Some animals are truly stunning to the eye and none more so than birds. If every bird in the world were a jewel these undoubtedly would be diamonds due to their beauty. Be it the striking handsomeness of the eagle or the dazzling colors of the peacock, birds are truly majestic creatures. For this list, we are embarking on a global bird-watching venture and while beauty is not just skin or feather deep that is what we are looking for for sure.
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Many birds have incredible attributes like speed or dexterity but we have chosen the fairest fowls based on the color contrast and displays of their pretty plumage. These are the most beautiful birds on planet Earth.
10. Bohemian Waxwing
The Bohemian Waxwing is a plump, smooth-plumaged, small starling-sized bird about 7.5-8.5 inches in length. It has prominent crest feathers on its head and white and yellow markings on its wings. They are mostly clean gray with a brighter rusty wash on the face and a black mask around its eyes. It has white and yellow edges on its wings and a waxy yellow tip on its tail. Males and females look alike. They move around in large flocks feeding heavily on one or more fruit trees. Bohemian waxwings are herbivores and carnivores. These birds are primarily fruit eaters and rowan berries are their favorite food. They also consume insects during the breeding season. Mosquitoes and midges are the most common prey, but many other insects and some spiders are also eaten.
A group of waxwings is called an earful or a museum of waxwings. The name waxwing comes from the waxy red secretions found on the tips of the secondaries of some birds. The wax tips are colored by acetaxatin, a carotenoid pigment. The exact function of these tips is not known, but they may help attract mates. They breed in open coniferous or mixed forests at high latitudes across the Northern Hemisphere.
9. The Blue Jay
In all the animal kingdom no mother is more devoted than the Blue Jay. The Blue Jay is between 9 and 12 inches long. These feisty little guys are instantly recognizable. Unlike most birds, both males and females of the species share similar color patterns. It is bright blue on top and white to gray on its throat, chest and belly. It has a gray-blue crest on the head, lavender-blue and cobalt-tipped feathers and a fine black collar. The pigment in Blue Jay feathers is melanin, which is brown. Interestingly, like most blue-toned birds, light reflecting off their feathers gives off the color. It’s not from inherent pigmentation in their cells.
The Blue Jay is common in deciduous forests. It is also found in residential areas. They are one of the loudest and most colorful birds of eastern back yards and woodlots. Not always conspicuous, they slip furtively through the trees when tending their own nest or going to rob the nest of another bird or eat their eggs. Intelligent and adaptable, it may feed on almost anything, and it is quick to take advantage of bird feeders. Most of their diet was composed of insects and nuts. The Blue Jay frequently mimics the calls of hawks. These calls may provide information to other jays that a hawk is around. The Blue Jay is very aggressive and territorial. Groups of Blue Jays often attack intruders and predators.
8. Mandarin Duck
This gorgeous little character really does stand out. In fact, when paired with its ordinary relative the Mandarin Duck doesn’t even look real. A small exotic-looking bird is described as a perching duck species native to East Asia. It is closely related to the North American wood duck. As perching ducks, they tend to exist in small groups and often gather high up in trees nesting and sleeping there. The Mandarin Duck is found at lakes and parks usually with nearby trees so they can perch when required. It is medium-sized, at 41-49 cm (16-19 in) long with a 65-75 cm (26-30 in) wingspan. The adult male has a red bill, a large white crescent above the eye, and reddish face and “whiskers”. The male’s breast is purple with two vertical white bars, and the flanks ruddy, along with two orange “sails” at the back.
The female is more like the wood duck with white eye-rings that look like spectacles, a shaggy gray head, bold pale dappled spots along her flanks and a pale tip to her bill. The males resemble females when they shed their wings during summer.
These beautiful birds are mainly found in pairs but are known to gather in larger flocks over the cooler months. In centuries past, the mandarin duck was imported to England due to its attractive colors. Feral populations have been established throughout Western Europe as well. In the wild, mandarin ducks breed in densely wooded areas near shallow lakes, marshes or ponds. These ducks feed by dabbling or walking on land, where they mainly eat plants and seeds, especially beech mast. This species also add snails, insects and small fish to its diet, depending on the season. This pretty duck is considered to be a symbol of fidelity and love.
