful birds in the world.

15 Most Colorful Birds in The World

These birds have colored feathers, beaks, and spirits lending their great beauty, which we greatly appreciate. Let’s meet the world’s fifteen most colorful birds!

15. Venezuelan Troupial (Black & Orange Bird)

The bright and colorful Venezuelan Troupial bird.
Image by Richard Collier via Flickr.

These colorful birds occur in Venezuela and Colombia. Venezuelan Troupials are large birds with long tails and hefty bills. It has a black head with a blue marking around the eye and at the base of the bill. Its bright yellow body contracts against its black wings adorned with a white vertical stripe. Venezuelan Troupials prefer dry areas like woodlands, gallery forests, dry scrub, plains and open savannas for foraging.

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Fun Fact: Venezuelan Troupials are the national bird of Venezuela!

14. Painted Bunting (Most Colorful Cardinal Bird)

A Painted Bunting perched on a thin-stemmed plant with red flowers.
Image by Pedro Lastra via Flickr.

The Painted Bunting is a colorful species of cardinal found in the southeastern United States, Mexico, and Central America. They often nest on the southern Atlantic Coast of Florida and winter in the northwestern Caribbean. Others nesting further west typically winter in Mexico and Central America. Its paint-like plumage is red, blue, yellow, green, and black. This species enjoys low shrub areas, riparian vegetation, and open forests. 

Fun Fact: This species’ French name is ‘Nonpareil’, which means ‘without equal’. This refers to its stunning coloration. 

13. Crimson-Crested Woodpecker (Bright Red Head)

A Crimson-crested Woodpecker perched on a thick branch.
Image by GHC2000 via Flickr.

Of all the colorful birds, it’s safe to say the Crimson-Crested Woodpecker has the most colorful and eccentric head. Its crest is a fiery red and stands straight up on edge! It has a dark-as-night black body with two white stripes on its back and a white patch on its cheek. This bird is found from Panama to Paraguay in lowland forests and edges. They often perch high up on a snag or large tree.

Fun Fact: The Crimson-Crested Woodpecker is one of the most powerful woodpeckers in its range.

12. Western Rosella (Beautiful Parrot)

A Western Rosella bird, a very colorful parrot.
Image by Mark Sanders via Flickr.

The Western Rosella, sighted only in the southwestern corner of Australia, is a species of parrot. The head, neck, and underbody of males are primarily red. This bird has a yellow or cream-colored cheek patch, green and black scalloping on its upper body, and red on its underbelly. 

Fun Fact: Western Rosellas, once viewed as vermin and hunted due to their habit of obliterating fruit in orchards, are now a protected species.

11. Mandarin Duck (Most Colorful Duck)

A Mandarin Duck swimming in calm water.
Image by Jayney R via Flickr.

People consider the plumage of this East-Asian duck the most ornate of all the duck species. Males boast iridescent feathers of red, brown, orange, and green. Due to its beautiful coloration, the Mandarin Duck is a popular specimen in oriental art.

Fun fact: The Mandarin Duck nests in trees high above the water. Chicks must take a leap of faith after hatching.

10. Flame-Colored Tanager (Bright Orange Bird)

A Flame-colored Tanager perched on a branch.
Image by Grigory Heaton via Flickr.

The Central American Flame-Colored Tanager is a medium-sized songbird. Males are adorned with a red-orange hue, and females have a subdued yellowish-orange hue. Both sexes have heavily streaked upper parts and two bold white wing-bars on darkly colored wings. They live in the lush, green treetops of mountainous forests ranging from southern Mexico to Panama.

Fun Fact: This is one of the only species known to eat army ants. They eat the soldiers and the wasp pupae and larvae they are carrying.

9. Scarlet Macaw (Bright & Colorful Parrot)

A pair of Scarlet Macaws.
Image by PietervH via Flickr.

Scarlet Macaws reside in Central and South America. This species’ bright red, green, and blue plumage secures its spot on our most colorful birds list. While the Scarlet Macaw is not a conservation concern yet, efforts are being made to keep it this way by cracking down on the illegal pet trade.

Fun fact: This colorful bird’s red feathers appear in many decorations and ceremonial garments of indigenous people in the Neotropics.

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8. Peacock (A Well-known Colorful Bird)

A peacock, a bird that definitely has the coolest tail.
Image by George Ornbo via Flickr.

Peacocks are well-known, colorful birds, technically pheasants, originating in South China and parts of Africa. They are known for their brightly colored, uniquely adorned, and shimmering tail feathers- particularly the males. These fan-like tail feathers comprise sixty percent of the bird’s body. 

