Last Updated on January 20, 2024 by Greg Gillson
Did you see a brightly colored red bird, orange bird, or yellow bird in Maine 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 Maine based on color.
The list of birds found in Maine includes over 450 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 Maine covered in this article are:
- American Robin
- Northern Cardinal
- House Finch
- Purple Finch
- Ruby-throated Hummingbird
- Rose-breasted Grosbeak
- Scarlet Tanager
The birds with a noticeable amount of orange on them in Maine covered in this article are:
- Red-breasted Nuthatch
- American Redstart
- Barn Swallow
- Baltimore Oriole
The birds with a noticeable amount of yellow on them, including lots of yellow and black birds, in Maine covered in this article are:
- American Goldfinch
- Common Yellowthroat
- Yellow-rumped Warbler
- Cedar Waxwing
- Black-throated Green Warbler
- Northern Flicker
- Northern Parula
- Yellow Warbler
- Pine Warbler
- Magnolia Warbler
- Great Crested Flycatcher
- Nashville Warbler
Red birds of Maine
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 Maine.
American Robin
These are familiar lawn birds with red breasts.
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| 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 summer residents in northern Maine and year-round residents in southern Maine.
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!
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| 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 in coastal southeastern Maine, absent in northern Maine.
House Finch
When people ask about a bird with a red head at their feeder, it is usually this bird.
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| 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 in southern Maine, absent in northern Maine.
Purple Finch
Forest finches of the foothills, delicately frosted in pinkish-red.
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| 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 year-round residents throughout Maine.
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 Maine.
Rose-breasted Grosbeak
These birds with the red breast and huge pink bill sing beautiful robin-like songs from the tops of trees.
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| 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 all of Maine except the northmost portion.
Scarlet Tanager
A brilliant red and black bird!
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| 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 Maine.
Orange birds of Maine
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 Maine.
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.
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| 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 year-round residents throughout Maine.
American Redstart
In flight these small warblers flash orange or yellow in the wing and base of the tail.
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| 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 Maine.
Barn Swallow
These orange-bellied birds are a familiar sight across North America in summer.
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| 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 Maine.
Baltimore Oriole
These bright orange and black birds are fairly common breeders in wooded areas in the East.
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| Baltimore Oriole. Michael McGough. Pixabay. |
Males 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 Maine.
Yellow birds of Maine
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 Maine.
American Goldfinch
These small little birds are bright yellow and black.
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| 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 summer residents in northern Maine, year-round residents throughout central and southern Maine.
Common Yellowthroat
These buttery yellow birds are abundant in the marsh vegetation.
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| 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 Maine.
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.
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| 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.
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| 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 summer residents throughout Maine.
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.
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| 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 through most of Maine, summer residents only in northern Maine.
Black-throated Green Warbler
Look for these birds with the yellow faces singing high up in the trees in spring.
Males in spring have green back and crown, black throat, circling a bright yellow face.
Females and immatures in fall have a white throat. Greenish ear patch.
Found in many forest types, conifers, mixed forests, and cypress.
Black-throated Green Warblers are summer residents throughout Maine.
Northern Flicker
These woodpeckers spend much time eating ants on the ground.
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| 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 Maine.
Northern Parula
This is a handsome blue and yellow warbler.
Males are blue on the hood and shoulders. Back green. Yellow throat and breast with a dark red spot mid-chest. Broken white eye ring. Two wide white wing bars.
Females are similar, but paler.
They are found along streams and in swampy forests with willows, maples, birches, hemlocks and other trees.
Northern Parulas are summer residents throughout Maine.
Yellow Warbler
The golden yellow sun packed all into one little bird! Appears to be an all-yellow bird.
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| 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 Maine.
Pine Warbler
This yellow and gray bird is one of the few warblers to visit feeders–and the only one to eat seeds!
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| Pine Warbler. Nikolaus Schultz. Pixabay. |
These birds are yellow-green on head, back, and breast. Wings blue-gray with wide white wing bars. Yellow split eye ring.
Strongly associated with pine forests. Usually high in treetops.
Pine Warblers are summer residents in southern and central Maine, absent in northern Maine.
Magnolia Warbler
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| Magnolia Warbler. Greg Gillson. |
Adult males are gray and black above and bright yellow below. Black mask and lower face. Gray crown. Black upper back. Black necklace that breaks into streaks down the breast. White under tail coverts. White under tail base, black terminal tail feathers. Large white wing patch.
