The World's 11 Most Beautiful Birds

There are so many visually remarkable species of birds on our planet that it would take forever to list them all! That being said, the following 11 birds are some of the most colorful and visually striking avian head-turners around. Whether to blend in with their surroundings or attract a suitable mate, the birds listed here have all evolved to be bright and beautiful.

The World's 11 Most Beautiful Birds

1. Quetzal
2. Mandarin Duck
3. Green-Headed Tanager
4. Bluejay
5. Victoria Crowned Pigeon
6. Nicobar Pigeon
7. Painted Bunting
8. Lesser Bird-of-Paradise
9. Long-Tailed Widowbird
10. Red-Crested Turaco
11. Golden Pheasant

Habitat

These shiny-tailed trogons inhabit forests, woodlands, and humid highlands. They can be found in the southernmost U.S., Mexico, and parts of South America.

Size

Most adult quetzals are over 13 inches in length.

Diet

Quetzals feed primarily on fruit, berries, and insects but may occasionally supplement their diet with the odd small reptile or amphibian.

Fun Fact

Quetzals' toes exhibit heterodactyl arrangement—their first and second toes point backward while their third and fourth point forward! This helps them balance while gripping branches.

Habitat

These colorfully crested beauties exist in Japan and the easternmost portions of Russia and China. They prefer to remain near rivers and lakes—particularly those bordered by shrubs and forests.

Size

Mandarin ducks are usually between 16 and 19 inches in length.

Diet

These darling ducks feed on plants, seeds, insects, freshwater mollusks, and small fish.

Fun Fact

After mating, males moult and grow "eclipse plumage." This causes them to lose much of their color and closely resemble their female counterparts for most of the summer season.

Habitat

These tiny tanagers roam the humid canopies of forests in Brazil, Paraguay, and Argentina.

Size

Tanagers are tiny! Most reach between 5 and 6 inches in length.

Diet

While fruits and insects make up a large portion of their diet, green-headed tanagers also feed on small insects like ants and caterpillars.

Fun Fact

These birds tend to hang out in flocks of up to 20 individuals. Sometimes several species of tanager may intermingle in the same flock.

Habitat

These classic corvids can be observed in the central and eastern U.S. as well as eastern Canada and Newfoundland.

Size

Adult Bluejays are usually between 9 and 12 inches in length.

Diet

Bluejays may feed on insects and other arthropods, soft fruits, nuts, seeds, and the occasional small lizard or frog.

Fun Fact

These bright-minded birds have been observed hiding food for later consumption and have even been known to move hidden food to prevent it from being discovered by other nearby jays.

Habitat

This regal-sounding pigeon is native to the low swamps and plains of northern New Guinea.

Size

Averaging 29 to 30 inches long, this is the largest extant pigeon species in the world!

Diet

These colorful pigeons feed primarily on fallen fruit but may also consume seeds and the occasional insect or other arthropod.

Fun Fact

This ornately decorated species was named in honor of the late Queen Victoria of Great Britain. Its delicate, white-tipped crests have been said to resemble a crown or tiara.

Habitat

Named for one of the islands they inhabit, Nicobar pigeons can be observed in India, the Solomons, Palau, and on Andaman and Nicobar islands.

Size

While they don't quite measure up to the Victoria Crowned pigeon, members of this species may reach an impressive 15 to 17 inches in length.

Diet

The Nicobar pigeon consumes a variety of seeds, fruits, buds, and grains and possesses a "gizzard stone" to help grind up the harder-to-swallow elements of their diet.

Fun Fact

Research conducted at Oxford University determined that the Nicobar is the closest living relative of the notoriously extinct dodo bird.

Habitat

These migratory birds summer in the southeastern U.S. and winter in parts of Florida, Mexico, and Central America.

Size

These petite relatives of the cardinal generally don't exceed 5.5 inches in length.

Diet

Generally, buntings consume a variety of grass seeds while hopping across the ground. During breeding season, however, they expand their diet to include spiders and other small arthropods.

Fun Fact

While known for their eye-catching colors in adulthood, male buntings are actually nearly indistinguishable from their plainer female counterparts during their first year of life.

Habitat

This bushy-tailed bird inhabits forested areas in northern New Guinea, as well as the islands of Yapen and Misool.

Size

Adult lesser birds-of-paradise may reach up to 12 or 13 inches in length.

Diet

Insects and fruit comprise the bulk of this medium-sized species' diet.

Fun Fact

Male birds-of-paradise are polygamous and tend to perform leks. These are mating rituals in which large groups of males gather in the same area to perform competitive visual displays in hopes of attracting sexual partners.

Habitat

This hauntingly beautiful species inhabits multiple isolated zones across the southern portions of Africa. Populations exist in Angola, Botswana, the DRC, and many other countries.

Size

Including their impressive tails, male widowbirds range between 20 and 27 inches in length by adulthood.

Diet

These darkly clad birds spend much of their feeding time foraging for seeds on the ground but occasionally consume insects and arthropods aerially.

Fun Fact

Male widowbirds' long tails are a sexually selected evolutionary trait; females tend to prefer males with the longest tails.

Habitat

This mohawked bird is native to western Angola, where it prefers to reside in forested grasslands.

Size

Adult red-crested turacos usually reach 17 to 20 inches in length.

Diet

This species is known for its frugivorous diet. Frugivores are animals that subsist almost exclusively on fruits, roots, shoots, and seeds.

Fun Fact

These tree-dwelling turacos flock in groups of up to 30. When together, their unique calls are often mistaken for those of various monkeys.

Habitat

Although native to the forested mountains of western China, feral populations of these blond-headed game birds have now been established in a number of locations worldwide, including parts of Europe and North and South America.

Size

Adult male golden pheasants reach 35 to 40 inches in length.

Diet

These boisterous birds generally forage on the ground for grains, leaves, and seeds but may also consume insects and other arthropods on occasion.

Fun Fact

Unlike most of the birds on this list, golden pheasants rarely fly. While they do have the ability to become airborne for short periods of time, they generally prefer to walk or run from place to place.