From exotic rainforest birds to a common backyard, there are a lot of birds that will intrigue your curiosity. In this blog post, we’ll look at some of the most interesting birds that start with R.
16 Popular Birds that Start with R
Rosy-collared Lovebird
The Rosy-collared Lovebird is an iconic bird found throughout Central and South America. This species prefers arid habitats such as semi-desert, savannas, and grasslands.
These are noisy and social birds, making them popular in the pet industry. Rosy-faced Lovebirds are fairly small with mainly green plumage and bluish rump, pale bill, dark feathers underside, and rosy touches on their collar.
The male and female are monogamous when it comes to their mates. They form flocks of up to one hundred birds and feed on seeds and small insects like termites to stay nourished.
Red-faced Cormorant
The Red-faced Cormorant is a fascinating species of birds native to Australia and New Zealand. They live in large colonies and often nest at the edge of coastal wetlands and rocky shorelines.
Red-faced Cormorant (Urile urile) Also referred to as “Violet Shag,” the Red-faced Cormorants are a large cormorant species with a widespread distribution from Japan to Alaska.
These birds beginning with R have a mainly bluish-green, dark greyish plumage, black head with yellow bill. Their wings and tail are darker, almost black, while their face is typically red, which gives them their name.
In addition, these animals are often seen diving deep underwater to hunt for fish, shrimp or eels.
Red & Yellow Barbet
Red & Yellow Barbet is found in eastern Africa, Sudan, and Tanzania. Also known as Red Bird of Paradise, they are large nearly up to 9 inches long, brown-yellow with a dark brown iris, grey legs, and yellow bill.
The male has an emerald green face, a pair of elongated black corkscrew-shaped tail wires, dark green feather pompoms above each eye, and a train of glossy crimson-red plumes with whitish tips at either side of the breast.
Redwing
Redwing lives in northern regions of Europe, Iceland, northern Scotland, Scandinavia, the Baltic States, northern Poland and Belarus, and Russia.
Redwings have a brown back and white underparts with dark brown markings. Their red sides and black wings, as are the creamy white band over the eyes, are distinctive. Adults molt from June to September, so some begin replacing flying feathers while still nursing young.
Red-billed
The red-billed birds are beautiful birds that start with R and are found in tropical grasslands of southern Europe, across much of Africa and Madagascar.
This colorful bird has bright reddish-orange bills and dark wings. The Red-billed Teal is 43–48 cm long and has a blackish cap and nape, contrasting pale face, and bright red bill.
The body plumage is a dull dark brown scalloped with white. Flight reveals that the secondary flight feathers are buff with a black stripe. The sexes are similar, but juveniles are duller than adults.
Red-Tailed Hawk
The Red-Tailed Hawks are birds that start with R and are found in the United States. They are of the light morph, with the dark and intermediate morphs.
These birds have a dark brown head and upper body, whitish undersides, and a brick-red tail. They’re distinctly broad-bodied, with their head often appearing smaller in comparison. Their legs, feet, and cere are colored yellow, while the irises are golden-brown.
Racket-tailed Treepie
The Racket-tailed Treepie is a gorgeous animal member that starts with N, native to tropical Asia, evergreen and riverine forests. As an omnivore, it eats seeds, flower buds, leaves, insects, lizards, and other animals.
Racket-tailed Treepie has a velvety-black forehead of short, plush black feathers, with the rest of the bird being an oily green color, though appearing black in dim light.
The tail feathers, which in this species are long and broad at the tail’s end, are black also with a greenish tinge, as are the wings.
Red-footed Booby
Red-footed Boobies are quite large in comparison to other seabirds. They occur in several morphs, all possessing red feet in all seasons.
The Red-footed Booby has grey-brown plumage, black tail feathers, and a multi-colored bill. On the other hand, their dark morph has an overall blackish-grey plumage. Their long bills help them in catching insects.
Ruby-crowned Kinglet
Ruby-crowned Kinglet, also known as Regulus calendula. This small bird is olive green with white wing bars, yellow-edged wing and tail feathers, and a white eye ring.