Female with two wing bars, black mostly replaced with olive. Immatures for the first year lack black markings.
Live in moist coniferous forests, young stands of spruce and hemlock.
Magnolia Warblers are summer residents throughout Maine.
Great Crested Flycatcher
These flycatchers have long tails and big heads with big bill and bright yellow belly.
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| 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 undersides 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 Maine.
Nashville Warbler
These birds with the bright yellow underparts do a good job of hiding!
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| Nashville Warbler. Greg Gillson. |
These birds are gray above. The throat and breast and under tail coverts are bright lemon yellow. The belly is white. They have a complete white eye ring.
Females are just a bit paler than males.
These birds are found in re-growing clear cuts, and understory brush in open woods.
Nashville Warblers are summer residents throughout Maine.
Wrapping Up
Maine is a great place to go birding with many colorful species. To wrap up, here are some other of my favorite stunning birds you might find there:
Eastern Bluebird: Maine’s state bird, these charismatic bluebirds with orange chests and reddish backs brighten fields, woodlands, and backyards with their melodious carols. Look for them in open areas with nest boxes or dead trees for cavities.
Indigo Bunting: These small, vibrant blue birds with black faces and white wing bars add flashes of color to open fields and shrublands, especially during breeding season. Listen for their high-pitched “zit” calls.
Eastern Wood-Pewee: These small flycatchers with olive-green bodies and yellow wing bars flit through woodlands, capturing insects on the wing. Listen for their high-pitched “pee-wee” calls.
Carolina Wren: These lively brown wrens with a contrasting bright green rump add musical cheer to forests and backyards with their loud, bubbly songs. Look for them flitting around low branches and leaf litter.
Painted Bunting: Males in breeding plumage sport a dazzling combination of blue, green, red, and yellow, making them one of the most colorful birds in North America. Look for them in open fields and brushy areas in southern Maine.
Mississippi Kite: These graceful raptors with gray bodies and long, pointed blue-gray wings soar high above open fields and wetlands, searching for prey. They’re not as common as other birds on this list, but their aerial acrobatics are a sight to behold.
Frequently Asked Questions
What kind of bird has a red chest in Maine?
The Red-breasted nuthatch can be found in Maine. Looking for them can be a rewarding experience, as they add a pop of vibrant orange and chestnut to the winter landscape. Here are some tips to increase your chances of spotting these energetic little birds:
Habitat:
- Coniferous forests: Red-breasted nuthatches primarily inhabit spruce and fir forests, often mixed with other conifers like hemlock and pine. These trees provide them with the food and shelter they need.
- Mixed forests: They may also venture into mixed forests with a significant conifer component, especially during irruptive years when their populations surge southward.
- Boreal edges: Look for them along the edges of boreal forests, where mature conifer stands meet other habitats like bogs or open areas.
Location:
- Northern and eastern Maine: They are generally more common in the northern and eastern parts of the state, where coniferous forests are more prevalent.
- Higher elevations: Red-breasted nuthatches prefer higher elevations, so if you’re heading to Maine’s mountains, keep an eye out for them.
- State parks and protected areas: Places like Baxter State Park, Acadia National Park, and Katahdin Woods and Waters National Monument offer suitable habitat and attract a variety of birds, including red-breasted nuthatches.
Where do Barn Swallows live in Maine?
If you’re interested in spotting Barn Swallows in Maine, your best bet would be to observe them during migration periods. Look for them in open fields and near potential nesting sites like barns or outbuildings. Keep in mind that their sightings are infrequent, so patience and dedication might be needed.
What is the small bright yellow bird in Maine?
American Goldfinches are definitely common in Maine! They are year-round residents of the state and can be found in a variety of habitats, making them one of the most familiar and beloved birds in the region. Here’s why you’re likely to encounter these cheerful birdies throughout your adventures in Maine:
Widespread Distribution:
- They thrive in diverse habitats, including open fields, meadows, woodlands, edges of forests, and even backyards.
- Goldfinches readily adapt to human presence, making them readily observed in suburban and urban areas as well.
Year-round Presence:
- Unlike many songbirds that migrate southward during winter, goldfinches remain in Maine throughout the year.
- They may form larger flocks in winter, which makes them even more conspicuous as they forage for food and seek shelter.
Related:
See photos and learn about the most common backyard birds in Maine, regardless of color.
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.
