21 Birds With Orange Chests (ID, Picture Guide)

If you need help identifying birds with orange chests in North America, then you have come to the right place. Get photos, identification help, bird calls, and what you need to know about where you might spot them and at what time of year.

All this information will really help you to identify those birds with orange chests. So take a look and see if you can spot the bird you are looking for.

21 Birds With Orange Chests:

1. Baltimore Oriole

Baltimore Orioles are a colorful sign of spring in the east of North America, and they are members of the blackbird family. Adult males are bright orange and black with white wing bars on the black wings.

Females are mostly dull yellow and brown. They are yellowish underneath and on their heads, grayish-brown on the wings, and brownish-yellow on their backs.

• Icterus galbula
• Length: 6.7-7.5 in (17-19 cm)
• Weight: 1.1-1.4 oz (30-40 g)
• Wingspan: 9.1-11.8 in (23-30 cm)

Baltimore Orioles breed in eastern US States and central US states, including central-southern Canadian provinces and along the southern border with the US.

For winter, they migrate to Florida, Central America, and the Caribbean, leaving as early as July.

You can find Baltimore Orioles high up in open woodland, riverbanks, and forest edges foraging for insects and fruit, and they often come to parks and backyards. They make incredible hanging bag-like nests woven from fibers.

Baltimore Orioles’ diet is insects such as beetles, crickets, grasshoppers, as well as spiders, and snails, and they help eat pest species. However, they eat a wide variety of fruits and can damage crops such as raspberries, mulberries, cherries, bananas, and oranges.

Baltimore Oriole Song:

Attract Baltimore Orioles to your yard with oranges cut in half on platform feeders or hanging from trees. Also, oriole feeders filled with sugar water and plant fruit and nectar sources such as raspberries, crab apples, and trumpet vines.

2. Hooded Oriole

Male Hooded Orioles range from bright yellow to bright orange, with black throats and backs. Females and immatures are more yellow with grayish wings. Females also lack the black face markings that males have.

• Icterus cucullatus
• Length: 7.1-7.9 in (18-20 cm)
• Weight: 0.8 oz (24 g)
• Wingspan: 9.1-11.0 in (23-28 cm)

Hooded Orioles breed in the southern US states, making hanging nests on the undersides of palm fronds. They winter in Mexico, and some remain all year on the Gulf Coast of Mexico and Central America.

Some Hooded Orioles have stopped migrating from southern US states because of the ready food supply from nectar feeders and fruit left out by birdwatchers. They live in dry open areas, especially near palm trees.

Hooded Oriole sounds: The males’ song is a jumbled mix of whistles and warbles. Females’ songs are less complex, and they both have sharp calls.

Nests of Hooded Orioles are high at around 20 feet off the ground and are hanging baskets weaved from grass and plant material.

Attract Hooded Orioles to your backyard with sugar water, jelly, and oranges.

Fun fact: Hooded Oriole males in Texas tend to be orange in color, but those further west are yellow.

Orchard Oriole

Orchard Orioles males have black heads and backs and reddish-orange chests and bellies. Females are greenish-yellow overall, paler underneath and darker on the back, with darker wings and white wingbars. 

Orchard Orioles females are greenish-yellow overall, paler underneath and darker on the back, with darker wings and white wingbars.

• Icterus spurius
• Length: 5.9-7.1 in (15-18 cm)
• Weight: 0.6-1.0 oz (16-28 g)
• Wingspan: 9.8 in (25 cm)

In summer, Orchard Orioles breed in the eastern half of the United States before migrating south to Mexico and Central America. 

Preferring open woodland, Orchard Orioles can also be found along river banks and open shrubland and farms as well as backyards. They build hanging pouch-like nests.

Their diet is mostly insects such as ants, caterpillars, beetles, and grasshoppers, as well as spiders. They will also drink nectar from flowers and eat fruit such as mulberries and chokeberries.

Orchard Oriole sounds: They make a jumbled series of whistles that lasts about 3 to 4 seconds.

Nests of Orchard Orioles are a cup made from long grasses suspended from small branches of trees. They lay 4 – 6 eggs, which take about two weeks to hatch.

Attract Orchard Orioles to your yard with hummingbird feeders or platform feeders with cut oranges or mango. Also, plant native berry plants such as mulberries or chokeberries.

Fun fact: Orchard Orioles are the smallest species of blackbird in North America

3. Spot-breasted Oriole

^{Credit: Ron Knight}

Spot-breasted Orioles are black and orange birds with black spotting on their breast and white on the wing edges. They have black around the face and black spotting on their orange chests. They are black on the back, wings, and tail.

