Red, Orange, & Yellow Birds of Iowa

Last Updated on January 19, 2024 by Greg Gillson

Did you see a brightly-colored red bird, orange bird, or yellow bird in Iowa and wonder what it was?

This page is for you!

This article shows you photos and identification of some of the most common birds in Iowa based on color.

The list of birds found in Iowa includes over 425 species. So, I can’t show you all of them. I’m going to assume that you saw a common bird of this color, but you certainly could have seen something less common, or even rare!

Shape (including the shape of the bill) and size are often more helpful in starting to identify a bird than the color. In fact, most birds in North American can be easily identified with a black-and-white photo!

Many birds are multi-colored, so that it may be hard to pick out a dominant color. Males and females may be colored quite differently. And some color patterns are similar among otherwise dissimilar species.

Nevertheless, I’m going to try to pick out some of the birds that you are most likely to see in backyards or towns. And I’ll show a few others that I get asked about a lot.

The birds with a noticeable amount of red on them in Iowa covered in this article are:

• Northern Cardinal
• American Robin
• House Finch
• Rose-breasted Grosbeak
• Ruby-throated Hummingbird
• Purple Finch
• Red-headed Woodpecker
• Scarlet Tanager

The birds with a noticeable amount of orange on them in Iowa covered in this article are:

• Barn Swallow
• Baltimore Oriole
• American Redstart
• Brown Thrasher
• Eastern Towhee
• American Kestrel
• Red-breasted Nuthatch
• Orchard Oriole
• Wood Thrush

The birds with a noticeable amount of yellow on them, including lots of yellow and black birds, in Iowa covered in this article are:

• American Goldfinch
• Northern Flicker
• Common Yellowthroat
• Cedar Waxwing
• Yellow-rumped Warbler
• Eastern Meadowlark
• Great Crested Flycatcher
• Yellow Warbler
• Dickcissel
• Yellow-throated Vireo
• Pine Siskin

Red birds of Iowa

Birds get the red, orange, and yellow in their feathers from carotenoids in the fruit, seeds, and plants they eat (source). 

These carotenoid colors combine with melanin to form an infinite range of red feathers–pink, rusty, scarlet, violet, red-orange.

The following are red birds that you are most likely to see in Iowa.

Northern Cardinal

These are one of the most common backyard birds in the eastern United States. Their bright red color and unique head profile makes them instantly identifiable to most people–whether they are bird watchers or not!

Northern Cardinal. GeorgeB2 from Pixabay.

Males of these large seed eaters are bright red with a black face and red crest.

Females replace most of the red with brown, The bill is large and orange.

These birds are found in woodlands, stream edges, residential areas.

Northern Cardinals are year-round residents throughout Iowa.

American Robin

These are familiar lawn birds with red breasts. 

American Robin. Greg Gillson.

Male American Robins are brownish-gray above with a brick red breast. Females are paler orange below and paler gray above.

They are widespread in open country with scattered deciduous trees, residential areas.

American Robins are year-round residents throughout Iowa.

House Finch

When people ask about a bird with a red head at their feeder, it is usually this bird.

Male House Finch. Greg Gillson.

Males of this dusty brown striped finch have red limited to the head (specifically the forehead and eyebrow), breast (chest), and rump. The red coloration tends toward orangish, and may rarely be yellowish.

Females are streaked, similar to the males but without red. They lack any strong pattern on the face and head.

Note the small round head and curved upper ridge on the bill.

Some people call these red-headed sparrows. Sparrows and finches are similar, but in general, male finches are brighter than the females and tend to hang out more in trees. Sparrow genders are usually quite similar in coloration and tend to feed mostly on the ground. 

These birds are common in residential areas, especially at bird feeders. In the West more widespread in arid regions near water.

House Finches are year-round residents throughout Iowa. 

Purple Finch

Forest finches of the foothills, delicately frosted in pinkish-red.

Male Purple Finch. Greg Gillson.

Told from more common House Finch by bigger square or peaked head, bigger bill, lacks sharp striping below, deeply notched tail. Red covers all plumage. 

