The few times I’ve looked out into my backyard and seen birds with red chests, I just loved listening to them chirp and watching them fly about. If you’re a birdwatcher, you may wonder what species of birds have red chests. You’ve come to the right place because I put together a list of the most beautiful red-breasted birds below.
Check out the top 17 red-breasted birds in the guide below!
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The Top 17 Red-Breasted Birds
We put together a list of 17 red-breasted birds, starting with the Red Cross Bill and the Rose-Breasted Grosbeak. Keep reading to learn about the look of birds with red chests, their locations, and their typical diet.
1. Red Crossbill
The Red Crossbill is a medium-sized bird with a dark red chest and dark wings. It lives in coniferous woods. The diet of the Red Cross Bill usually consists of seeds of fir, hemlock, and spruce cones. In particular, these birds love conifer seeds.
2. Rose-Breasted Grosbeak
The Rose-Breasted Grosbeak lives in forests and parks. You may find it flying in your backyard. These medium-sized birds have jet-black heads and colorful red patches on their chest.
3. Vermillion Flycatcher
The Vermillion Flycatcher sports a red-colored head and chest with gray-colored wings and tail. You can find these small birds hanging off small trees and bushes in the wetlands of South America and Central America. The diet of the Vermillion Flycatcher includes many insects.
4. Red-Breasted Sapsucker
The plumage of the Red-Breasted Sapsucker is a vibrant red at the head and down the neck and chest. The lower part of the Sapsucker is black. You can find the bird in the woods drilling holes in trees with their beaks and eating the sap within.
5. Pine Grosbeak
With a diet consisting of seeds, the Pine Grosbeak is part of the Finch family. It has rosy plumage all over its plump body. Its tail is black while the wings have white and grey streaks. You can find the bird in the mountain ranges and the spruce and pine forests in North America.
6. Scarlet Honeyeater
The Scarlet Honeyeater has a red-colored face, chest, and back while the wings and tail have black feathers. This small bird lives in Australian woodlands, rainforests, and wetlands and loves to eat nectar.
7. Elegant Trogon
The Elegant Trogon is a neat and well-put-together bird that lives in tropical forests. It has a dark green head with a white streak below the neck and a red chest. Its diet includes mainly insects.
8. Eared Trogon
Native to Southeast Arizona, the Eared Trogon lives in pine or oak forests and mountain ranges. Along with its bright red chest, the bird has sparkly green feathers all over its wings and tail.
9. White Winged Crossbill
The White Winged Crossbill is a small bird that sports bright red color along with some rosy and black plumage. You can find these birds eating spruce cones and conifer seeds in forests.
10. Northern Cardinals
The Northern Cardinals are common in North America and you will find them flying around suburban backyards. These Cardinals have loud, high-pitched songs and plenty of red plumage with a black face. You can feed them different types of seeds.
11. Hepatic Tanager
The pine and pine-oak woodlands in the mountains of Arizona and Mexico have numerous Hepatic Tanager birds flying around. The male birds have plenty of red plumage around the chest, head, and back while the female is a yellow color.
12. Painted Bunting
A truly adorable bird, the Painted Bunting has an orangeish-red chest with blue and green plumage. You can find these small birds in the woodlands and pine forests.
13. Purple Finch
The Purple Finch comes in a raspberry color with a rose-colored chest and head. These birds live in fields and coniferous forests as well as shrublands. Their warbling songs have a melodious nature.
14. Scarlet Robin
With a black head, wings, and tail, the Scarlet Robin wears a bright red coat on its chest. These small, plump birds live in rainforests, grasslands, and rainforests.
15. Painted Whitestart
The Painted Whitestart has a white patch on its wings and tail. The bird also has a ruby-red chest and belly. It eats everything from insects to plants. You can find these birds in canyons and mountains holding trees throughout Mexico, Central America, and Texas.
16. House Finch
The male House Finch has a rosy red face and upper chest. Its wings and tails sport brown colors. The more carotenoids from seeds that the bird eats, the brighter red and orange colors its feathers display. They live in trees throughout North America.
17. Scarlet Ibis
The Scarlet Ibis has a long and curved bill with plenty of orange-red feathers. You will find the bird in South America and the Caribbean.
Before You Go
These 17 birds with red chests are truly beautiful and you will enjoy seeing some of them where you live. If you love bird watching in the woods, keep an eye out for these red-breasted birds.