Fun fact: ‘Peacock’ refers to a male bird. Females are referred to as ‘peahen’. 

7. Rainbow Lorikeet (Most Colorful Parrot)

A Rainbow Lorikeet standing on top of a rock.
Image by Lance BB via Flickr.

The Rainbow Lorikeet is indigenous to Australia and its surrounding islands. It is a striking species of parrot comprised of red, orange, yellow, green, and blue plumage. Its coloration is deep and contrasting, making them easy-to-distinguish colorful birds. 

Fun Fact: Want to hand-feed a Rainbow Lorikeet? You certainly can! In most areas, they are so accustomed to humans that this is common practice. 

6. Golden Pheasant (Lucky Colorful Bird)

A Golden Pheasant, a beautiful bird with magnificent feathers.
Image by James Bernard Hatton via Flickr.

The Golden Pheasant has many names, including the Chinese Pheasant and Rainbow Pheasant. It is a Chinese gamebird of dazzling coloration that spends its time in China’s western and central mountainous forests. These colorful birds have plumage of red, orange, and blue coloration and have a bright yellow mohawk to top it all off.

Fun Fact: Chinese culture considers Golden Pheasants a sign of good luck and prosperity. It also represents auspiciousness, known as an ancient ancestor of the Phoenix. Bonus fact- this bird prefers running to flying and spends most of its time on the ground.

5. Kingfisher (Various Species)

A Dwarf Kingfisher, a cool but equally rare bird.
Image by Senthil Kumar Damodaran via Flickr.

The Kingfisher is a small to medium-sized colorful bird. It is found worldwide, but most species are found in the tropical regions of Asia and Europe. This is a blue bird with an orange underbelly. It also has an exceptionally long blue beak!

Fun fact: About ninety species of Kingfishers are comprised of only three families. Their most notable and admirable characteristic is their spectacular dives into water.

4. Quetzal (Endangered Colorful Bird)

A Resplendent Quetzal, a bird with beautiful tail feathers.
Image by Matthew Studebaker via Flickr.

Found in the forests and humid highlands of Central America, Quetzales claim their fame with their iridescent, varied coloration and exceptionally long and flowing tail feathers. Their coloration changes, too, depending on how the light reflects off their feathers. The IUCN lists the Quetzal as a near-threatened species and states that conservation efforts are essential. 

Fun Fact: Like some other colorful birds on this list, the Quetzal has cultural significance. In ancient Mesoamerican cultures, it symbolized freedom and wealth. Its highly prized feathers were also used as ceremonial garb by the Aztec and Maya royalty. Last, the Quetzal is the name of the currency in Guatemala and the bird appears on their paper bills. 

3. Blue-and-Yellow Macaw (Beautiful Amazonian Parrot)

Two brightly colored Blue-and-Yellow Macaw birds.
Image by Pavan Kumar Tirumareddy via Flickr.

The Blue-and-Yellow Macaw lives in swampy tropical forests in South America, ranging from Panama to Brazil, Bolivia, and Paraguay. They exist in exceptionally high numbers in the Amazon Rainforest. As the name suggests, this is a blue and yellow parrot. It has remarkably fluffy feathers and a white face with black stripes below the eyes. People often consider it to be the most beautiful of all the parrot species.

Fun Fact: The Blue-and-Yellow Macaw is one of the most trainable and intelligent parrot species.

2. Bali Mynah (Bright White Bird)

A Bali Mynah perched on a twig.
Image by Amar Rai via Flickr.

The Bali Mynah is, of course, from Bali, Indonesia. While this warbler species doesn’t have an array of colors, it does have one striking and rare coloration: white. It has gleaming white plumage completely undisturbed save for a bright blue mask outlining its jet-black eyes. Unfortunately, this bird is critically endangered due to illegal fishing and poaching.

Fun Fact: The Bali Mynah is monogamous, having only one mate for one breeding season.

1. Gouldian Finch (Australia’s Colorful Grassfinch)

A Gouldian Finch amongst leafy greenery.
Image by Bob Decker via Flickr.

The Gouldian Finch, also called the Rainbow Finch, is native to northern Australia. It is Australia’s most colorful grassfinch. Both sexes have assorted colored patches, including red, black, blue, white, green, and yellow.

Fun Fact: Interestingly enough, not all birds in this species are identical. Only 75% of the population have black faces, while the remaining 25% have red faces. Beyond that, yellow-faced birds occur occasionally, the yellow coloration due to a lack of pigmentation in a naturally red-faced bird.

Want to see some more beautiful birds? Check out the Top 25 Most Beautiful Birds in the World.

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