Females lack red color, shows strongly patterned dark ear patch outlined all around with a pale stripe, is heavily streaked below.

Found in foothills and damp mountains conifers and mixed woods. Visit feeders, but less frequently than House Finches.

Purple Finches are winter visitors throughout Iowa.

Rose-breasted Grosbeak

These birds with the red breast and huge pink bill sing beautiful robin-like songs from the tops of trees.

Male Rose-breasted Grosbeak. Susan Killian. Pixabay.

Males have black hood and upper parts. White under parts. Large white wing patches. Huge pink bill. Inverted bright red triangle on the breast.

Females are brown above, face with broad stripes, white throat. The under parts are buff with many thin brown streaks. Pale bill.

These birds inhabit deciduous and mixed forests. Shade trees in town. Come to feeders.

Rose-breasted Grosbeaks are summer residents throughout Iowa.

Ruby-throated Hummingbird

These red-throated birds are the only hummingbird nesting in the eastern United States.

Males are dark green above and on the belly. They have a white upper chest. The throat is ruby-red.

Females are green above, white below, including white throat.

These birds are found in woodland edges, residential yards. Readily come to hummingbird feeders.

Ruby-throated Hummingbirds are summer residents throughout Iowa.

Red-headed Woodpecker

These well-known woodpeckers with red heads have a fitting name.

Red-headed Woodpecker. Public domain.

These birds have the entire head bright deep red. Back and tail black. Underparts white, as are inner secondaries and rump.

They are found in a variety of wooded habitats. They prefer to have oak and beech trees available. Sometimes come to feeders in winter.

Red-headed Woodpeckers are summer residents only in northwestern Iowa, year-round residents throughout the remaining part of Iowa.

Scarlet Tanager

A brilliant red and black bird!

Male Scarlet Tanager. USF&WS. Public Domain.

Males are unmistakable with brilliant red with black wings and tail.

Females are olive-green above, darker wings and tail, yellower under parts. Pale bill.

These birds live in deciduous woods.

Scarlet Tanagers are summer residents throughout most of Iowa, absent in the north-central part of the state.

Orange birds of Iowa

True orange-colored birds are not that common. Many birds that I have here are paler rusty.

The common pattern is an orange body and black or brown wings and tail. Another common pattern is for the orange to be restricted to the under parts.

The following are orange birds that you are most likely to see in Iowa.

Barn Swallow

These orange-bellied birds are a familiar sight across North America in summer.

Barn Swallow. Greg Gillson.

These birds are purple-blue above with orange under parts and long forked tails. The color of the underparts in winter or on females are often cinnamon or buff-colored, but breeding males can be brighter orange-red.

These birds swoop low over fields and wetlands at lower elevations. They may build their mud nests in rafters on porches, garages, or other out-buildings.

Barn Swallows are summer residents throughout Iowa. 

Baltimore Oriole

These bright orange and black birds are fairly common breeders in wooded areas in the East.

Baltimore Oriole. Michael McGough. Pixabay.

Males are have a black hood and back. Wings black with white patches. Tail black with orange sides to the base. Bright orange under parts.

Females are similar to males, but more olive above, less black. Immature birds for their first year or more are olive above orangish-yellow on the breast, fading to yellow on the belly. Two white wing bars.

These birds are common in deciduous woods, shade trees.

Baltimore Orioles are summer residents throughout Iowa.

American Redstart

In flight these small warblers flash orange or yellow in the wing and base of the tail.

American Redstart. Dennis Jarvis. Flikr. CC BY-SA 2.0

Males are black above, white on the belly. They have bright orange patches on side of breast, wings, and base of the tail.

Females are grayer, especially on the head. The orange of males is replaced by yellow on the females.

These birds are found in regenerating woods after a clear cut, and willow tangles along streams.

American Redstarts are summer residents throughout Iowa.

Brown Thrasher

These are rather large rusty-orange songbirds.

Brown Thrasher. Linda Jones CC0.

The upper parts of these birds is colored rusty-brown to orange. They show two white wing bars. Under parts are buff with heavy reddish-brown streaking.

These birds live in woodland edges and mature backyard landscaping.

