Birds come in a variety of types and colors, and the same is true about their beaks. These can vary in hue from black to whitish, but the most common are carotenoid pigment – red, yellow, or orange in color.
Due to various pigment concentrations, orange beaks occur more frequently than yellow or red. If you’re wondering which birds with orange beaks you can spot in the wild, check out the gorgeous species below:
Australian zebra finch
Tufted puffin
Orange-billed sparrow
American oystercatcher
White ibis
Northern cardinal
Violet turaco
Crested auklet
Grey heron
Royal tern
Inca tern
Black-bellied whistling duck
Red-breasted merganser
Wattled curassow
Cattle egret
Oriental dwarf kingfisher
Black-headed nightingale thrush
Green wood hoopoe
Bateleur
Hawaiian honeycreeper
Crowned hornbill
Amur falcon
King vulture
Mallard duck
Black oropendola
American goldfinch
Guianan cock-of-the-rock
Ruddy kingfisher
King penguin
Crested caracara
Pyrrhuloxia
Surf scoter
King eider
Piping plover
Snow bunting
Fieldfare
Red-tailed tropicbird
Chukar
Anhinga
Purple gallinule
Golden pheasant
Note: This is not an exhaustive list. The birds are ranked in no particular order.
1. Australian Zebra Finch
Scientific name: Taeniopygia guttata castanotis
One of the many finch species and the most popular kept as a pet, the Australian zebra finch is one of the most common birds with orange beaks worldwide.
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This small songbird grows up to four inches in length and is native to Australia, where it can be seen in the wild. Zebra finches exist as an introduced species in most parts of the world, where it is bred in captivity.
2. Tufted Puffin
Scientific name: Fratercula cirrhata
Historically one of the marine birds with orange beaks in Washington, the tufted puffin is a brownish-black bird with a white face, orange bill, and pale yellow tufts behind each eye – a trait that earns them the name.
Typically found in marine intertidal areas along rocky coasts, these birds can be admired in the northern USA and Canada, eastern Russia, Japan, and the Korean peninsula.
3. Orange-Billed Sparrow
Scientific name: Arremon aurantiirostris
One of the most boldly patterned small birds with orange beaks, this sparrow inhabits humid evergreen forests in tropical lowlands.
Its range spans Central South America, Colombia, Ecuador, and parts of Peru. The bird has a white and black head, orange beak, and a black collar under the white chin. The rest of the plumage is olive on the back and wings and grey on the undersides.
4. American Oystercatcher
Scientific name: Haematopus palliatus
The American oystercatcher is one of the shore birds with orange beaks found on the Atlantic and Gulf Coast beaches. Typically solitary, it is sometimes found in groups during summer.
Like most shorebirds, it has a larger, bulky body with relatively long legs. The beak is also long, aiding in catching fish. Color-wise, this oystercatcher has white and black plumage on the head and body, while the legs are pale pink or white.
5. White Ibis
Scientific name: Eudocimus albus
Another American species common in coastal areas is the white ibis. Similar to the American oystercatcher, this bird with orange beak in Virginia lives along the Gulf Coast, its range expanding into the tropical New World.
Its looks are similar to a stork, but the beak is longer and dark orange. Adults have true white plumage, except for a row of black feathers on the inner side of the wings, and that are only visible during flight.
6. Northern Cardinal
Scientific name: Cardinalis cardinalis
An orange bird with an orange beak, the northern cardinal, is one of the most common and widespread species of passerine birds in North America.
So common that it is the official bird of seven eastern US states, including North Carolina, Illinois, Kentucky, and West Virginia.
Males typically sport some bright red plumage mixed with hot orange. They have sturdy orange beaks and crests. Females are duller, but they also have orange bills and are orange all over.
7. Violet Turaco
Scientific name: Musophaga violacea
This magnificent purple-blue bird with orange beak is remarkable for its bold assortment of colors. Its plumage has an almost indigo hue that covers the bird entirely, except for the head.
The crown is red that fades to orange towards the bill. At the same time, the yellow forehead adds a splash of brightness.
The violet turaco is native to Africa, its natural habitat ranging from Cameroon to Gambia and Senegal.
8. Crested Auklet
Scientific name: Aethia cristatella
A mostly gray bird with orange beak, the crested auklet is one of the most peculiar species on this list.
This shorebird species is distributed along the northern Pacific coastline but also in the Bering Sea area.