Juvenile Spot-breasted Orioles are more yellow in color with dark backs, wings, and tails.

• Icterus pectoralis
• Length: 8.3-9.4 in (21-24 cm)
• Weight: 1.8 oz (50 g)

Spot-breasted Orioles can be found in Florida and along the Gulf Coast, but they are not very common in the US. Instead, they mostly live in Mexico and the Pacific Coast of Central America.

They live in open woodlands and dry scrub and will come to more urban areas.

Spot-breasted Oriole sounds: Their song is a tuneful series of whistles, and their calls are harsh and loud.

Attract Spot-breasted Orioles to your backyard with fruit and sugar water.

Fun fact: Nests of Spot-breasted Orioles are made from plants and fibers weaved into a long hanging pouch from a tree.

4. Streaked-backed Oriole

Male and female Streak-backed Orioles are orange and black orioles with orange heads and undersides, black-streaked wings, and a black tail. They have black around the eyes and chin.

Juveniles Streak-backed Orioles are yellow with some streaks on the back.

• Icterus pustulatus
• Length: 8.25 in (21 cm)
• Weight: 1.3 oz (36.8 g)
• Wingspan: 12.5 in (31.7 cm)

Streak-backed Orioles are not often spotted in the US, but they can be seen in the southwest. They are usually found along the Pacific Coast of Mexico and Central America, where they are very common.

They are usually alone or in small groups found in tropical woodland, grassland, and backyards, often along rivers.

Streak-backed Oriole sounds: Their song is a series of pleasant whistles, and calls are short sharp notes or cackles.

Nests of Streak-backed Orioles are long hanging baskets from weaved plant fibers. They lay 3 – 4 eggs, and they take about two weeks to hatch and a further two weeks to fledge.

5. American Robin

American Robins are a common sight on lawns eating earthworms. They have black heads and backs with red or orange chests. They tend to roost in trees in winter, so you are more likely to see them in your backyard from spring.

• Turdus migratorius
• Length: 7.9-11.0 in (20-28 cm)
• Weight: 2.7-3.0 oz (77-85 g)
• Wingspan: 12.2-15.8 in (31-40 cm)

American Robins are residents in the lower 48 and the coast of Western Canada and Alaska. Those that breed in Canada and inland Alaska move south for the winter.

American Robins can be found in many habitats, from woodlands, forests, and mountains to fields, parks, and lawns. They eat earthworms, insects, snails, and fruit.

American Robin Song:

American Robin Call:

Attract American Robins to your backyard with sunflower seeds, suet and peanut hearts, fruit, and mealworms. Platform feeders are best or food scattered on the ground. Also, try planting some native plants that produce berries, such as juniper, sumac, hawthorn, and dogwood.

6. Red-breasted Nuthatch

Red-breasted Nuthatches are blue-gray birds with black and white stripes on their heads and a rusty underside.

• Sitta canadensis
• Length: 4.3 in (11 cm)
• Weight: 0.3-0.5 oz (8-13 g)
• Wingspan: 7.1-7.9 in (18-20 cm)

Red-breasted Nuthatches remain all year in northeastern and western states, Alaska and Canada but may move south in winter if cone crops are poor.

You can find Red-breasted Nuthatches in coniferous woods foraging for cones, and they also visit backyard feeders.

Red-breasted Nuthatch Call:

Attract Red-breasted Nuthatches to your backyard with black oil sunflower seeds, suet feeders, peanuts, and mealworms.

7. Blackburnian Warbler

Blackburnian Warbler males are black and orange birds with orange throats, chests and face marking, black backs and wings, and white with black streaks on the belly. Females are yellower. They have distinctive dark triangles on each side of their face, by their eyes.

• Setophaga fusca
• Length: 4.3-4.7 in (11-12 cm)
• Weight: 0.3-0.4 oz (8.9-12.6 g)
• Wingspan: 7.9-9.1 in (20-23 cm)

Blackburnian Warblers, like many warblers in North America, can be seen during migration in eastern US states. They breed in Canada and northeastern US states, and some may breed as far south as Virginia or North Carolina. They spend winters in South America.

You can find Blackburnian Warblers in woods and forests hunting for caterpillars, but they are difficult to spot as they are often up at the top of trees hidden from view by leaves.

Blackburnian Warblers’ song:

Nests of Blackburnian Warblers are high up in conifer trees and made from twigs, bark with plant material, and secured to the branch with spider silk. The nest is lined with softer moss, grass, hair, and needles. They lay around four eggs, which take just under two weeks to hatch.