7. Golden Pheasant
The name, Golden Pheasant, does justice to this bird. This beautiful bird is a game bird and part of the Phasianidae family. The Golden Pheasant is a heavy-bodied ground-feeding bird like several others including the turkey grouse and guinea fowl. Its crest feathers look as if it was plated in gold. His vibrant appearance is unmistakable. With gold and black head, dark red breast and colorful back this guy is gorgeous. The colors on the rest of its body look as if they were painted by hand and in detail by an expert. You can see some blue near the tail and bright red on the chest. In this species, the male is the one who has the most striking colors.
The female differs markedly from her male counterpart. In fact, you could describe her as bland in comparison. Predominantly brown with the occasional hint of orange her presence would be easily disguised in the wild.
This particular bird though hunted is shy and surprisingly difficult to find in mixed and conifer woodland where it runs and hides from detected disturbance. They feed on grain leaves and invertebrates foraging close to human settlements during the winter months. The Golden Pheasant is native to Western China but its feral population has also been established in the United Kingdom, Canada, the United States, Mexico, New Zealand, Argentina and Colombia.
6. Turaco
These brightly-colored birds are normally blue, green or purple with the exception being the go away bird that is mainly just gray and white. Turacos are the only birds to possess true red and green pigmentation and their pigments contain copper. They have a beautiful crest on their head which stands about 5 cm tall when they are excited. Turacos have a white patch in front of their eyes and on the side of their neck. They are medium-sized tree-dwelling birds endemic to sub-Saharan Africa. It happily lives in forests, woodlands and savannahs. They are social animals that tend to live in flocks of up to 12 individuals. They are shy and prefer to remain hidden. When faced with danger, they sit very still and fly away at the last minute with powerful flaps, revealing the crimson color under their wings.
These non-migratory birds permanently live and nest in the same geographical area all its life. During courtship, the male will feed the female. They build their nest together and the parents take turns sitting on the eggs. There are 18 species of these colorful fruit hunting birds and most prefer dense broad-leaved evergreen forest. The go-away bird however is often found in more open woodland. Because of their brightly colored feathers, the Turaco has been valued by native people for many years. In South Africa, these feathers symbolize the Zulu king a king who didn’t allow anyone else to wear the feathers.
5. Victoria Crowned Pigeon
When the word pigeon is thrown around, you immediately think of the ordinary-looking bird that deposits poop all over our buildings. There are 344 species of birds recognized as belonging to the Columbidae family. This Columbidae family, which includes both pigeons and doves, approximately 175 species are pigeons. The Victoria Crowned Pigeon is one of the more beautiful of the species. It was named after Queen Victoria of Great Britain mainly because the feather on its head makes it seem as if it is wearing a crown. The large bluish-gray pigeon has an elegant blue lace-like crest and a dark maroon-colored breast. It sizes about 30 inches long, and only inhabits the swamps of Northern New Guinea.
This bird species is pretty rare and can only lay one egg at a time that hatches within 30 days. Sadly, these gorgeous pigeons are disappearing from their natural habitat, becoming the crown species with the largest population in captivity. Today these glorious birds are a common sight in zoos and aviaries throughout the united states and the united kingdom. Quite the regal specimen, they are intelligent and easy to tame. They also like plenty of room to exercise and stretch their legs and a warm environment. These birds cannot tolerate temperatures below 40 degrees Fahrenheit. Make sure you are prepared if you are looking to adopt one. They might be beautiful but they are also very fussy.
4. Greater Bird of Paradise
The Greater Bird-of-Paradise is the biggest member of the genus Paradisaea. These birds were named by Carolus Linnaeus as “legless bird of paradise” or Greater Birds-of-Paradise. Apparently, early trade-skins to reach Europe were prepared without wings or feet by natives. It resulted in the misconception that these beautiful birds were visitors from paradise kept aloft by means of their plumes and only touched the earth when they died. The male has large yellow ornamental plumes on its flanks and two long tail wires, whereas the female has brown plumage.
Male measures up to 43 cm (17 in) excluding the long twin tail wires. The female is smaller, at only 35 cm (14 in). The plumage of this species is also sexually dimorphic. The male has an iridescent green face and a yellow with silver crown, head and nape. The rest of the body plumage is maroon-brown. The flank plumes, used in displays, are yellow at the base, turning white and streaked with maroon. The female has unbarred maroon brown plumage. In both sexes the iris is yellow and the bills blue. Their lifespan is unknown but generally, birds of paradise live 5-8 years in the wild and up to 30 years in captivity.