Crested auklets feed by diving into the cold waters and catching fish and crustaceans.
Their beaks are small compared to other waterfowl species, but the “smiling” beaks, nose tufts, and ice blue eyes give it a hilarious appearance.
9. Grey Heron
Scientific name: Ardea cinerea
Native to the Old World, the grey heron is one of the most common types of orange-beaked waterfowl in Europe and Asia.
This species is easily recognized thanks to its gray back, white neck, and long legs and neck. The bill is also long, this bird using it to probe muddy waterbeds and sandy shores.
An interesting trait is that the beak is orange on top and yellow on the underside.
10. Royal Tern
Scientific name: Thalasseus maximus
Gray and white as the heron but stockier and with short legs, the royal tern is a native bird with orange beak in South Dakota.
These birds have light gray bodies mixed with white and splashes of black. The characteristic trait is the black tuft above the eyes that can sometimes look like a crest.
Royal terns are about the same size as seagulls, but they have longer and darker orange beaks.
11. Inca Tern
Scientific name: Larosterna inca
The inca tern is part of the same family as the royal tern, but these birds are found in South America.
They are smaller than royal terns, typically measuring up to 16 inches in length. Both sexes are similar, but males are more of a slate-gray.
Color aside, this species of bird with orange beak is famous for its fancy-looking white mustache.
One of the birds with orange beaks and legs in Texas, the black-bellied whistling duck is mostly known for its dark orange to red bill and for being the most erect of all ducks.
It occurs in damp, lowland habitats across south North America, Mexico, and Central America. The plumage is brown with a black plate on the chest, while the bill is orange-red and often yellowish at the base.
While this duck lives near water sources, it often flocks to harvested fields or overgrown pastures to feed on grass or waste grain.
13. Red-Breasted Merganser
Scientific name: Mergus serrator
From one duck type to the next, the red-breasted merganser is a diving duck that often nests near freshwater lakes and rivers in Europe, Greenland, and North America.
One of the most common water birds with orange beaks in coastal California, this migratory duck feeds mostly on fish.
In California, it is a common resident in the winter months, but it migrates further north to Canada for breeding.
14. Wattled Curassow
Scientific name: Crax globulosa
A threatened member of the Cracidae family, this black bird with orange beak is typically found in the remote rainforests of South America – usually in the Amazon basin.
It is very large in size, often exceeding 35 inches in length. The beak is actually black – the same as the plumage – but the bright orange cere surrounding it makes it look orange at first glance. The legs are also orange.
15. Cattle Egret
Scientific name: Bubulcus ibis
Owing their name to the habit of following around herds of cattle – and feeding on the insects that these herds disturb – the cattle egrets are common white birds with orange beaks around the world.
They are found in the Old and New World alike, their range spreading from Europe to the Americas, Asia, and Australia.
These birds are relatively small, snowy-white, and have bright orange beaks and black legs.
16. Oriental Dwarf Kingfisher
Scientific name: Ceyx erithaca
The oriental dwarf kingfisher is a bird with orange beak and blue feathers native to the Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asia.
It typically resides in lowland forests near streams or ponds, and what makes it special is the actual burst of color.
This kingfisher has a rainbow-colored plumage varying from blue on the wings to purple on head and back and yellow on the undersides. The beak and feet are bright orange.
An almost black bird with orange beak native to Mexico, the black-headed nightingale thrush is a true thrush type related to Eurasian blackbirds (which also have yellow-orange beaks).
It even has a similar size and appearance, and is also found in other parts of Central and South America. This thrush has a gray-black body, orange beak and legs, and an orange rim around the eyes.
18. Green Wood Hoopoe
Scientific name: Phoeniculus purpureus
The green wood hoopoe is a mid-sized near-passerine bird native to sub-Saharan Africa. Depending on its stage of development and the light, it can appear as a black or green bird with long orange beak.
Its beak, in fact, is similar to that of other hoopoes – perfectly developed for probing and picking food from ground holes or tree hollows.
The bird is easy to recognize by its iridescent plumage and white spots on the tail underside.
19. Bateleur
Scientific name: Terathopius ecaudatus
A near-threatened brown bird with orange beak in Africa, the bateleur is an eagle type with deep brown to black plumage on the back. The chest is usually white.
This bird has reddish-orange face and feet, while the beak is bright orange near the base and black at the tip.
