Did you see a PINK bird in Virginia?

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#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 Virginia 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.

• RELATED: Bird Seed 101: The 10 Best Types For Wild Birds!

House Finches have an enjoyable song, which can be heard year-round. Listen below to a series of jumbled, warbled notes.

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#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 Virginia, 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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#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 Virginia.

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 Virginia.

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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#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 Virginia 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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#5. Roseate Spoonbill

• Platalea ajaja

Identifying Characteristics:

• Large and pink with bright pink on their shoulders and tail and a yellowish-green head
• Eyes are red, and their bill is long and wide with a spoonlike shape.
• Often confused with a flamingo.

Look for this large PINK bird in Virginia in shallow freshwater marshes, bays, wetlands, and forested swamps. As Roseate Spoonbills wade in shallow water, they swing their bills back and forth, searching for food. Their pink coloring comes from crustaceans that eat red algae.

These pink birds primarily eat shrimp, aquatic insects, prawns, and fish. They sway their bill in the water to find their prey and then clamp their bill shut to swallow it whole.

An interesting fact about the Roseate Spoonbill is as it gets older, it loses the feathers on top of its head. I guess they have a lot in common with many men! 🙂

Surprisingly, the Roseate Spoonbill is a silent bird. Occasionally, they’ll make grunting noises when startled or greeting a mate.

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Learn more about other birds in Virginia!

• The 34 MOST Common Birds in Virginia!

• Birds that are Orange in Virginia (8 Species)           

• Grey Birds in Virginia! (9 Species)

• 6 Purple Birds found in Virginia

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Which of these pink birds have you seen in Virginia?

Let us know in the comments!