3. Resplendent Quetzal
The rare Jewel bird of the world, the Resplendent Quetzal, is a bird in the trogon family. It is found from Mexico to Western Panama. Other Quetzals of the genus Pharomachrus are found in South America and eastern Panama. It is well known for its colorful plumage. The species is 36 to 40 cm long, plus up to 65 cm of tail streamer for the male, and weighs about 210 grams.
Resplendent Quetzals have a green body and red breast. Depending on the light, quetzal feathers can shine in a variant of colors. Their green upper tail coverts hide their tails. Though Quetzal’s plumage appears green, it is actually brown due to the melanin pigment. The male has a helmet-like crest. The bill, which is partly covered by green filamentous feathers, is yellow in mature males and black in females. They are considered specialized fruit-eaters, although they mix their diet with insects, frogs and lizards.
Resplendent Quetzals create their nests over 200 feet up in the air and court in the air with specific calls. They are seasonal breeders. Both parents take turns at incubation which lasts about 18 days. Young Quetzals begin flying after three weeks. Their long tail feathers take three years to develop.
The Resplendent Quetzal was considered divine, associated with the “snake god”, Quetzalcoatl by pre-Columbian Mesoamerican civilizations. Its iridescent green tail feathers, symbols for spring plant growth, were venerated by the ancient Aztecs and Mayans who viewed Quetzal as the “god of the air” and as a symbol of goodness and light. Mayans also viewed quetzal as a symbol of freedom and wealth. Mesoamerican rulers wore headdresses made from quetzal feathers symbolically connecting them to Quetzalcoatl.
2. Cockatoo
These beautiful birds stand out amongst the crowd not only because of their dramatic crest feathers but also because they are quite the character. Part of the parrot family, the Cockatoo has made a popular pet for many over the years. It enjoys company and mimics human behavior including speech. Highly sociable, Cockatoos are mostly white with touches of red or yellow. However, there are some that are pink and gray-blue and even black. They use their massive beaks for cracking nuts digging up roots or prying grubs out from inside wood. Being showy and affectionate birds there are many caged as pets.
The Sulphur-Crested Cockatoo is especially popular with families. It is mainly white and found in Northern and Eastern Australia and New Guinea.
The Galah however is the most widespread of the Cockatoo family. They are pink with gray wings and can often be seen swooping through Australian skies in noisy flocks. Those keen on having a Cockatoo as a pet will need a steady supply of appropriate chew toys. They also need to set clear boundaries as these birds tend to be needier than other pet parrot species. Both beautiful and majestic birds add more than a touch of color to our world. Singing from the rooftops, treetops and everywhere in between, each bird has their own distinctive sound and personality. Some are graceful and quiet whereas others are needy and noisy. But whatever the case may be they are all individuals and add plenty of interest and intrigue to our planet.
1. Indian Peafowl
Peafowl is the icon of beauty in the bird kingdom. Well known across the globe for their exquisite train and plumage, the Indian blue peafowl is native to both India and Sri Lanka. Its beauty is so admired that India chose it as its national bird. These flamboyant peafowls are the definition of ostentatious which is probably why a group of peacocks is known as ostentation. At first glance, it looks like a small turkey of gorgeous colors but then its feathers reveal a masterpiece you will never get tired of seeing. With its fan-shaped crest, metallic blue head, bright blue neck and upper body, and magnificent train, the male of the species, the peacock, is quite the showstopper.
Surprisingly his train is discarded in January to make way for a new one. It grows at a rapid pace just in time for the breeding season. The delicate and colorful train is made from long ornamental features, not true tail feathers. Elongated upper tail coverts with black eyespots on the rounded tips. This complicated arrangement of multiple colors and eyespots is thought to be an advantage making sure the male stands out amongst his peers. The females are mostly brown and rely on more than just looks when picking their mate.
The peafowl can weigh up to 6 kilograms and has a wingspan of between 1.4 and 1.6 meters. The Indian Peafowl can grow up to five feet long and has a beautiful flight. Those hypnotic feathers that appear to be watching you with one eye represent 60% of its body. Their diet generally consists of grains, insects, small reptiles, small mammals, and berries.
Peacocks are already stunning animals but the albino peacock takes it truly to the next level. The name, albino peacock, is technically speaking kind of incorrect as it is actually a white peacock with a genetic variant of the Indian blue peafowl. Looking almost like the ghost of a peacock or a peacock in their wedding gown their stunning white feathers gives them an ethereal almost angelic look.