A peculiar thing is that the color of the skin actually reflects the bird’s mood; when it is calm and relaxed, it is pale red. When the eagle is excited or hunts, it becomes a dark red hue.
20. Hawaiian Honeycreeper
Scientific name: Carduelinae
More than a single species, the Hawaiian honeycreeper is a group of small birds with orange beaks endemic to Hawaii.
They are closely related to rosefinches, and one of the most commonly known is the ‘I’iwi, or scarlet honeycreeper.
This nectarivorous bird is about six inches long and has a brilliant scarlet body with brown on the wings. Adults have peach-colored beaks.
21. Crowned Hornbill
Scientific name: Tockus alboterminatus
A common species of large birds with orange beaks in Africa, the crowned hornbill is found in a variety of wooded habitats. This sedentary bird prefers coastal or riverine woodlands, but is also present in lowland deciduous forests.
Omnivorous in nature, it eats a variety of fruits, but also invertebrates, lizards, and even chicks and eggs from other birds – its large orange beak is even strong enough to crack-open nuts and seeds.
22. Amur Falcon
Scientific name: Falco amurensis
One of the birds of prey with orange beaks in Russia and Asia, the Amur falcon often shares a habitat with the Amur (Siberian) tiger.
However, introduced populations also exist in North America and Eastern Europe, where it is the only type of falcon.
This mid-sized bird has gray or brown and white or blue feathers, an orange beak, and orange legs and feet.
23. King Vulture
Scientific name: Sarcoramphus papa
A scavenger bird with orange beak, the king vulture is the largest New World vulture type, second only to condors. It feeds on carrion, its range stretching from Mexico to Argentina.
Color-wise, this vulture is black-white in color, while the head and face often appear purplish. The cere and beak are orange, even though the beak is dark brown or black at the base.
24. Mallard Duck
Scientific name: Anas platyrhynchos
Mallards are some of the most common water birds with orange beaks in Illinois. Not that all mallard ducks have orange beaks, that is.
The common mallard duck can have yellow or brownish bills too, depending on gender and pigment concentration.
Other mallard species can even have differently colored bills, including blue. In the yellow-billed species, females and juveniles typically have orange-brown bills.
One of the most beautiful blackbirds with orange beaks, the black oropendolas are native to South America and are a type of New World blackbirds.
In fact, their body is almost true black. Almost, because the cheeks are bright blue and the tail is yellow. The beak is black, but it has a bright orange or yellow tip.
26. American Goldfinch
Scientific name: Spinus tristis
The American goldfinch is another gorgeous black and yellow bird with an orange beak. Related to the Australian zebra finch, this tiny bird is migratory, ranging from Alberta to North Carolina.
The plumage is almost completely yellow, except for a black cap and black wings with thin white stripes.
It can usually be admired in the wild in weedy fields and floodplains, but it’s also common in orchards and backyards.
27. Guianan Cock-of-the-Rock
Scientific name: Rupicola rupicola
One of the strangest yet weirdly attractive birds with orange beaks and mohawks, the Guianan cock-of-the-rock stands out with its bright orange plumage and the semicircle crest rimmed with black.
The tail is also ruffled, resembling cut ruffle paper rolls.
The beak is often the same orange color as the feathers, but it can be slightly paler. This passerine bird is found near rocky outcrops in the South American tropical forests.
28. Ruddy Kingfisher
Scientific name: Halcyon coromanda
Closely related to the oriental dwarf kingfisher, the ruddy kingfisher also shows off a colorful plumage – even though it can be a brown bird with orange beak, too.
Native to Asia, this species is known for its purple-orange plumage that reminds of a sunset. However, juveniles are duller in color, and their feathers are often brown. Their beaks are still orange, though.
29. King Penguin
Scientific name: Aptenodytes patagonicus
One of the flightless birds with orange beaks in the world and the second-largest penguin type, the king penguin inhabits the sub-arctic regions surrounding Antarctica.
These aquatic birds spend a lot of time in the freezing ocean and nest on the flat shorelines of the sub-arctic islands. They don’t have fully orange bills, but the black beaks have red-orange to orange-yellow stripes on both sides.
30. Crested Caracara
Scientific name: Caracara plancus
The crested caracara is a type of falcon and one of the most common raptor birds with orange beaks in Florida.
This large bird of prey can grow over 25 inches long and is aptly named for its boldly patterned crest. The bill is white, but a bright orange cere makes it look orange from afar.
