Birds are among the most colorful animals in the world. But have you ever wondered what gives them their incredible coloration?
Many feather colors, especially reds, oranges, and yellows, come from certain pigments. Birds usually need to get these pigments from their diets to continue creating the bright colors that have captivated and delighted humans for centuries.
Check out these 15 bird species that get their extraordinary colors — at least in part — from the foods they eat every day.
1. Flamingo
To millions of people, flamingos are symbolic of summer, tropical vacations, and island living. But did you know that their iconic pink coloration comes from the shrimp, algae, and fly larvae they eat? There are many different types of flamingos across multiple continents (the pictured bird is the Caribbean flamingo, Phoenicopterus ruber), and each one’s color comes from its diet.
When flamingos are young, they aren’t pink at all. Their feathers can be anywhere from snowy white to a pale ash gray in color. When they forage for food in the wetlands, they eat plants and animals rich in beta-carotene. Their bodies break the beta-carotene down into pigments. Those pigments are stored and eventually are deposited in skin and feathers, where they give the birds their signature pink hue.
2. Hooded Pitohui
When you think of toxic or poisonous animals, you might imagine poison dart frogs and a whole array of insects. But did you know that some birds are toxic to predators if eaten? The hooded pitohui (Pitohui dichrous), found in New Guinea, is one of the world’s very few poisonous birds. Its skin and feathers contain a highly toxic compound called homobatrachotoxin, which is related to the toxins made by poison dart frogs.
So, what does that have to do with color? Hooded pitohuis store homobatrachotoxin in their skin and feathers, and it’s most concentrated in the bird’s bright orange or orange-brown breast and belly. Individual birds can have different levels of the toxin, and the brighter the orange on their belly, the more toxic the bird.
3. House Finch
Most birds whose diet influences their coloration get that coloration from pigments called carotenoids. The house finch (Haemorhous mexicanus) is no exception. The colors of the male house finch’s bright head and upper breast can vary based on the primary pigments that make up his diet.
House finches mostly eat different kinds of seeds and fruits, so depending on what’s available and an individual finch’s dietary preferences, their coloration can vary significantly. Scientists think that this color is more than just an ornament: female finches tend to be drawn to males with brighter colors.
4. American Goldfinch
The American goldfinch (Spinus tristis) is a hard bird to miss. As with most birds on the list, goldfinches get their coloration from dietary carotenoids. It can often be found feeding on thistle flowers like the bird in the picture above.
Like male house finches, male goldfinches use their bright colors to attract mates. Male goldfinches who are dull, pale, or splotchy in color may have trouble accessing enough nutritious food. They also may be sick. Neither of those things signals that the male would be a good mate, so females look for males with solid, saturated, bright yellow coloring.
5. Northern Cardinal
The northern cardinal (Cardinalis cardinalis) is the state bird for multiple states, and it has graced countless Christmas cards and other kinds of winter decor. Interestingly enough, cardinals generally get their pigments from yellow carotenoids. There’s an enzyme in the bird’s body that converts the yellow carotenoids to red pigments — that’s why the cardinals you see are red instead of yellow.
However, there is an exceedingly rare mutation that some male cardinals have. They don’t have the enzyme needed to convert yellow pigments to red. As a result, they are bright yellow — much like the color of a male goldfinch — instead of red.
6. Scarlet Ibis
Few birds are as strikingly colored as the scarlet ibis (Eudocimus ruber). Their rich red coloration comes from red shellfish, which are plentiful in the birds’ natural habitat of the Caribbean and some parts of South America.
In captivity, scarlet ibises typically don’t have access to the same quantities of red shellfish they do in the wild. In order to make up for the lack of red pigmentation, caretakers often feed the birds supplements made of beets and carrots to make their coloration as rich and vibrant as it is in the wild.
7. Western Tanager
Male western tanagers (Piranga ludoviciana) have a strikingly beautiful color combination. You might think that they get their colors from carotenoids in their diet, but these birds get their color from rhodoxanthin, an extremely rare pigment. Scientists believe the birds get the pigment from the insects they eat.
If you live within the western tanager’s native range, you may already know that there’s much more variation in the color of their heads than you might expect. Some males, like the one above, have incredibly bright red heads and bodies that are the same bright yellow as a goldfinch. Others have heads that are closer to orange.
8. Anna’s Hummingbird
The Anna’s hummingbird (Calypte anna) is spectacularly colorful. That’s because this bird’s feathers are iridescent, and their color comes from the structure of the feathers. Small differences in feather structure change the wavelength of light that’s reflected, and different wavelengths of light have different colors.