Fun Fact: Blackburian Warbler males are acrobatic in their territory defense and will chase rivals by flying in loops and decent at great speed in a whirling motion and raise and spread their tails.

8. Brambling

Bramblings are small birds with black heads and orange throats and chests. They have black wings with some white and orange bars. Their bellies are white. Females are less distinct and share the same patterns as juveniles except that their head is orange. 

• Fringilla montifringilla
• Length: 6.3 in (16 cm)
• Weight: 0.81-1.02 oz (23-29 g)
• Wingspan: 9.8-10.2 in (25–26 cm)

Bramblings are usually found in northern Europe, Africa, and Asia, but they also wander into Alaska, occasionally Canada, and northern US states during migration.

You can find Bramblings in birch tree woods, willow forests, agricultural fields, parks, and backyards. They feed on insects in the summer and eat seeds during the winter.

Brambling Call:

Nests of Bramblings are usually up in a tree, secured in a forked tree branch. Females build the nest using grass, birch bark, and moss and strengthen it with spider webs, wool, and down feathers. There may be up to seven eggs at a time, and they take almost two weeks to hatch. 

Fun Fact: In winter, bramblings form flocks in the thousands, maybe even millions, but only in their usual winter regions. 

9. Black-headed Grosbeak

Black-headed Grosbeaks are large songbirds with orange breasts and throats and black wings and heads. Females are brown on the back and with brown spots on their pale orange breasts. 

• Pheucticus melanocephalus
• Length: 7.1-7.5 in (18-19 cm)
• Weight: 1.2-1.7 oz (35-49 g)
• Wingspan: 12.6 in (32 cm)

Black-headed Grosbeaks breed in western US states and migrate to Mexico for the winter.

You can find Black-headed Grosbeaks in habitats with access to water, and they often visit backyards. Their large bills are great for crushing seeds and insects such as snails and beetles.

Black-headed Grosbeak Song:

Nests of Black-headed Grosbeaks are made from twigs, pine needles, and other plant material. They are loosely made but lined with softer material, including hair and stems. They lay up to five eggs, which take two weeks to hatch and up to two weeks for the young to leave the nest.

Attract Black-headed Grosbeaks to your backyard with sunflower seed feeders. They will also feed on oriole feeders.

Fun fact: Male Black-headed Grosbeaks court the females by singing while fluttering up and down from a perch with their wings spread to display their coloring.

10. Western Bluebird

Western Bluebirds are blue birds with orange chests. They are very social small stocky thrushes that are shiny blue on the back and rust-orange on the breast and across the upper back in the males. 

Females are not so bright and instead, they are a dull buff-gray, with pale orange on the breast and blue tints to the wings and tail.

• Sialia mexicana
• Length: 6.3-7.5 in (16-19 cm)
• Weight: 0.8-1.1 oz (24-31 g)
• Wingspan: 11.4-13.4 in (29-34 cm)

Western Bluebirds are found in western US states and do not usually migrate. However, some birds in the far northwest may migrate south or to lower elevations.

You can find Western Bluebirds in woodlands rather than open areas, and they are readily found in areas that have dead trees, such as burned forests and logged areas.

I Summer Western Bluebirds cat insects such as caterpillars, beetles, and ants, as well as spiders and snails or other ground-dwelling insects. In winter, Western Bluebirds eat fruit such as elderberry, grapes, mistletoe, raspberries, blackberries, sumac, and juniper.

Western Bluebird songs:

Attract Western Bluebirds to your yard by offering mealworms in summer and put up a nest box. Also, plant berry plants such as elderberry, raspberries, and juniper.

11. Eastern Bluebird

Eastern Bluebirds are small thrushes with big, rounded heads, large eyes, and big bellies.

The males are deep blue on the back and a reddish-orange color on their chests and down their flanks. Females are grayer above with some blue in the wings and tail and a less vivid orange-brown breast.

• Sialia sialis
• Length: 6.3-8.3 in (16-21 cm)
• Weight: 1.0-1.1 oz (28-32 g)
• Wingspan: 9.8-12.6 in (25-32 cm)

They live all year in southeastern US states, but those that breed in the northern US and southern Canada migrate south.

You can find Eastern bluebirds in meadows, and they can often be spotted perched on wires and posts or low branches, looking for insects.

Eastern Bluebird Song:

Attract Eastern Bluebirds to your backyard by offering mealworms and nest boxes if your yard is pretty open and spacious.

12. Western Tanager

Western Tanagers have a flaming orange-red head that extends to the upper chest, yellow body, and black wings. Females have only red faces, and their bodies are yellow-green.

