Have you noticed several orange birds visiting your backyard and you’re curious to identify them? In this guide, I will discuss 7 common orange birds you may notice in your backyard.
There are several bird species worldwide whose plumage is orange, but this article will only cover orange backyard birds that can be found in North America.
Some of the birds I’m going to list have orange bellies, while others have orange plumage on their backs. The coloration ranges from a lighter orange to deeper red-orange or golden yellow.
In some cases, the bright orange contrasts with dark-colored feathers, creating striking color combinations.
Depending on your region, you may be able to recognize from their description one or several of these birds.
Northern Red Bishop
With a wide distribution in northern Africa, the Northern Red Bishop has also been introduced to several areas in the United States. It can be spotted in southern California, Texas and Hawaii.
Apart from northern Africa and the U.S. states I mentioned, the Northern Red Bishop has also been spotted in the U.S. Virgin Islands, Martinique, Cuba, Jamaica, and Barbados.
A small bird with only 4.3 inches in length, the Northern Red Bishop features red-orange plumage on its back and breast. Its belly and face are a deep black, while its wings are brown.
Male Northern Red Bishops will use their plumage to attract mates through a flight-display by puffing their plumage.
They primarily feed on grass seeds but have also been known to sample insects. Although they mostly inhabit agricultural areas and the edges of marshes, in winter they’re often seen visiting bird feeders in your backyard.
The Northern Red Bishop builds its nest in the marshy vegetation, tucked away from possible predators. The nests are built from various types of grasses and reeds.
American Robin
One of the early announcers of spring, the American Robin has a length of around 7.9-11 inches and a weight of 2.7-3.0 oz. It’s part of the thrush family unlike the European Robin, which is part of the Old World flycatcher family.
They’re a quintessential backyard bird as you’ll often notice it picking up earthworms from the ground. They’re often seen in towns and cities, and they’re frequent visitors of bird feeders.
Their diet consists mostly of insects and fruit. They prefer earthworms, beetle grubs, grasshoppers, and caterpillars. They eat both wild berries and cultivated fruit.
Although they rely on a variety of senses to find their prey, they mostly rely on visual and auditory senses to hunt for insects. They have a peculiar ‘running and stopping’ behavior when searching for earthworms.
They’re known as carriers or reservoirs of the West Nile virus and have a role in transmitting the virus to humans.
The American Robin has a dusty orange or red-orange belly and breast and a grayish-brown back that has a darker coloration around the head area. It has white eye arks and a yellow beak with a dark tip.
The bird can be found throughout North America from Alaska, Canada all the way down to northern Florida and even Mexico.
Baltimore Oriole
A migratory bird common in eastern North America, the Baltimore Oriole has a rich whistling song and glossy orange and black plumage.
You’ll certainly come across the Baltimore Oriole in your backyard because they’re attracted by nectar, ripe fruit, and insects.
The orange plumage is visible on the belly and lower back. The bird measures 6.7-8.7 inches in length. It has a sturdy build with a relatively long tail and pointed bill.
As migratory birds, they take to warmer climates in the winter, preferring Central and South America.
Although they enjoy dark-colored, ripe fruit the most (e.g. grapes, cherries, mullberries, etc.), they can be attracted if you place oranges cut in half out in the garden.
They enjoy nesting high up in deciduous trees, but they’re not particular about being in the deep forest, preferring open woodlands and forest edges.
Because they adapt easily to different habitats, they can be spotted even in urban parks and suburban landscapes as long as there are trees they can use for nesting.
Black-Headed Grosbeak
With a thick beak, a cinnamon orange belly, black head and black-and-white wings, the Black-headed Grosbeak is another orange bird you may come across in your backyard.
Their habitat extends from southwestern British Columbia throughout the western half of the U.S. as well as central Mexico.
This orange bird prefers wooded areas, especially deciduous or mixed ones. They prefer tall, broad-leaved trees to build their nests and they choose the dense foliage of outer branches. Shrubs can also serve as a nesting ground.