So what does that have to do with hummingbirds’ diet? Researchers have found that diets relatively high in protein result in a more brilliantly colored appearance. In one study, researchers found that Anna’s hummingbirds on a high-protein diet grew much more colorful feathers than those on a low-protein diet.
9. Cedar Waxwing
The cedar waxwing (Bombycilla cedrorum) is a bird whose secondary flight feathers (the shorter feathers on the wings) have actual waxy tips, although nobody knows what they’re for. Because the wax itself is bright red, it’s reminiscent of the wax that was once commonly used to seal letters.
Those wax tips add a burst of color to the cedar waxwing’s mostly muted colors, but they aren’t the only colorful touch. These birds also have yellow bellies and tails that look like their tips have been just barely dipped into bright yellow paint, and their diet plays a major role in that yellow coloring. They eat plenty of carotenoid-rich foods, and those carotenoids are metabolized into yellow pigments.
10. Roseate Spoonbill
The roseate spoonbill (Platalea ajaja) has a long bill with a distinctive, spoon-like tip. The bill makes it easier for the spoonbill to scoop small crustaceans and other kinds of prey. Like flamingos, these birds get their trademark pink color from the animals and plants in their diet.
Today, the population of roseate spoonbills is stable, but in the 1800s, they were hunted almost to extinction. Hunters targeted them because of their beautiful pink feathers, which were used to make high-end hats for women.
11. Blue-Footed Booby
The blue-footed booby (Sula nebouxii) is easily one of the world’s strangest-looking birds. Its blue feet make it look like something out of a cartoon, but they actually serve an important purpose: they’re an accurate indicator of an individual bird’s general well-being.
The bluish color of the booby’s feet comes from a specialized collagen structure, but carotenoids in the fresh fish the birds eat make them an even brighter blue shade. These carotenoids also boost the bird’s immune system, so a blue-footed booby with vivid blue feet has a strong immune system and is also well-nourished.
12. Red-Footed Booby
The blue-footed booby is a uniquely colored bird, but it’s not the only colorful one in its family! Its relative, the red-footed booby (Sula sula), looks somewhat similar. But instead of having vivid blue feet, the red-footed booby has bright feet that can range in color from an energetic coral pink to a rich crimson red.
Like its relative, the red-footed booby’s feet serve as an indicator of its general well-being. Red carotenoids from its diet make the feet even brighter. During courtship displays, healthy males make sure to show off their feet to potential mates.
13. Zebra Finch
Thus far, most birds on the list metabolize dietary carotenoids to brighten their feathers. The zebra finch (Taeniopygia castanotis) primarily uses these pigments to make its beak look brighter.
The process of metabolizing carotenoids this way involves a huge amount of energy, so a zebra finch with a bright beak will stand out to a potential mate. If a bird has the metabolic energy needed to convert dietary carotenoids to pigments, it means that it’s both well-nourished and healthy.
14. Yellow Warbler
It’s hard not to feel your mood lift a little when you see a yellow warbler (Setophaga petechia) perched in a tree. Like many yellow birds, this one gets its color from carotenoids in its diet. Carotenoids originally come from plants, but the yellow warbler’s diet is made almost entirely of insects.
Eating insects that consume carotenoid-containing plants is another way for birds to get carotenoids into their diet — and it often means they end up with a greater concentration of them, too. Greater concentrations of carotenoids often lead to more vibrant colors, and yellow warblers are certainly bright!
15. Vermilion Flycatcher
Last on the list is the vermilion flycatcher (Pyrocephalus obscurus), a bright bird whose coloration is also supported by diet. Males are a deep, intense red, and females are essentially a lighter version of the same pattern. Instead of being jet black and vermilion red, females are grayish brown with peachy heads and bellies.
As you might guess from the name, vermilion flycatchers almost exclusively eat flying insects, and scientists believe they get the precursor molecules to their red pigments from the insects they consume. You rarely see vermilion flycatchers in captivity — that’s because they rarely obtain enough of these color-supporting molecules, so their colors start to fade.
What Kinds of Colorful Birds Are in Your Neighborhood?
While it’s true that some parts of the world have more colorful bird species than others, you can almost always find at least a few vibrant birds no matter where you are. The next time you’re out for a walk or even just looking out the window, keep an eye out for a colorful bird or two. They’re sure to brighten your day!