• Piranga ludoviciana
• Length: 6.3-7.5 in (16-19 cm)
• Weight: 0.8-1.3 oz (24-36 g)

Western Tanagers breed in western US states and western Canada. They can be seen during migration in the east and south of this range. Winter is spent in Mexico and Central America.

You can find Western Tanagers in open conifer forests but they stay hidden in the canopy, despite their bright coloring. Their numbers are actually increasing in the last forty years.

They eat mainly insects in summer, such as wasps and grasshoppers, and in the fall and winter they also eat fruit.

Western Tanager Song:

Nests of Western Tanagers are built by females in open areas of trees and are made from large twigs and then roots and smaller twigs to weave them into a sturdy cup shape. The nest is lined with soft grass, pine needles, hair, and other plant materials. They lay around four eggs which take around two weeks to hatch.

Attract Western Tanagers with dried fruit, cut oranges, and other fruits from bird feeders.

Fun fact: Western Tanagers red coloring probably comes from eating insects that produce a pigment that they cannot produce themselves.

13. Scarlet Tanager

Scarlet Tanagers are bright red birds with black wings and tails. However, in some light, they may look more orange.

Females are yellow with darker wings and tails, as are the males after molting. Their bills are thick, and they have pretty short tails.

• Piranga olivacea
• Length: 6.3-6.7 in (16-17 cm)
• Weight: 0.8-1.3 oz (23-38 g)
• Wingspan: 9.8-11.4 in (25-29 cm)

In summer, Scarlet Tanagers breed in eastern forests before migrating to western South America. They can be spotted in southeastern states during their migrations.

Scarlet Tanagers can be hard to spot as they stay high in the forest canopy, but you may see a flash of red as they walk along branches looking for insects. 

Scarlet Tanager Song:

Nests of Scarlet Tanagers are built by females in only around four days from loosely woven twigs, grass, and plant material. The inside is lined with soft grass, pine needles, and other soft material. They lay around four eggs, which take two weeks to hatch and up to two weeks for the young to fledge.

Attract Scarlet Tanagers by planting berry plants such as blackberries, raspberries, huckleberries, juneberries, serviceberries, mulberries, strawberries, and chokeberries.

Fun fact: Male Scarlet Tanagers have singing battles which sometimes spill over into actual fighting.

14. Northern Cardinal

The bright red male Northern Cardinal with black around their faces is an incredible sight, especially against a white winter background. They also have red crests and beaks, but they may look orange n some light if you don’t get a good look.

Females are also a little showy with their brown coloring, sharp brown crest, red highlights, and red beaks.

• Cardinalis cardinalis
• Length: 8.3-9.1 in (21-23 cm)
• Weight: 1.5-1.7 oz (42-48 g)
• Wingspan: 9.8-12.2 in (25-31 cm)

Northern Cardinals live in the Eastern half of the US and some states in the south as far west as Arizona.

You can find Northern Cardinals in dense vegetation foraging for seeds, fruit, and insects.

Northern Cardinal Song:

Northern Cardinal Call:

Nests of Northern Cardinals are usually in small trees or shrubs and are built by the females, with males helping to bring material. The nest is made from twigs and lined with several layers of softer material. They lay up to five eggs, which take around twelve days to hatch and the young take a further week or two to leave the nest.

Attract Northern Cardinals to your backyard with feeders full of sunflower seeds, peanut hearts, millet, and milo. They will feed from large tube feeders, hoppers, platform feeders, or food scattered on the ground.

Fun fact: Northern Cardinals will sometimes attack their own reflection during breeding season as they obsessively defend their territories.

15. Rufous Hummingbird

Rufous Hummingbirds are bright orange on the back and belly, a white patch below the throat, and an iridescent orange-red throat, that extends down onto the chest in the males. The females are greenish-brown on the back and rusty-colored on the sides with a whitish belly.

• Length: 2.8-3.5 in (7-9 cm)
• Weight: 0.1-0.2 oz (2-5 g)
• Wingspan: 4.3 in (11 cm)

Rufous Hummingbirds are one of the longest migrating birds relative to their size, traveling up to 4000 miles each way. They breed in northwest Alaska and northwest Canada in the summer and migrate down to Mexico and the Gulf Coast for winter. 

Migration of Rufous Hummingbirds is north along the Pacific Coast in spring and the Rocky Mountains in late summer and fall. Migration in the spring of Rufous Hummingbirds starts in February, and they usually reach Alaska by mid-April. Migration in the fall is in July and August and ends by October.