31. Pyrrhuloxia
Scientific name: Cardinalis sinuatus
One of the most common small birds with orange beaks in Arizona, the pyrrhuloxia – or desert cardinal – is closely related to the Northern cardinal.
These two birds are similar in size and appearance, but this type doesn’t sport the bright orange plumage. Despite the duller hue, though, this bird has red splashes on the chest, wings, face, and crest.
Their beak is yellow-orange.
32. Surf Scoter
Scientific name: Melanitta perspicillata
Shorebirds are common species in cold climate areas, and the surf scoter is living proof of avifauna thriving in the near-arctic.
Its geographic range stretches from northern Canada to Baja California, but it prefers cool waters. This preference makes it a common bird with orange beak in Alaska.
33. King Eider
Scientific name: Somateria spectabilis
In the same arctic region of North America, but also on the arctic coasts of northeastern Europe and Asia, the king eider is another waterfowl species with orange beak.
The bird is a lot more colorful than the scoter, sporting predominantly black and white plumage with teal splashes on the cheeks, a gray-blue head, yellow over the nose, and reddish-orange bill.
34. Piping Plover
Scientific name: Charadrius melodus
The piping plover looks like a songbird, and it is not that different in size; however, this is actually a shoreline bird with orange beak in the Great Lakes area.
This small bird has dove gray and white plumage, lighter on the chest and darker on the back and sides. The head has a black stripe above the forehead, and it also presents a black collar.
Adults have yellow-orange-red legs and a bicolor beak that is orange at the base and black at the tip.
35. Snow Bunting
Scientific name: Plectrophenax nivalis
One of the few passerine birds in the cold zone regions, the snow bunting is an arctic specialist and can be found all over the northern hemisphere.
Globally, they are a species of birds with orange beaks in Canada, Greenland, Alaska, and Scandinavia, and they migrate south for breeding.
The plumage is typically white in winter and develops a sandy-buff wash in summer. Adult females are white birds with orange beaks.
36. Fieldfare
Scientific name: Turdus pilaris
A type of true thrush, the fieldfare is one of the most common brown birds with orange beaks in the UKand Europe.
This woodland bird isn’t all brown, but a gray-brown on the chest and head with dark splashes of color. The color transitions to a chestnut red on the neck and collar.
Fieldfares are strongly migratory, they range expanding from Europe and Asia and even Africa.
37. Red-Tailed Tropicbird
Scientific name: Phaethon rubricauda
An all-white bird with red tail and orange beak, the red-tailed tropicbird is a seabird native to the Pacific and Indian Oceans and the rarest of all tropicbird species.
Despite its marine habitat, the bird is mainly aerial. During flight, the thin tail split in two adorns the bird’s rear as a ribbon.
The red-tailed tropicbirds mostly feed on flying fish and squid, surveying the water’s surface from above and plunge-diving into the ocean to catch them.
38. Chukar
Scientific name: Alectoris chukar
A Palearctic upland game bird and part of the pheasant family, the chukar is a large species native to the Middle East and Southern Asia.
Nevertheless, it has been introduced to North America and it is today a common bird with orange beak in Nevada and Utah.
This bird feeds mostly on the ground, even though it can climb trees. It has sandy-brown plumage and a bright orange beak.
39. Anhinga
Scientific name: Anhinga anhinga
Sometimes called the American darter or snakebird, the Anhinga is a large black bird with orange-yellow beak in New Hampshire.
This bird prefers quiet wetlands, such as cypress swamps, slow-moving rivers, and freshwater marshes. It is often found along the Gulf and the Atlantic coasts, although the habitat expands to Mexico and South America.
40. Purple Gallinule
Scientific name: Porphyrio martinicus
One of the most intriguing birds with orange beaks, the purple gallinule is a waterfowl closely related to cranes.
This species has long, yellow legs and colorful plumage that is purple on the chest and green on the beak. The beak is orange with a yellow tip.
41. Golden Pheasant
Scientific name: Chrysolophus pictus
A stunning bird with orange beak, the golden pheasant impresses with its fiery red plumage on the chest and deep yellow on the back.
The featherless face is red, while a thick yellow crest stretches overhead and onto the neck, where the yellow becomes a shade darker and blends with thin blue stripes. The wings are also blue.
Also called the Chinese pheasant, this Galliform species is closely related to the chukar.
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