In this article I’ll be going over 9 orange birds that can be found across the state of Utah so, continue reading for a more detailed look at each bird below.

• American Robin
• Cooper’s Hawk
• American Kestrel
• Red Breasted Nuthatch
• Barn Swallow
• American Redstart
• Black Headed Grosbeak
• Bullock’s Oriole
• Rufous Hummingbird

9 Orange Birds In Utah

1. American Robin (Turdus Migratorius)

• Size: 12.5 – 14cm
• Weight: 16 – 22 grams
• Wingspan: 20 – 22cm

American robins are year round residents all across Utah.

These robins are recognised by their gray wings, back and tail, black head, yellow beak and orange belly/breast. Females have a far duller color scheme where the plumage that is black is mostly gray whilst the breast is a lighter orange tint.

American robins are often seen around woodlands, suburban backyards, parks, and grasslands with shrubs.

As for what they eat, it includes fruits, seeds, suet, crushed peanuts, sunflower hearts, raisins and a variety of insects like beetles, flies, worms, etc.

American robins have a lifespans of around 2 years on average, though some have been known to live up to 5 or 6 year.

2. Cooper’s Hawk (Accipiter Cooperii)

• Size: 35 – 51cm
• Weight: 400 – 700 grams
• Wingspan: 73 – 94cm

You’ll find cooper’s hawks all across Utah on a year round basis.

Cooper’s hawks are recognised by their gray back and upper head with a orange and white patterned breast, legs and underside of the wing. The females and males look very much the same but, the females are around 30% larger than the opposite gender.

You’ll often find a cooper’s hawk around pines, oaks, Douglas-firs, beeches, spruces, and other tree species, often on flat ground rather than hillsides, and in dense woods.

As for what they eat, it includes mainly medium-sized birds including robins, jays, flickers, among other smaller and even larger birds. Small mammals like chipmunks, tree squirrels, ground squirrels, mice, bats, etc. are included in their diet too.

Cooper’s hawks tend to live for around 10 – 12 years on average whilst the oldest recorded hawk surpassed the 20 year mark.

3. American Kestrel (Falco Sparverius)

• Size: 20 – 24cm
• Weight: 115 – 125 grams
• Wingspan: 50 – 60cm

These American kestrels can be found all across Utah on a year round basis. 

American kestrels are recognised by their spotted orange, gray, black and white plumage with their back orange with a black horizontal pattern, their wings a gray color, black tail feathers and orange sides with a gray and white head that has 2 black lines drawn vertically near both eyes. Females are mostly light brown.

American kestrels can be found in a variety of open or semi-open habitats from forest clearings, farmland and deserts. 

As for what they eat, it includes small mammals such as woodmice and shrews, small birds, insects, earthworms with voles being their go to food source.

Wild American kestrels are known to live for around 5 years but, captive variants have been known to hit 17+ years.

4. Red Breasted Nuthatch (Sitta Canadensis)

• Size: 11 – 13cm
• Weight: 9 – 13 grams
• Wingspan: 18 – 22cm

Red breasted nuthatches can be found in the majority of Utah year round but, they only stick around in some regions of western Utah in their non-breeding season.

These Nuthatches have rusty orange colored breast feathers, gray wings and back, with a vertical black and white striped pattern on their head. Females are very similar in color scheme but, their plumage does look duller and more washed out.

You can find a red breasted nuthatch around coniferous forests of spruce, fir, pine, hemlock, larch, and western red cedar.

As for what they eat, it includes insects and seeds where they mostly eat spiders in the summer whilst around winter they chow down on a variety of different seeds, especially seeds in conifers.

The lifespan of red breasted nuthatch is around 6 years on average.

5. Barn Swallow (Hirundo Rustica)

• Size: 17 – 20cm
• Weight: 17 – 21 grams
• Wingspan: 33 – 36cm

Barn swallows can be found all throughout Utah in their spring and summer breeding months. 

Barn swallows are recognised by their dark blue, white and rusty orange plumage with the back a dark blue color with the breast and neck rusty orange in color. Females look very similar to the males but their breast plumage is white as opposed to rusty orange like the males.

These avians spend the majority of their time in farmlands or open pastures near water where they’ll occasionally build their mud and straw nests on ledges, generally on farm buildings.

Barn swallows mostly consume seeds, insects, fruits and a variety of berries.

These swallows tend to live for around 2 years on average, with the upper end of their lifespan being roughly 11 years.

6. American Redstart (Setophaga Ruticilla)

• Size: 11 – 14cm
• Weight: 6 – 9 grams
• Wingspan: 16 – 19cm

American redstarts can be found in northeast Utah when breeding and in the remainder of the state when migrating elsewhere.

American redstarts are mostly black with elements of orange/yellow on their wings, side of their breast and the bottom their tail with their breast white in color with the remainder of their body being black. Females are mostly gray, yellow and white.

The habitat American redstarts inhabit include moist, second-growth hardwood forests, with a dense shrub layer and a lot open wooded environments. 

As for what they eat it includes a wide variety of insects including beetles, caterpillars, moths, leafhoppers, aphids, midges, crane flies, daddy longlegs, smaller fruits and seeds.

On average American redstarts will live for around 5 years in the wild whilst the oldest recorded redstart’s lifespan was 10 years old.

7. Black Headed Grosbeak (Pheucticus Melanocephalus)

• Size: 18 – 19cm
• Weight: 34 – 48 grams
• Wingspan: 30 – 34cm

Black headed grosbeaks can be found in all of Utah when breeding throughout the spring and summer. 

These grosbeaks are recognised by their black, orange and white plumage with their wings and head black with elements of white, the remainder of their body from neck to belly is orange whilst they also have a triangular black beak. Females are far duller in color with the black wings a more orange/gray color and the rest of the body a washed out orange.

Black headed grosbeaks can be found near broadleaved or mixed forests where they will inhabit brushy, riparian areas, shrubs within conifer, streamside corridors, wetlands and suburban areas. 

In regards to what these birds eat, it includes mostly insects like caterpillars, flies, snails, bees, berries like blueberries,, strawberries, blackberries, a variety of seeds like seeds of weed and plants like mistletoe and poison oak.

Black headed grosbeaks will typically live between 7 – 8 years in the wild although the longest lifespan we’re aware of is in the 24 year range.

8. Bullock’s Oriole (Icterus Bullockii)

• Size: 17 – 19cm
• Weight: 29 – 43 grams
• Wingspan: 29 – 32cm

You’ll be able to find bullock’s orioles in all of Utah when they happen to breed.

Bullock’s orioles are recognised by a large white patch on their black wings, a yellow/orange covering of feathers around the breast with a few black streaks around their face and a silver/gray beak black beak.

These orioles tend to spend the most of their time within forest edges, farmyards, leafy suburbs, isolated groves, and streamside woods that are particularly based around cottonwood trees.

Bullock’s orioles are known to live upwards of 12 years in the wild whilst captive bullock’s orioles have been recorded living up till 14 years of age.

Throughout their relatively short lives, these black and yellow birds will consume mostly seeds insects, berries and nectar.

9. Rufous Hummingbird (Selasphorus Rufus)

• Size: 7 – 9cm
• Weight: 2 – 5 grams
• Wingspan: 11 – 12cm

Rufous hummingbirds tend to fly through Utah when they are migrating towrads their breeding or wintering grounds.

These hummingbirds are recognised by their mostly orange body with a white breasts, and a mixture of darker brown and white wings. Females on the other hand have hints of orange on their body but are mostly gray with a white breast and belly area.

You’ll often spot rufous hummingbirds around open or shrubby areas, forest openings, yards, and parks, and sometimes in forests, thickets, swamps, and meadows from sea level to about 6,000 feet.

They’ll typically consume the same as what most other hummingbirds would eat such as smaller insects, nectar from flowers, sugar water from feeders and even tree sap.

Rufous hummingbirds are known to live for up to 8 years and 11 months, which is also the longest recorded lifespan.