10 Types of Red Birds Found In Oregon! (ID GUIDE)

Did you see a RED bird in Oregon?

Kinds of Red Birds in Oregon

If so, I’m sure you’re wondering what type of bird it was! Luckily, you can use the guide below to help you figure it out!

There are 10 birds in Oregon that are considered “red.”

For the purpose of this article, I included primarily red and partially red birds.

Fortunately, many species of RED birds visit bird feeders, so you have a chance of attracting them to your yard. If you’re incredibly fortunate, you may even see one at my bird feeding station right now!

I have a LIVE high-definition camera watching my bird feeders 24/7. 🙂


#1. House Finch

  • Haemorhous mexicanus

Types of Red Birds that live in Oregon

Identifying Characteristics:

  • Males are rosy red 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 red birds in Oregon near people.

Look for them around buildings, backyards, parks, and other urban and suburban areas. As you can see, only males are red.

House Finch Range Map

 

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 seed, Nyjer seed, and safflower in my yard.

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

YouTube video

#2. American Robin

  • Turdus migratorius

Common Oregon Red Birds

Identifying Characteristics:

  • A beautiful thrush that features a rusty red breast and a dark head and back.
  • Look for a white throat and white splotches around the eyes.
  • Both sexes are similar, except that females appear paler.

American Robins are one of the most familiar red birds in Oregon!

Although I think their breast looks orange, many others consider it rusty red.

They inhabit a wide variety of habitats and naturally are found everywhere, from forests to the tundra. But these thrushes are comfortable around people and are common to see in backyards.

American Robin Range Map

american robin range map

Even though they’re abundant, American Robins rarely visit bird feeders because they don’t eat seeds. Instead, their diet consists of invertebrates (worms, insects, snails) and fruit. For example, I see robins frequently in my backyard, pulling up earthworms in the grass!

These red birds also commonly nest near people. Look for an open, cup-shaped nest with 3-5 beautiful, distinctive sky blue eggs.

American Robins sing a string of clear whistles, a familiar sound in spring. Many people describe its song as sounding like the bird is saying, “cheerily, cheer up, cheer up, cheerily, cheer up.” Listen below.

YouTube video

#3. Common Redpoll

  • Acanthis flammea

Common Redpoll male and female

Identifying Characteristics:

  • Both sexes are small, white, and brown. Look for streaks on their sides and a small red patch on their forehead.
  • Males have a pale red vest on the chest and upper flanks.

These red birds visit backyard bird feeders in Oregon, especially during the winter. Due to their small bill size, they prefer eating tiny seeds like Nyjer (thistle) and shelled sunflower when visiting.

Common Redpoll Range Map

common redpoll range map

These red birds travel great distances and can turn up almost anywhere!

For example, one bird banded in Michigan showed up in Siberia. Another one in Belgium was found again in China!


#4. Pine Grosbeak

  • Pinicola enucleator

Pine Grosbeak red birds in oregon

Identifying Characteristics:

  • Large, plump finches. Look for dark gray wings with two white lines across the middle.
  • Males are reddish-pink and gray.
  • Females and young males are grayish with reddish-orange or yellow tints on the head and rump.

These red birds are one of the largest finches in Oregon!

If one lands on your feeder, they’re typically easy to identify since they’re bigger than most other birds.

Pine Grosbeaks frequently visit feeders, especially during the winter. If you want to attract them, try using a hopper or platform feeder because of the bird’s larger size. Fill the feeders with sunflower seeds.

Pine Grossbeak Range Map

pine grosbeak range map

Male Pine Grosbeaks sing a high-pitched warble that goes up and down. Listen below! Females don’t sing very often.

YouTube video

#5. Purple Finch

  • Haemorhous purpureus

purple finch red birds in oregon

Identifying Characteristics:

  • Small, with a conical seed-eating bill.
  • Males have a raspberry red 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.

Males are described as looking like they were dipped in raspberry juice.

Look for these beautiful red birds to visit feeders in Oregon, 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 these finches to visit.

Purple Finch Range Map

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 red coloring, while the back of a House Finch has none.

Males sing a rich, musical warble. Listen below!

YouTube video

#6. Red Crossbill

  • Loxia curvirostra

red crossbill red birds in oregon

Identifying Characteristics:

  • Sparrow-sized. Look for their distinctive crisscrossed bills (which means the upper and lower tips of their beak don’t align; they cross, like crossing your fingers)
  • Males are red overall with darker brownish-red wings and white wing bars.
  • Females are full-bodied and yellowish with dark unmarked wings.