The male has pointed wings, a black cap on his head, and a small patch of bright red feathers on top of his head that he can flash when excited.
Red-billed leiothrix
These birds are captivating birds that start with the letter N. This bird species is native to parts of India, Nepal, and China, where it prefers warmer climates filled with diverse vegetation.
The adults have bright red bills and a dull yellow ring around their eyes. Their backs are dull olive green, with a bright yellow-orange throat with a yellow chin. Females are somewhat duller than males, and juveniles have black bills.
It’s about 14 cm long, making it quite small compared to other birds in its family. The Red-billed Leiothrix enjoys singing during dawn and dusk to attract mates and other animals foraging for food.
Red-bellied Macaws
The red-bellied macaw is native to South America, specifically to the Amazon rainforest region in Brazil, Bolivia, and Peru.
The male Red-bellied Macaws are much larger than their female counterparts and have a larger heads. Both males and females have similar plumage, mainly green, with bluish touches to their wings and forehead.
Their face is mustard-yellow, with dark eyes and a maroon belly patch. The legs, feet, and bill are all dark grey.
Red Munia
The Red Munia, Red Avadavat, or Strawberry Finch is a sparrow-sized bird of the Munia family. It is found in the open fields and grasslands of tropical Asia and is popular as a caged bird due to the colorful plumage of the males in their breeding season. It breeds in South Asia during the Monsoon season.
Red Headed Woodpecker
From the rolling hills of Scotland to the sunny beaches of Australia, a red-headed woodpecker can be found in all corners of the globe. Their striking locks highlight the crowd.
The adult red-headed woodpeckers are sexually dimorphic, with the males featuring a typical, colored head and neck and a black breast. Their undersides are white, with their sides and back being grey.
In the non-breeding season, males lose their copper heads and become brown-headed instead. On the other hand, female Redheads have a yellowish head and neck, brown breasts, and a white belly. The rest of their body is greyish brown, with a slate-colored bill.
Ruddy Crakes
Ruddy Crakes are birds starting with R, and attractive birds belong to the Rail family and live primarily in wetlands and marshes, especially throughout Africa and Asia.
Ruddy Crakes are among the smaller members of the rail family, about the same size as small birds. Their head is colored dark grey, with a chestnut nape, throat, and brown wings. They have red irises, a black bill, and olive-green legs and feet.
The adult males display minimal sexual dimorphism, with the females having a slightly duller plumage than their male counterparts.
Ravens
Ravens are the most widespread corvids (crows) throughout Europe, North Africa, Western Siberia, North America, and Greenland.
Most of us are familiar with the Northern Raven. They are highly intelligent and share many of the same qualities as crows. They adapt quickly to differing climates and terrains.
Red-headed Lovebird
The Red-Headed Lovebirds are beautiful rare birds starting with R and are native to central and east Africa. The Red-Headed Lovebird prefers habitats with trees and shrubs, such as savannas, woodlands, and gardens.
The Red-headed Lovebird is 15 cm long. It is a primarily green parrot with a red area on its head extending from the top of the beak, over the forehead to mid-crown, orangish upper breast, dark irises, rounded wings, and extending to the left and right up to the eyelid margins, and grey feet.
Their female has an orange head coloring compared to the male’s red head. The adult male has a red beak, and the female has a paler red beak.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q. What is a bird that starts with the letter R?
A bird that starts with the letter R is a Robin.
Q. What is a large bird that starts with R?
The bird that starts with R is a Raven.
Q. What is a black bird that starts with R?
A black bird that starts with R is a Rook.
Finally, check out the entire series of birds that start with or begin with the letter: A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H, I, J, K, L, M, N, O, P, Q, R, S, T, U, V, W, X, Y, Z.
Hi, I’m Olivia Kepner and I am a zookeeper here in San Diego. Since I was a young girl I have always been fascinated by animals and species across the globe.
I used to beg my parents to take me to our local zoo every single weekend. Well, I say local – it was more like a two hour drive away. But they took me as much as they could, allowing me to fall in love with the animals again and again.
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