Red birds can be found throughout Texas. In this article I’ll be going over 7 unique red birds or birds with a noticeable amount of red on their body to look out for so continue reading if you want to learn a bit more about the the red avian wildlife within Texas.

• Summer Tanager 
• Northern Cardinal
• Scarlet Flycatcher
• House Finch 
• Red Headed Woodpecker
• Rose Breasted Grosbeak
• Pyrrhuloxia

7 Red Birds In Texas

1. Summer Tanager (Piranga Rubra)

• Size: 15 – 18cm
• Weight: 27 – 31 grams
• Wingspan: 28 – 30cm

Summer tanagers, as their name would suggest, can be found in most of Texas (besides its northern region) when they breed. This of course would be through the spring and summer months. 

Male summer tanagers are recognised by their almost entirely red plumage with a grayish/silver beak. Females on the other hand are almost entirely yellow.

Summer tanagers are usually found within tropical forests of tall trees with an open canopy and mostly prefer to stay in lower elevations. They can reside within habitats that are 1800 meters above sea level too.

These tanagers mostly eat small insects like bees and wasps but, will also consume berries and smaller fruits foraged from  backyards, parks among other environments rich with these food sources.

On average summer tanagers are known to live for around 5 years in the wild.

2. Northern Cardinal (Cardinalis Cardinalis)

• Size: 21 – 23cm
• Weight: 42 – 48 grams
• Wingspan: 30 – 35cm

These cardinals can be found in Texas year round. 

Northern cardinals are recognised by their mohawk-like head feathers, red exterior and beak with elements of black across the face. Females also have elements of red on their beaks and their body but, in smaller amounts, with the majority of their plumage a light brown color.

These cardinals can be found in woodlands, gardens, shrublands, wetlands and backyards if the sugar water or seeds in the feeders satisfy their taste buds.

As for the food they eat, it consists of small insects like beetles, true bugs, grasshoppers, caterpillars, ants, flies, spiders, centipedes, and snails. Seeds of weeds, berries among other smaller fruits are part of their diet too.

Northern cardinals are known to live for around 15 years in the wild although the actual number probably a lot less.

3. Scarlet Flycatcher (Pyrocephalus Rubinus)

Source

• Size: 13 – 14cm
• Weight: 12 – 14 grams
• Wingspan: 24 – 25cm

Scarlet flycatchers can be found in southern Texas year round whilst in the lower western region of the state that can be seen throughout breeding season. 

These flycatchers are recognised by their mostly scarlet red plumage with the beak, eyes and wings a mostly dark gray to black color. Females are mostly dark gray/black with elements of red around the belly area.

Just like most flycatchers the scarlet Flycatcher can be found around open areas with trees or shrubs in savannahs, scrub, agricultural areas, riparian woodlands, and deserts. 

These scarlet birds are known to eat mostly insects which they tend to hunt from the sky by seeds and berries also make up a small portion of their diet.

Their lifespan will depend partially on luck, which is why they can live anywhere from 2 years up to 10 years in the wild.

4. House Finch (Haemorhous Mexicanus)

• Size: 12.5 – 15cm
• Weight: 19 – 22 grams
• Wingspan: 20 – 25cm

House finches can be found in western and central part of Texas year round. 

A House finch can be recognised by its red and brown plumage with their body mostly light brown and the head made up of a gradient red color with hints of brown. Females on the other hand are mostly brown with hints of black on their wings and back.

As for where you can find house finches, the number of habitats they stay within are quite vast ranging from dry desert, desert grassland, chaparral, oak savannah, streamsides, and open coniferous forests at elevations below 6,000 feet. 

If the food is to their liking, like black sunflower seeds, these little birds will on occasion make their way to a feeder set out by a citizen. Other than seeds house finches also eat small insects like aphids as well as fruits and berries.

In the wild, house finches are known to live for around 10 years whilst captive finches can live upwards of 12 years.

5. Red Headed Woodpecker (Melanerpes Erythrocephalus)

• Size: 19 – 25cm
• Weight: 56 – 97 grams
• Wingspan: 40 – 45cm

These red headed woodpeckers are yearly residents around the eastern part of Texas, whilst they tend only to stay centrally in the winter, non-breeding months. 

Red headed woodpeckers are recognised by their red head and their black and white body and wings.

These woodpeckers tend to spend the majority of their time in groves, farm country, orchards, shade trees in towns, large scattered trees where you can find them in forest edges, orchards, open pine woods and the groves of taller trees.

A red headed woodpeckers diet consists of a wide variety of insects which includes spiders, earthworms, different types of nuts, seeds, berries along with other fruits. Sometimes these peckers may even eat small rodents or the contents of another birds eggs.

As for their lifespan, red headed woodpeckers have been known to live up to 10 years in the wild.

6. Rose Breasted Grosbeak (Pheucticus Ludovicianus)

• Size: 18 – 22cm
• Weight: 35 – 65 grams
• Wingspan: 29 – 33cm

These rose breasted grosbeaks can only be seen in Texas when they happen to migrate and are making their passage through it.

Rose breasted grosbeaks are recognised by their black, white and red plumage where their back is black, their wings and wing tail feathers a mixture of black and white with their breast white, with a triangular red shape closer to the neck. Females on the other hand are mostly brown and white.

As for where you can find these grosbeaks, it will often be around deciduous forest, woodlands, parks and gardens.

Rose breasted grosbeaks are known to consume a variety of different food sources such as seeds like sunflower seeds or safflower, small insects as well as berries and other smaller fruits.

These rose breasted grosbeaks are known to live for around 7 years in the wild and significantly longer in captivity, extending to about 24 years there.

7. Pyrrhuloxia (Cardinalis Sinuatus)

• Size: 20 – 22cm
• Weight: 24 – 43 grams
• Wingspan: 30 – 32cm

Pyrrhuloxias can be found in southern and western Texas year round whilst they aren’t too common elsewhere in the state.

These birds are recognised by their red breasts, underside of the tail feathers, face and edges of the wings whilst the remainder of their body is gray in color. Females on the other hand are gray with hints of gray at the edges of the wings

You can often find pyrrhuloxias around scrubs, upland deserts, mesquite savannas, riparian (streamside) or woodlands. 

As for what they eat, it includes insects like beetles, caterpillars, grasshoppers, arthropods, seeds, berries and wild fruits including cactus fruits.

Pyrrhuloxias are known to live for around 8 years in the wild.