A study has shown that Rufous Hummingbirds start their migration earlier and travel north more inland than before.

Rufous Hummingbird numbers have declined by around 60% since the 1970s

Rufous Hummingbirds feed primarily on nectar from colorful tubular flowers and insects such as gnats, midges, and flies. They build a nest high up in trees using soft down from plants and spider webs to hold it together. They lay 2-3 tiny white eggs about 0.5 in (1.3 cm) long. Their habitat is mountain meadows and coniferous forests.

They are very aggressive and chase off any other hummingbirds that may appear, even larger hummingbirds or resident ones during migration. They won’t hang around long during migration but will still chase off most other hummingbirds given a chance.

16. Allen’s Hummingbird

Allen’s Hummingbirds look very similar to Rufous Hummingbirds, so it’s hard to tell them apart in the narrow band of coastal forest and scrub they inhabit between California and Oregon.

Male Allen’s Hummingbirds have iridescent reddish-orange throats and orange bellies, tails, and eye patches. Both males and females have long straight bills and coppery-green backs, but the females lack the bright throat coloring.

• Length: 3.5 in (9 cm)
• Weight: 0.1-0.1 oz (2-4 g)
• Wingspan: 4.3 in (11 cm)

The difference between Allen’s and Rufous Hummingbirds is the narrow outer tail feathers in Allen’s Hummingbird.

Allen’s Hummingbirds build nests near shady streams and have up to 3 broods a year. They spend winter in Mexico and migrate as early as January up to the Pacific Coast in California and Oregon, but they are most common between March and July. Some remain residents all year in central Mexico and around Los Angeles.

17. Bullock’s Oriole

Bullock’s Orioles males are bright orange with black and white wings and black markings on their heads.

Females and immature are duller with gray backs and yellow heads, tails, and chests.

• Icterus bullockii
• Length: 6.7-7.5 in (17-19 cm)
• Weight: 1.0-1.5 oz (29-43 g)
• Wingspan: 12.2 in (31 cm)

Bullock’s Orioles breed in the western half of the US and spend the winter in Mexico. 

You can find Bullock’s Orioles in open woodlands and parks foraging for insects, fruit, and nectar.

Bullock’s Oriole sounds: They make a series of cheeps and whistles that last a few seconds.

Attract Bullock’s Orioles to your backyard with sugar water, jelly and fruit.

Fun fact: Their nests are woven from hair, grass, and wool into a gourd shape and take up to 15 days to complete.

18. Northern Red Bishop

Northern Red Bishops are small weaver birds originally from Africa. Male birds have orange chests and back of the head and black bellies, and back in the breeding season, some tend to be more red and black. Females are brown and white but with a similar pattern.

Northern Red Bishops are about 4 inches long and usually live in the tall grasslands of northern Africa. Populations thought to be from escaped pet birds now live in California and Texas, and Florida.

Their diet is seeds and insects and the males build a spherical nest with an entrance on the side.

19. Flame-colored Tanager

Male Flame-colored Tanagers are brightly colored birds with orange-red coloring, with darker wings and tails. Females are more yellow-orange.

• Length 7 – 7.5 inches (18 – 19 cm)
• Weight 1.13 – 1.71 oz (32 – 48 g). 

A rare visitor to the US, the Flame-colored Tanager, has started breeding in Arizona and has been spotted in Texas. They usually inhabit woodland in Mexico and Central America. Their diet is insects and berries.

20. Western Spindalis

Western Spindalis males have bright orange chests and black-and-white striped heads. Their backs are either green or black with some orange color. Females are less bright but have similar coloring and patterns.

They live predominantly in the Caribbean, but they also are found in southern Florida. Western Spindalis Habitat is are subtropical and tropical forests.

Western Spindalis are songbirds that feed on fruit, berries, seeds, and insects. They make a small cup-shaped nest made from grass and weeds.

21. Varied Thrush

Varied Thrush males are birds with orange breasts and throats and black backs and with a black ‘necklace’ around the throat. The males also have orange bars on the wings and orange stripes on the sides of their black heads. Females are paler and have more brown tones on the back.

• Length: 7.5-10.2 in (19-26 cm)
• Weight: 2.3-3.5 oz (65-100 g)
• Wingspan: 13.4-15.0 in (34-38 cm)

Varied Thrush can be found along the Pacific Coast and Breed in Alaska and Northwestern Canada. Some remain all year in British Columbia and Northwestern US states along the coast. In winter, birds from Alaska and inland in Canada move south as far as California.

They are shy birds that hide in the forest looking for insects in the summer and berries and seeds in the winter.