Out of all the world's colors, pink is one of the few options that have always grabbed people's attention.
Fortunately…
Numerous shades of pink can help beautify your entire home, but have you ever wondered if there are pink feathered birds? Well, you're not alone, and in this article, we'll help you identify some of the world's most common pink birds that have fascinated bird watchers for centuries.
The Most Common Pink Birds
1. Pink-Headed Fruit Dove
Pink is beautiful, but a mixture of pink and other colors like grey and green can make a bird stand out. This is the case with the beautiful Pink-headed fruit dove that can be found at an altitude between 1000m and 2200m in Indonesia.
Hailing from the Columbidae family, this species can be found in Bali, Java, and Sumatra mountain forests.
These pink birds can also be spotted in Germany, India, and South Africa, occupying semi-open and open regions, forest edges, and fruit trees. They are inconspicuous and shy species found in pairs or singly, but you can get a flock of about 17 birds on a favorite fruit tree.
The males have a purple-pink throat, head, and neck bordered by a white band outlined in greenish-black. Their underparts are grey, while the upper parts are green. The females are a bit duller than the males with weaker breast bands, while the young ones are drabber versions of the females.
This pink bird feeds on berries, seeds, small fruits, and figs. Fortunately, you can legally adopt this beautiful pink bird and add it to your family of pet birds.
2. Brown Capped Rosy-Finch
Native to Wyoming and Colorado, the Brown-capped rosy finch is one of the rarest species belonging to the Fringillidae family. It is considered the only pink finch with a restricted range, but these birds migrate to New Mexico thanks to the cold winters in Colorado and Wyoming mountains.
You can visit New Mexico in winter to see these beautiful wild birds.
Weighing about 0.8 ounces, the adult brown capped rosy-finches are brown on their breast, back, and head with pink on their wings, rump, and belly. They have a long forked tail, short black legs, and a black forehead.
They tend to breed on the mountain peaks of the Rocky Mountains, where they build cup-shaped nests on the cliff's cavities or inhabit the abandoned cliff swallows' nests. Unlike most birds, this bird only migrates to the lower elevations, which are short distances in winter.
Unfortunately, their population has been declining at a very fast rate; in fact, their population by the 1990s was about 500 individuals.
3. Pink Robin
Hailing from the Petroicidae family, the Pink Robins are some small and plump bird species native to Australia. Just like the bright-colored robins, this species is considered sexually dimorphic. Measuring about 5.3 inches long, these birds have a thin, small, black bill and dark brown legs and eyes.
The males have a beautiful pink belly and breast and a dark grey upper part on their throat. The females have grey-brown plumage while the males have a white forehead. Unlike Rose Robin, the pink robin has a dark tail, while the females' tails are tinged pinkish.
These birds inhabit and breed in the farmlands, grasslands, and wet temperate forests in Victoria and Tasmania. But in winter, they usually move to some open habitats. Currently, there are over 201 million pink robins in Australia.
They feed on many insects, including ants, flies, and spiders.
4. Rose-Breasted Cockatoo
Despite being the most common cockatoos in Australia, the Rose-breasted cockatoo is the only member of the genus Eolophus. Commonly referred to as "Galah," this bird can be found in every corner of Australia. It is known for its bold and loud characteristics.
Fortunately, it is a common sight in urban areas and the wild.
The Galah has benefited greatly from the landscape change since European colonization, and at the moment, it seems to have replaced Major Mitchell's Cockatoo in some parts of its range. Weighing about 10.4 ounces and around 14 inches long, this pink bird can be easily identified thanks to its grey legs and light pink breast.
The males and females appear similar, and the only difference is the color of their irises. The females have red or mid-brown irises, while the males have dark brown ones. The juveniles have brown irises, a greyish crest, crown, and breasts.
They feed on a wide range of fruits, nuts, and seeds.
5. Roseate Spoonbill
As a member of the spoonbill family, this pink bird is known for its unique mitochondrial DNA. According to a mitochondrial DNA study conducted by Chesser, the yellow-billed and roseate spoonbills are the closest relatives. These birds come with long bills that resemble a spoon.