Brown Thrashers are summer residents throughout Iowa.

Eastern Towhee

These birds with rusty-orange sides like to hide in dense bushes.

Female Eastern Towhee. Skeeze. Pixabay.

Males are black above with white wing patch, white tail corners. The sides are rusty. The belly white. Eyes variable: brown, red, orange, white, tending toward whiter southward.

Females are similar, but upper parts brown.

These birds are found in forest understory, dense brush, backyard hedges. Come to feeders.

Eastern Towhees are summer residents throughout most of Iowa, spring and fall migrants only in northwestern Iowa.

American Kestrel

These are the familiar small rusty-orange falcons sitting on power lines on the edge of the highway, or hunting and hovering over the median strip.

Female American Kestrel. Greg Gillson.

Females are rusty orange barred with black on their back wings and tail. The under parts are buff with black spots. The head shows two facial stripes.

Males have blue-gray backs and rufous tail is unmarked except for black tail band.

These birds are found in open country, farms, pastures with perches.

American Kestrels are year-round residents throughout most of Iowa, summer residents only in northern Iowa.

Red-breasted Nuthatch

These active little red-breasted birds crawls all around on the trunk and big branches of conifers. They search crevices in the bark for insect food.

Red-breasted Nuthatch. Greg Gillson.

These tiny birds have blue-gray backs and a black line through a white face. Some males can have quite bright rusty red under parts. Some females can have quite pale buff-colored under parts. Most birds show an orange-cinnamon breast color.

Found nearly exclusively in conifers. Readily come to feeders.

Red-breasted Nuthatches are winter visitors throughout Iowa. 

Orchard Oriole

Males of these orioles are darker rustier-orange than most other orioles in the United States.

Orchard Oriole. Dan Pancamo. Flikr. CC BY-SA 2.0

Males have a black hood and back, black wings and tail. The under parts are rusty-orange or even chestnut-brown.

Females are greenish above, lemon yellow below. They have 2 thin white wing bars. The bill is thinner than many other orioles.

They are found in orchards and residential shade trees.

Orchard Orioles are summer residents throughout Iowa.

Wood Thrush

These spotted birds with the orange-brown upper parts tend to hide in understory trees and on the forest floor.

Wood Thrush. Tony Castro. CC BY-SA 4.0

These birds are reddish brown on the upper parts, especially rusty orange on the crown and upper back. White eye ring. Large heavy black spots on the under parts.

They live in deciduous and mixed woods. Spend much time on the ground, shuffling through the leaf litter.

Wood Thrushes are summer residents throughout Iowa.

Yellow birds of Iowa

Yellow is a common bird color! Often it is mixed with black and white plumage in birds.

Many birds with darker upper parts have yellow breast or belly.

The following are yellow birds you are most likely to see in Iowa.

American Goldfinch

These small little birds are bright yellow and black.

American Goldfinch. Greg Gillson.

Males are bright lemon yellow with black and white wings and tail, black cap. White under tail coverts. Pink bill.

Females are duller yellow below and brownish above. Lack black cap.

Winter birds are pale brown or gray, a touch of yellow on the throat of males.

These are birds of open country, fields with saplings, clear cuts, residential areas. They avoid dense forests, mountains, deserts. They visit feeders.

American Goldfinches are year-round residents throughout Iowa. 

Northern Flicker

These woodpeckers spend much time eating ants on the ground.

Northern Flicker. Greg Gillson.

These birds are larger than robins with brown and black barred upper parts. The underparts are pink with round black spots. There is a black crescent across the chest. When they fly away from you they reveal a large white rump.

Western birds have salmon-red under wings and under tail. Those in the East are colored yellow. The male face differs between the two populations–black whisker on the eastern birds, red whisker on western birds. Intergrades from overlap on Great Plains common. These may show male facial characteristics of both populations, or yellow-orange flight feathers.

These birds live in open woods with bare ground for foraging, residential yards.

Northern Flickers are year-round residents throughout Iowa.

Common Yellowthroat

These buttery yellow birds are abundant in the marsh vegetation.

Male Common Yellowthroat. Greg Gillson.