As for its diet, the Black-headed Grosbeak eats a variety of foods including pine seeds, insects, fruits and berries. In summer, it prefers spiders, snails, and other insects.
Unlike other birds – except for the black-backed oriole – the Black-headed Grosbeak can safely consume the poisonous monarch butterfly, which it consumes in large quantities in its wintering grounds.
They’re also prominent berry eaters and they forage in the foliage, on the ground in low vegetation.
In the breeding season, you can lure the Black-headed Grosbeak to your backyard by putting out bird feeders with sunflower seeds and other seeds and fruit. They can even be attracted to your garden with grape jelly.
Streak-Backed Oriole
Another oriole that made it to my list of common orange backyard birds is the Streak-backed Oriole. This bird features black and orange plumage with the orange being slightly darker and more intense in the breast and cheeks of the bird. The throat of the bird is colored black.
The wings are also black with white streaks, very similar to the pattern seen on the Baltimore oriole. It has a sharp, pointy beak.
Although it’s native to the Pacific coast of Mexico and Central America, I’ve decided to include it in my list because in recent years, it has been spotted more and more often in the southwestern parts of the United States.
The Streak-backed Oriole forages in moderate to high elevation in the canopy of forests. They have a diet that consists of insects, spiders, seeds, berries, nectar and fruits.
Hooded Oriole
Continuing the trend of orange backyard birds, there’s another oriole I want to discuss – the Hooded Oriole.
This oriole features a yellow head, belly and breast, while its cheeks, throat, back and upper tail are black. Its wings feature large white wing bars. The Hooded Oriole has a slender body compared to other orioles.
Unlike the black, orange and white colors present in the male Hooded Oriole, the female has olive-orange overall plumage with gray-brown backs and thin white wing bars.
The bill of both sexes is curved slightly downward. The male oriole has a black bill, while the female features a gray-brown bill.
The Hooded Oriole is a foliage gleaner that feeds on insects, berries, and nectar. They have an appetite for caterpillars, beetles, ants and wasps.
You’ll also find them probing flowers for nectar and will often visit bird feeders along with hummingbirds. Orange and other citrus fruits are also on the list of their favorite foods.
They live in Southwestern United States and Mexico. They prefer open woodlands, especially palm trees, but also sycamore, willows, and cottonwoods.
Hooded Orioles secure their nests on the underside of palm and banana plants.
Olive Warbler
The Olive Warbler can be found in southern Arizona and New Mexico, and Central America. It’s endemic to these regions. They prefer pine forests, pine-oak, and pine-fir that are at an elevation above 6,000 feet.
As a medium-sized warble, it has a length of 5.1-5.5 inches. It features a notched tail and a long beak.
As always, the male Olive warbler has the more impressive plumage in terms of color intensity. They have an orange hood with a black ear patch, gray-olive body, and two white wing bars on the otherwise dark wings. The female Olive Warbles has an olive orange hood with gray eye patches.
They forage in the outer branches of pine trees or take insects mid-air. They’re classified as insectivores.
The Olive Warbler builds its nest in the canopy of pine trees. Because they have a tendency to stay put in one tree, making it easier on bird watchers to spot them.
It takes around 2 years for the male Olive Warbler to develop its orange hood.
If you live close to pine forests or pine-oak forests, you will have heard the singing voice of the Olive warbler, even if you haven’t spotted one in your backyard just yet.
Conclusion
Because of their orange plumage and their habit of visiting suburban backyards, it’s not difficult to spot these birds.
You can enjoy their presence even more by setting up bird feeders in your backyard and putting out their preferred treats (e.g., seeds, fruit, berries, etc.).
The orange coloring is more impressive in males, while in females the coloring is more subdued.
Most orange birds I discussed in this article are found foraging in the foliage of tree canopies, but some will also forage the ground for earthworms (e.g., American robin).