Did you see a PINK bird in Alberta?

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#1. Purple Finch

• Haemorhous purpureus

Identifying Characteristics:

• Small, with a conical seed-eating bill.
• Males have a raspberry red or pink head, breast, and back.
• Females have prominent streaks of white and brown below, with strong facial markings, including a whitish eyebrow and a dark line down the side of the throat.

Male Purple Finches are described as looking like they were dipped in raspberry juice.

Look for these beautiful pink birds visiting feeders in Alberta, especially during winter. Your best chance to attract them is using black-oil sunflower seeds. Having conifer trees in your yard is also a great way to encourage them to visit.

Purple Finch Range Map

Purple Finches can be challenging to identify because they look incredibly similar to the more common House Finch. I’ve made this mistake many times, believing that I saw a Purple Finch when it was, in fact, just another House Finch. To tell them apart, look at their back. The Purple Finch’s back has pink or red coloring, while the back of a House Finch has none.

Males sing a rich, musical warble. Listen below!

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#2. Mourning Dove

• Zenaida macroura

Identifying Characteristics:

• A mostly grayish dove with large black spots on the wings and a long, thin tail.
• Look for pinkish legs, a black bill, and a distinctive blue eye ring.
• Males and females look the same.

This species is one of the most common birds in Alberta.

But at first glance, it’s hard to see any pink coloring on them. But look closer, and you will notice that Mourning Doves have PINK legs! 🙂

Mourning Dove Range Map

Mourning Doves are common visitors to bird feeding stations. They need a flat place to feed, so the best feeders for them are trays or platforms. They are most comfortable feeding on the ground, so throw a bunch of food there, too.

• RELATED: The 15 Best Bird Feeders In MY Backyard! (UPDATED)

It’s common to hear these pink-legged birds in Alberta.

Listen for a low “coo-ah, coo, coo, coo.” In fact, this mournful sound is how the dove got its name! Many people commonly mistake this sound for an owl. (Press PLAY below!)

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#3. White-winged Crossbill

• Loxia leucoptera

Identifying Characteristics:

• Look for the crisscrossed bill, which is used to separate pinecone scales to access the seeds.
• Males are rose-pink with black wings and tails. Look for two white lines of contrasting color across the middle of the wing.
• Females and young males are yellowish but with the same wing and tail pattern as the adult males.

White-winged Crossbills get their name from the shape of their bill! These unique beaks are perfect for cracking open pinecones to access the seeds inside.

Crossbills LOVE eating conifer seeds and can consume up to 3,000 each day. In fact, some people can locate these pink birds in Alberta by hearing them crunching while opening cones in the trees.

White-winged Crossbill Range Map

White-winged Crossbills are opportunistic breeders. As long as adequate food is available, females will breed at ANY time of the year.

Both sexes sing a mixture of vigorous and scattered chirps, warbles, and rattles. Listen below!

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#4. Gray-crowned Rosy-Finch

• Leucosticte tephrocotis

Identifying Characteristics:

• Males are a rich brown. Look for pink plumage on the body, a gray head, and a black forecrown, throat, and bill.
• Females are similar but with fewer amounts of pink, and their bill is yellow.

These pink birds are found at high elevations in Alberta!

Look for them high on mountains or cliffs where they forage among loose stones, glaciers, meadows, and even avalanche areas. They even nest on the slopes of Mt. McKinley, the highest peak in North America.

Gray-crowned Rosy-Finch Range Map

Gray-crowned Rosy-Finches may visit backyard bird feeders in the winter when they come down from the mountains. They like to eat black oil sunflower seeds scattered on the ground or in platform feeders.

Listen below to this Gray-crowned Rosy-Finches chattering cheep cheep song.

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Learn more about other birds in Alberta!

• The 33 MOST Common Birds in Alberta!

• Birds that are Orange in Alberta (9 Species)           

• Grey Birds in Alberta! (11 Species)

• 7 Purple Birds found in Alberta

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Which of these pink birds have you seen in Alberta?

Let us know in the comments!