These skulkers have bright yellow throats and yellow undertail coverts. Males have a black domino mask edged broadly in white, which females lack. Upperparts are dull olive-green.

Immature males in fall show a shadowed black mask.

Found in damp situations and heavy deciduous brambles following clear cuts.

Common Yellowthroats are summer residents throughout Iowa.

Cedar Waxwing

These crested birds with yellow band on the end of the tail are often found in flocks. They eat flying insects in summer, fruit and berries the rest of the year.

Cedar Waxwing. Greg Gillson.

These birds are fawn-brown above, with dark gray wings and tail. They have a black mask and wispy crest. The belly is yellow. The wings have waxy red drops on the end of the tertials. The end of the tail has a brilliant yellow tail band.

They are found in open habitats with berries, including juniper woodlands and towns in winter.

Cedar Waxwings are year-round residents throughout Iowa.

Yellow-rumped Warbler

These are abundant warblers across North America. Affectionately called “butter butts” by many birders, because of their bright yellow rumps that flash in flight.

Myrtle Yellow-rumped Warbler. Greg Gillson.

Western form (Audubon’s) with bright yellow throat and yellow rump. Large white wing patch.

Northern and Eastern form (Myrtle) with white throat, yellow rump, and two white wing bars.

Winter birds are dull gray brown, with bright yellow rump. Throat may be cream colored or white. Often difficult to tell the two forms apart in winter.

Winter Yellow-rumped Warbler. Greg Gillson.

Breed in mountain or boreal conifers. Widespread in migration. Winter in low river bottoms, open weedy deciduous areas. Rarely come to feeders in winter.

Yellow-rumped Warblers are spring and fall migrants in northern Iowa, winter visitors in southern Iowa. 

Eastern Meadowlark

These pale brown birds with the brilliant yellow breasts are home on the ground in prairies. They sing from perches on isolated trees, power poles, fence posts.

Eastern Meadowlark Photo by Mike’s Birds from Riverside, CA, US [CC BY-SA 2.0]

The upper parts are streaked black, white, brown, so they blend into the dried grass where they live. The under parts are bright yellow with a black necklace across the chest. Very similar to Western Meadowlark, best told apart by spring song.

These birds live in prairies and extensive pasture lands.

Eastern Meadowlarks are year-round residents throughout Iowa.

Great Crested Flycatcher

These flycatchers have long tails and big heads with big bill and bright yellow belly.

Great Crested Flycatcher. Simard Francois. Pixabay.

These birds are gray on the face and breast, brownish on rest of upper parts. Bright lemon yellow belly. The under side of the tail and some feathers of the wing are cinnamon colored.

These birds stay in the canopy of open woods.

Great Crested Flycatchers are summer residents throughout Iowa.

Yellow Warbler

The golden yellow sun packed all into one little bird! Appears to be an all-yellow bird.

Yellow Warbler. Greg Gillson.

Some populations are bright yellow, some tend toward greenish on upper parts, some more golden. Yellow internal tail corners in flight.

Males with red breast streaking, again, variable by population.

Females somewhat to much paler yellow, some greenish, some whitish. Lack red streaks.

These birds are found in willow thickets on the edge of wetlands and ditches, stream sides in arid regions.

Yellow Warblers are summer residents throughout Iowa.

Dickcissel

These yellow birds often flock together in weedy roadside edges.

Dickcissel. RebelAT. CC By-SA 3.0

These are gray birds with yellow breast and eyebrow.

Males have a black band across the lower throat. They have a large chestnut patch on the shoulder.

Females paler, lack black chest band.

They are found in prairie grasslands and weedy patches.

Dickcissels are summer residents throughout Iowa.

Yellow-throated Vireo

Vireos are slow moving small birds that sing throughout the day. These yellow-headed vireos are one of the most colorful of their clan.

Yellow-throated Vireo. MDF. CC BY-SA 3.0

These birds are blue-gray above, white below. Two white wing bars. Their head is olive yellow with yellow spectacles around the eye, and bright yellow throat.

These birds like large tracts of unbroken deciduous or mixed woodlands. Interestingly, however, they are often found on forest edges.

