11 Red Birds in Oregon – Picture and ID Guide

There are 11 species of red birds in Oregon that have been spotted. Of these, 7 species are recognized on state checklists as regularly occurring, and 4 additional species are considered rare or accidental.

This guide will help you identify the species of red birds in Oregon according to avibase. Some of these birds migrate, and some remain all year.

You can print out a free bird identification worksheet for Oregon to help you identify all birds that visit your backyard.

The most common red bird in both summer and winter in Oregon is the House Finch. The Purple Finch is more commonly seen in summer, and several other species are more commonly spotted in winter in Oregon. Continue reading to find out more about these red birds.

11 Red Birds in Oregon:

1. House Finch
2. Purple Finch
3. Red Crossbill
4. Cassin’s Finch
5. Pine Grosbeak
6. Common Redpoll
7. White-winged Crossbill
8. Painted Bunting
9. Summer Tanager
10. Pyrrhuloxia
11. Scarlet Tanager

11 Red Birds in Oregon:

1. House Finch

House Finches are very common red birds all year in Oregon.

House Finches are another bird with a red head and breast in the males and brown-streaked coloring in the females. 

• Length: 5.1-5.5 in (13-14 cm)
• Weight: 0.6-0.9 oz (16-27 g)
• Wingspan: 7.9-9.8 in (20-25 cm)

Originally only in western states, it was introduced to the eastern states and has done very well, even pushing out the Purple Finch.

They can be found in parks, farms, forest edges, and backyard feeders. They can be found in noisy groups that are hard to miss.

You can attract more House Finches to backyard feeders with black oil sunflower seeds or nyjer seeds in tube feeders or platform feeders.

2. Purple Finch

Purple Finches can be seen in Oregon all year, but they are more common during summer. They can be seen mainly in the western part of the state.

Purple Finches look very similar to House Finch with the reddish-purple head and breast with more brown on the back and wings. 

• Length: 4.7-6.3 in (12-16 cm)
• Weight: 0.6-1.1 oz (18-32 g)
• Wingspan: 8.7-10.2 in (22-26 cm)

They breed in Canada and overwinter in eastern states but can be found all year in the north-east are Pacific coast.

You can spot them in evergreen forests feeding on seeds and buds, nectar, and berries.

They readily come to feeders for black oil sunflower seeds.

3. Red Crossbill

Red Crossbills are residents of Oregon all year.

Red Crossbill males are red birds with darker wings and tails. Females are yellow and brown.

They can be found year-round in northern and western states and winter in eastern states.

They feed on conifer seeds and forage in flocks from tree to tree, even breaking unopened cones with their powerful beaks.  As well as coniferous forests, they can be found along roadsides consuming grit in the mornings.

4. Cassin’s Finch

Cassin’s Finches are spotted in Oregon all year, especially between April and November.

Cassin’s Finches have a red crown, rosy pink head, and red-breasted with a whiteish belly and brown back and wings.

• Length: 6.3 in (16 cm)
• Weight: 0.8-1.2 oz (24-34 g)
• Wingspan: 9.8-10.6 in (25-27 cm)

They can be found in mountain forests in western states, foraging in flocks for seeds.

They are not as common in backyards as House or Purple Finches. Still, they may be attracted with sunflower seed feeders, especially in winter, or fruiting shrubs such as cotoneaster, mulberries, firethorn, grape, and apple.

5. Pine Grosbeak

Pine Grosbeaks are rare red birds in Oregon, but they can be spotted in Mt. Hood National Forest, Willamette National Forest, and Fremont-Winema National Forest.

Pine Grosbeaks are a species of finch. The males are red birds with gray on the wings and tail and two white wingbars. Females are gray with dull orange heads and rumps. They are large for finches and relatively slow.

• Pinicola enucleator
• Length: 7.9-9.8 in (20-25 cm)
• Wingspan: 13.0 in (33 cm)

Pine Grosbeaks are mostly found in Canada, but some can be spotted along the US border, the mountainous west, and the Sierra Nevada in California.

They live in forests of pine, spruce, and fir, feeding on seeds, fruit, and buds from these trees. They will also eat some insects in the summer.  

You can attract Pine Grosbeaks to black oil sunflower seed feeders or suet feeders.

6. Common Redpoll

Common Redpolls are rare in Oregon, but you may spot them during winter in Siuslaw National Forest and Wallowa-Whitman National Forest.

