6 Birds that are PINK in Oklahoma! (2025)
Did you see a PINK bird in Oklahoma?
I’m guessing you need help figuring out which species you saw with pink feathers. Well, you’ve come to the right place! To help you make an identification, I have included several photographs of each bird and detailed range maps.
6 Pink BIRDS IN Oklahoma:
#1. House Finch
- Haemorhous mexicanus
Identifying Characteristics:
- Males are pinkish around their heads and upper breasts. They have brown streaks on their back, tail, and belly.
- Females are brown with streaks on their back, tail, and belly.
- Both sexes have notched tails and conical beaks designed to eat seeds.
It’s common to see these pink birds in Oklahoma near people.
Look for them around buildings, backyards, parks, and other urban and suburban areas. As you can see, only males have pinkish-red coloring.
House Finch Range Map
House Finches are often the first birds to discover new bird feeders. These birds are intensely curious and rarely travel alone, so their arrival often helps other birds find your feeders, too! I see them eating sunflower, Nyjer, and safflower seeds in my yard.
House Finches have an enjoyable song, which can be heard year-round. Listen below to a series of jumbled, warbled notes.
#2. 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 Oklahoma, 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!
#3. 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 Oklahoma.
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.
It’s common to hear these pink-legged birds in Oklahoma.
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!)
#4. 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 Oklahoma 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!
#5: Broad-tailed Hummingbird
- Selasphorus platycercus
How To Identify:
- Males: Adults have a white breast, buffy flanks, and green covering their head, back, and tail. Look for their iridescent pink throat.
- Females: Similar to other types of hummingbirds, females are larger than males. They have a lightly speckled throat, white upper breast, and a brownish belly. The head and back are green.
Broad-tailed Hummingbirds are a bird of mountain meadows and open woodlands. They typically breed at elevations between 5,000 and 10,500 feet.
These pink-throated birds only stay in Oklahoma for a few months, from late May to early August.
Broad-tailed Hummingbird Range Map
Males put on impressive aerial displays to attract females. The show begins with the male climbing high into the sky and then diving towards the ground, pulling up right in front of the bird he is trying to attract. Broad-tailed Hummingbirds are promiscuous and may mate with many individuals during a breeding season.
These birds live up to 10,500 feet high in the mountains, where temperatures regularly drop below freezing, even in summer. To survive these cold nights, Broad-tailed Hummingbirds enter a state of torpor, where they slow their heart rate down and drop their body temperature until the sun comes up!
#6. Scissor-tailed Flycatcher
- Tyrannus forficatus
At first glance, you may wonder how the Scissor-tailed Flycatcher qualifies as a pink bird in Oklahoma.
Well, take a closer look at their sides, especially while in flight. According to most bird identification books, the official coloring on their flanks and belly is “salmon-pink.”
Regardless of whether you agree, there is no denying that Scissor-tailed Flycatchers are stunning to see. They are easy to identify because of their long, forked tails.
Look for them perching on fence posts and wires in Oklahoma as they wait for insects to fly past. When one is spotted, they fly after them, using their impressive tails to make midair twists and turns.
Scissor-tailed Flycatchers are also commonly heard. Listen for a song that is a series of sharp notes that initially rises in pitch and then speeds up towards the end.
Learn more about other birds in Oklahoma!
-
The 35 MOST Common Birds in Oklahoma!
-
Birds that are Orange in Oklahoma (10 Species)
-
Grey Birds in Oklahoma! (10 Species)
-
6 Purple Birds found in Oklahoma
Which of these pink birds have you seen in Oklahoma?
Let us know in the comments!