Interestingly, they are not usually born with long spoon-shaped bills. They have a short and straight bill when young, which shapes up as they grow.
The Roseate Spoonbills have lighter pink with pale pink rumps and shoulders. They also have a partially greenish-yellow head, white-collar, and bright reddish eyes. All the juveniles under three years old have a fully feathered head.
Weighing about 3.9 pounds, these birds are known for feeding in groups. These birds feed on frogs, insects, and small fishes.
Native to Florida, Texas, Mexico, and South America, there are over 120,000 individuals on the planet; in fact, this is one of the few species that inhabit every continent except Antarctica.
6. Scarlet Ibis
As one of Trinidad and Tobago's national birds, the Scarlet Ibis is a beautiful bird resembling some of the 27 extant ibis species. And just like the other ibis birds, the Scarlet ibis does have an extremely narrow, long, and curved beak.
The Scarlet Ibis is native to Florida, the Caribbean, and South America. They can also be found in the tropical areas of Venezuela, Guyana, Brazil, and Columbia.
Weighing about 3.1 lb, the scarlet ibis's feathers have shades and tints of scarlet, while the juveniles have a mix of white, brown, and grey.
Their heavy diet of red crustaceans is what gives them their scarlet coloration.
They are known for flying in a flock of over 30 birds and feeding on aquatic insects and shrimps. And the most interesting thing about them is seeing them wading through shallow waters using their long beaks while searching for food.
7. Himalayan White-browed Rosefinches
Like the white-winged crossbill, this pink bird belongs to the finch family. This medium-sized bird inhabits bushy and semi-open habitats. It resides in the mountains that stretch through the Himalayas of Bhutan, Nepal, northern India, and Pakistan from Bhutan to northeastern Afghanistan.
Weighing between 0.05 and 0.08lbs., the Himalayan white-browed Rosefinch can be easily identified by its pinkish underparts, brown stripe, and cheeks. The key difference between females and males is the presence of rusty breast patches in the male.
8. Bourke's Parakeets
Native to Australia, this parakeet species may not be as stunning as some parrots, but some exceptional pink feathers cover its beautiful chest. They are gentle and calm birds that make exceptional pets for beginners; plus, they can easily create a strong bond with you.
They are social creatures that love flying. They can thrive in the aviary with other birds instead of in a cage.
While they may not be as brightly colored as other parrots, they're still stunning. Their belly and chest are covered by pinkish feathers, while the tail has blue ones. These feathers' top has a powdered brown color. Remember, every feather has a light-colored outline.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Where Does The Flamingo Get Its Pink Color?
Generally, most flamingo species have rosy pink feathers and pink plumage from the food they consume. For instance, carotenoids turn ripe tomatoes red and carrots orange, but in the case of flamingos, it does give them pink pigmentation.
Carotenoids are present in algae that brine shrimps consume; therefore, when they dine on these two, their bodies metabolize these pigments turning their feathers pink and giving them a pink plumage.
What Parrots Are Pink?
There is a wide range of parrots with a shade of pink on their feathers, with the most common ones being some parakeet and cockatoo species. For instance, the mixture of gray and pink on the rose-breasted cockatoo makes them appealing to most first-time bird watchers. Pink feathers also cover the chest of the Bourke's parakeets.
Are Flamingos The Only Pink Birds?
No, not every pink bird you see is a flamingo; after all, a wide range of bird species sport the pink color. After all, the main similarity between the Scarlet Ibis and the American flamingo is their pink color. So even if they have the same pink hue, they're very different birds.
Read Also: Red-Headed Birds
Conclusion
With very few pink birds found in the wild, it is no surprise that there are very few options that you can keep as pets, and this includes birds like the pink-headed fruit doves. Therefore, before adopting any pink bird, you should find out if it's legal to own some of them.
They can only be found in the wild. Additionally, with the above information, you can correctly identify these pink birds, even those visiting your backyard!