Common Redpolls have red foreheads, pinky breasts, and brown and white over the rest of their bodies.

• Acanthis flammea
• Length: 4.7-5.5 in (12-14 cm)
• Weight: 0.4-0.7 oz (11-20 g)
• Wingspan: 7.5-8.7 in (19-22 cm)

They can be found in winter in northern states and less frequently in central states.

In winter, they will sometimes tunnel into the snow to stay warm during the night. They can eat up to 42% of their body mass every day and can store up to 2 grams of seeds in a stretchy part of their esophagus.

They can be found in weedy fields or feeding on catkins in trees, but they will also come to feeders for small seeds such as nyjer seeds or thistle.

7. White-winged Crossbill

Another rare red bird in Oregon is the White-winged Crossbill. They can be seen along the state’s coast and a few others around Boise National Forest and Umatilla National Forest.

White-winged Crossbills are finches with heavy crossed beaks. Males are red birds with black wings and tails and two white wingbars. Females are yellow and brown and with two white wing bars.

• Loxia leucoptera
• Length: 5.9-6.7 in (15-17 cm)
• Weight: 0.8-0.9 oz (24-26 g)
• Wingspan: 10.2-11.0 in (26-28 cm)

White-winged Crossbills live in forests in Canada, Alaska, and sometimes the northern US states when cone crops are poor further north. They can be found in spruce forests feeding on seeds.

Unusually these birds breed at any time of year as long as there is enough food.

They can often be heard in large flocks. 

8. Painted Bunting

Painted Buntings are considered an accidental species in Oregon, but they have been spotted in Hayesville and Marion County.

Painted Bunting males are a brightly colored patchwork of color with mostly red coloring underneath and with bright blue heads, green wings, and backs. Females are bright yellow-green.

• Passerina ciris
• Length: 4.7-5.1 in (12-13 cm)
• Weight: 0.5-0.7 oz (13-19 g)

Painted Bunting breed in a few states, in the south-central and some coastal areas in the Southeast US, before migrating at night to Central America, southern Florida, and some Caribbean islands.

You can find Painted Bunting in semi-open habitats, mainly foraging for seeds and insects in the breeding season.

To attract painted Bunting to your yard, try adding low, dense vegetation, and feeders filled with white millet or black oil sunflower seeds.

9. Summer Tanager

Summer Tanagers are considered an accidental or rare species in Oregon, but they have been spotted here. A few have been spotted in Thomas Orchards in Kimberly and in Fremont National Forest.

Summer Tanager males are bright red birds, and females are yellow. 

• Piranga rubra
• Length: 6.7 in (17 cm)
• Weight: 1.1 oz (30 g)

They breed in southern and eastern states before heading to Central and South America for winter.

They are forest songbirds found in open woodlands and feed on bees and wasps in mid-flight. They catch them and kill them by beating them against a branch and rubbing the stinger off before eating them.

You can attract more Summer Tanagers to your backyard with berry bushes and fruit trees.

10. Pyrrhuloxia

Pyrrhuloxia is an accidental species of red bird in Oregon, but they have been spotted in Peoria Park.

Pyrrhuloxia males are grey with lots of red coloring to the face, crest, breast, and tail. Females are dull gray with less red coloring.

• Cardinalis sinuatus
• Length: 8.3 in (21 cm)
• Weight: 0.8-1.5 oz (24-43 g)

They are residents of the hot deserts in Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, and Mexico.

They fiercely defend their territory during the breeding season, but in winter, they can be found in flocks of up to 1000. 

Pyrrhuloxia feed primarily on seeds but also insects. They can be found at feeders with sunflower seeds but prefer them scattered on the ground. 

11. Scarlet Tanager

Scarlet Tanagers are considered an accidental species in Oregon, and according to records, they have only been spotted in the state six times.

Scarlet Tanagers are bright red birds with black wings and tails. Females are yellow with darker wings and 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)

They breed in eastern forests in summer before migrating to South America.

Scarlet Tanagers can be hard to spot as they stay high in the forest canopy. 

You can attract more Scarlet Tanagers by planting berry plants such as blackberries, raspberries, huckleberries, juneberries, serviceberries, mulberries, strawberries, and chokeberries.

How Frequently Red birds are Spotted in Oregon in Summer and Winter

Checklists for the state are a great resource to find out which birds are commonly spotted here. These lists show which red birds are most commonly recorded on checklists for Oregon on ebird in summer and winter.