As their name suggests, Red Crossbills have crisscrossed bills, similar to if you cross your fingers. They adapted these oddly shaped bills to help them break into tightly closed cones, giving them an advantage over other red bird species in Oregon.

They’re found in large coniferous forests during their breeding season, mainly spruce, pine, Douglas-fir, hemlock, or larch with recent cone crops. But in winter, they wander wherever they need to go to find food. While not incredibly common, these red birds will sometimes visit bird feeders in Oregon and eat sunflower seeds.

Red Crossbill Range Map

red crossbill range map

Red Crossbills are highly dependent on conifer seeds. They even feed them to their babies instead of insects like most other songbirds. These finches typically breed in late summer but can breed any time during the year if a large enough cone crop is available.

Males sing a variably sweet warble, which sounds like “chipa-chipa-chipa, chee-chee-chee.”Females rarely sing, but call notes are sharp and metallic.

YouTube video

#7. Red-headed Woodpecker

  • Melanerpes erythrocephalus

red birds in oregon

Red-headed Woodpeckers are characterized by a large red head and a larger bill than most other species. Their back is entirely black, except for white wing patches, which contrasts against the pure white belly. Because of their bold patterning, these birds are sometimes called the “flying checkerboard.” 🙂

Red-headed Woodpecker Range Map

red-headed-woodpecker-range-map

Unfortunately, populations of Red-headed Woodpeckers have declined in Oregon by over 70% in the past 50 years! The main culprit is habitat loss due to the destruction of giant beech forests, which produce beechnuts, one of their favorite foods.

If you happen to find yourself in the correct habitat of these birds, be sure to listen for them! Their most common call is a shrill “tchur,” which sounds similar to a Red-bellied Woodpecker, except it’s a bit more higher-pitched and doesn’t roll as much.


#8. Red-naped Sapsucker

  • Sphyrapicus nuchalis

red-naped-sapsucker

These woodpeckers have black bodies, a white vertical stripe down the wing, and a red crown. Male birds have a red throat and red nape (back of the neck). Females also have a red throat, but there’s also a small white patch just under the bill, and their nape can be white or red.

Red-naped Sapsucker Range Map

red-naped-sapsucker range map

Red-naped Sapsuckers are commonly found near aspen, birch, and willow trees. Look for their presence by examining these trees for tiny drilled holes.

To slurp up sap, these migratory woodpeckers have a specialized tongue. Believe it or not, they have stiff hairs on the ends, which helps drink the sap more effectively. The sap wells they create are vital to them, and they spend much of their time defending them from other birds.

The most common sound you’ll hear is a harsh, repeated “waah.” Some people think they sound like a small child crying.


#9. White-winged Crossbill

  • Loxia leucoptera

White-winged Crossbill red birds in oregon

Identifying Characteristics:

  • Crisscrossed billis used to separate pine cone 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 finches evolved these unique beaks to open up pine cones so that they could eat the seeds inside.

Individual White-winged Crossbills can eat up to 3,000 conifer seeds each day. Some people can locate crossbills by hearing them crunching while opening cones in the trees.

White-winged Crossbill Range Map

white-winged crossbill range map

You can sometimes attract these red birds to your backyard feeders in Oregon by offering hulled sunflower seeds.

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


#10. Red-breasted Sapsucker

  • Sphyrapicus ruber

red-breasted-sapsucker

Red-breasted Sapsuckers are found in Oregon in coniferous forests, typically at lower elevations. Look for a medium-sized bird with a red head and breast and a white spot in front of the eye.

Red-breasted Sapsucker Range Map

As the name suggests, sapsuckers drill wells into trees to eat the sugary liquid that leaks out. Their favorite trees are willows and birches. In addition to sap, these woodpeckers also eat insects and some fruits.

Interestingly, Rufous Hummingbirds tend to follow Red-breasted Sapsuckers around. These tiny birds enjoy feeding on the flowing sap that the sapsuckers create and are even known to nest near the sap wells.

Their call is a harsh, slurred “whee-ur” or “mew.”


Do you need additional help identifying a red bird you have seen?

If so, this field guide should be able to help you.


Which of these red birds have you seen before in Oregon?

Leave a comment below!

To learn more about other birds that live near you, check out these guides!

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *