Pink birds aren’t extremely common in California but, if you know where to look you can still find the odd one rocking  a pink plumage. In this article I’ll be going over 5 unique pink birds to look out for in California so continue reading if you want a more in-depth look at the birds.

• Roseate Spoonbill
• Common Rosefinch
• California Condor
• Pine Grosbeak
• Cassin’s Finch

5 Pink Birds In California

1. Roseate Spoonbill (Platalea Ajaja)

• Size – 75 – 85cm
• Weight – 0.9 – 1.1kg
• Wingspan – 1.15 – 1.3m

Vagrant Roseate spoonbills can be found across the coastal areas of California as well as around it’s southern border.

Roseate spoonbills are recognised by their mostly pink plumage with elements of white across their chest and an extremely long bill that’s gray/white in color. The male and females both look extremely similar with males generally a little larger in size.

As for where you can spot these big pink birds, it’ll often be around bays, lagoons, mudflats and coastal marches. Within these areas they will often feed on minnows, small crustaceans, insects and bits of plants. They feed by using their bill to spoon up a potential meal in shallower water.

Although some may confuse the huge pink birds as flamingos they aren’t despite their vibrant pink plumage and social nature where anywhere from 2 – 400 can get together when looking for food to consume.

As for how long these birds can live, it tends to be around 10 years in the wild and 15 years in captivity.

2. Common Rosefinch (Carpodacus Erythrinus)

• Size: 20 – 22cm
• Weight: 52 – 58 grams
• Wingspan: 31 – 35cm

Vagrant common rosefinches can be found in and around the Californian coastline.

These rosefinches are recognised by their gradient pinkish red plumage with elements of brown on the wings and tail feathers. Females are mostly light brown with darker brown wings.

Common rosefinches can be found around brushy fields, forest edges, forest clearings, and fence rows.

They tend to consume seeds, buds, berries and small invertebrates.

The common roesfinch is known to live for around 9 years in the wild.

3. California Condor (Gymnogyps Californianus)

• Size – 109 – 140cm
• Weight – 9 – 12kg
• Wingspan – 270 – 300cm

These condors can be found in central California year round.

California Condor’s are recognised by their black feathers, white triangular area on the underside of their wings, it’s almost bald neck along with its pink, yellow and black head. It’s amongst the largest vulture like birds in California that were even in the verge of extinction in and around 1987.

Since then the bird was reintroduced into Baja Northern California, southern California, Arizona and Utah and is thriving in the wilderness. One interesting fact about this huge bird has to do with its neck which flushes to extreme pink to showcase the the Condor’s emotions.

California Condor’s have amongst the largest if not the largest wingspan in all of North America and it’s also near top for the  heaviest bird in the continent too.

These vultures are classified as scavengers due to their large appetite for carrion i.e. carcasses of dead mammals among other dead creatures.

They tend to live for up to 60 years in the wild.

4. Pine Grosbeak (Pinicola enucleator)

• Size: 20 – 25.5cm
• Weight: 52 – 58 grams
• Wingspan: 31 – 35cm

These pine grosbeaks can be found in eastern California year round.

Pine Grosbeaks are recognised by their greyish white wings and tail feathers, a redish pink body and head along with a black beak and feet. Female grosbeaks are not nearly as vibrant as the males with their plumage a generally light gray color with hints of orange around the torso and tail.

Pine Grosbeaks spend the majority of their time within coniferous woods where the may straddle on a horizontal branch when resting and hunt for small insects, seeds, buds, berries among other refreshing fruits when on the move.

These birds are known to live for 9 years old, sometimes even more so they have a moderately long lifespans for birds of their size.

5. Cassin’s Finch (Haemorhous Cassinii)

• Size – 15 – 17cm
• Weight – 24 – 34 grams
• Wingspan – 25 – 27cm

Cassin’s finches can be found in north California year round whilst they will hang in central California when not breeding.

Cassin’s finches are a mixture of brown and redish pink with elements of pink mostly around their neck, wings and chest. The remainder of the body is white. Females on the other hand have a light brown color scheme and no elements of pink on their head.

As for where you can find a cassin’s finch, they will often be around evergreen forests in the mountains up to about 10,000 feet elevation whilst in winter you’ll find them in elevations that are far lower. 

Cassin’s finches tend to eat seeds, buds and berries whilst the occasional insect is also eaten by these finches. Nevertheless, in most cases cassin’s finches tend to eat seeds.

These finches are known to live for around 7 years in the wild with captive ones likely able to live a few years longer.