Yellow-throated Vireos are summer residents throughout most of Iowa, absent in some areas of northwestern Iowa.

Pine Siskin

These small brown-streaked birds are relatives of the goldfinches. But you would never know it until they fly and sport yellow wing stripes and tail base. Usually in flocks.

Pine Siskin. Greg Gillson.

These birds are streaked brown. In flight they have a yellow stripe down the length of the wing. The sides of the base of the tail is also yellow. Some birds are paler, some darker, others brighter yellow, others duller.

These birds are found in summer in northern conifer woods. Irregularly irrupt hundreds of miles southward. Frequent at feeders.

Pine Siskins are winter visitors throughout Iowa.

Wrapping Up

These red, orange and yellow birds are stunning but have you ever wondered where those colors come from?

The vibrant reds, yellows, and oranges that adorn many bird species arise from a delightful dance of pigments, structures, and evolution. Here’s a breakdown of the main factors at play:

Pigments:

Carotenoids: These pigments dominate yellow and orange tones. Found in plants and insects, birds like cardinals, tanagers, and orioles acquire them through their diet. These pigments are then deposited in feathers, directly contributing to their color.

Melanin: While primarily responsible for blacks and browns, melanin can also contribute to reddish hues in some birds. When combined with carotenoids, it can produce shades like rust or chestnut.

Structures:

Feather structure: The microscopic arrangement of tiny air pockets within feathers can play a role in color perception. These pockets scatter blue light wavelengths, allowing only the longer red and orange wavelengths to pass through, intensifying the bird’s apparent color.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why is the goldfinch important to Iowa?

The American Goldfinch holds a special place in Iowa, both culturally and ecologically. Here’s why:

Official State Bird: Since 1933, the goldfinch has proudly claimed the title of Iowa’s official state bird. This choice was driven by several factors.

Firstly, it is found year-round throughout the state, the goldfinch’s bright yellow plumage and cheerful chirps make it easily recognizable for Iowans.

They have a unique ability to adapt to diverse habitats and weather conditions resonated with Iowans, reflecting their own strength and perseverance.

Lastly, the goldfinch’s vibrant colors and lively nature add a touch of beauty and joy to the state’s landscapes.

Does Iowa have Cardinals?

Absolutely! Iowa not only has Cardinals, but they are also extremely common throughout the state. In fact, the Eastern Cardinal is one of the most frequently spotted birds in Iowa, found year-round in almost every habitat.

Here’s why you’re likely to encounter these vibrant songbirds in Iowa:

• Widespread habitat: Cardinals readily adapt to various environments, thriving in woodlands, edges, fields, gardens, and even urban areas with ample trees and shrubs.
• Abundant food: Their diet includes a variety of seeds, fruits, and insects, readily available throughout the year in Iowa’s diverse landscapes.
• Adaptability: Cardinals are resilient birds capable of surviving harsh winters and adapting to changing environmental conditions.

Where can I find an American Redstart in Iowa?

While spotting an American Redstart in Iowa is possible, it’s important to set realistic expectations as they are not common breeders throughout the state. Here’s what you need to know:

Breeding Habitat:

• American Redstarts primarily breed in mature deciduous forests with dense understories and abundant insect prey. These habitats are more prevalent in eastern and northeastern Iowa, particularly near rivers and streams.

Migration:

• They are neotropical migrants, spending their summers breeding in North America and winters in Central and South America. Their passage through Iowa occurs mainly during spring (late April to early May) and fall (late September to early October) as they migrate between their breeding and wintering grounds.

Finding Redstarts:

• During migration, you might encounter them in various wooded areas, including parks, edges of woodlands, and even backyards with suitable trees and foliage.
• They are active and insectivorous birds, flitting through branches and catching insects on the wing. Listen for their sweet, warbling songs to help locate them.

Related Articles:

See photos and learn about the most common backyard birds in Iowa, regardless of color.

Feeder birds in Iowa

Here’s a quick tutorial of how I would teach you to identify birds: 7 Steps to Identify Birds!

Birds with red heads in North America.

Yellow-and-black birds in North America.

Little Brown Birds at your Feeder.