Birds With a Red Head: How to Tell Them Apart

Red on a bird’s head is one of the easiest clues to notice and one of the easiest to mix up. Several unrelated birds, including woodpeckers, finches, tanagers and a few others, carry red on or around the head, and they look quite different once you check where the red sits and what the rest of the bird looks like.

This guide groups the common North American birds with red heads by family, then gives you a short method for narrowing down a bird you have just seen. Ranges and plumage vary by season, sex and age, so treat this as a starting point and confirm with a field guide or a bird identification app.

Start With Where the Red Is

Before you think about species, ask three quick questions:

1. How much of the head is red? Is it the whole head, only a cap, a patch on the back of the neck, or a wash that extends onto the chest?
2. What shape is the bird? A bird climbing a tree trunk is probably a woodpecker. A small, stout bird with a thick bill at a seed feeder is probably a finch or cardinal relative.
3. What are the other colors? Black and white wings, a streaky brown body, or a black mask each point toward different birds.

Also keep in mind that in many species only the male is red. A plain brown or gray bird nearby, perhaps feeding alongside a red one, may be the female of the same species.

Woodpeckers With Red Heads

Woodpeckers are the group most people think of for truly red heads, and they are easy to separate by pattern. If you want to attract them, see the best feeder for woodpeckers.

• Red-headed woodpecker: Adults have a solid crimson head and neck, a black back and a clean white belly, with large white patches on the wings. Young birds have a brown head that turns red as they mature. This species has declined in many areas, so it is a notable sighting.
• Red-bellied woodpecker: Despite the name, the red is most obvious on the head. Males have red from the bill up over the crown to the nape, while females have red mostly on the nape. The back has black-and-white barring, and the belly shows only a faint reddish tinge that is hard to see.
• Pileated woodpecker: A crow-sized, mostly black bird with a tall red crest and bold white stripes on the face and neck.
• Downy and hairy woodpeckers: Males have a small red patch on the back of the head. The rest of the bird is black and white, with a white stripe down the back.
• Yellow-bellied sapsucker: Shows a red forehead and crown (males also have a red throat) with a black-and-white face pattern and a yellowish wash on the belly.
• Acorn woodpecker (West): A red cap, creamy face and black mask give it a clown-like look.
• Northern flicker: A brown, spotted woodpecker that often feeds on the ground. Eastern birds have a red crescent on the back of the head, and males also show a black mustache stripe. Flickers are widespread and fairly common, though you may overlook them because they spend so much time on the ground. If you want a deeper look at a flicker, check its distinctive spotted chest and white rump when it flies.

Finches and Their Relatives

This is where the “red head that looks like a sparrow” question usually leads. Many red-headed finches are small and streaky, similar to a sparrow in size and posture.

• House finch: Males have red on the head, breast and rump, with brown streaking on the belly and flanks. The red can range from orange to deep red depending on diet. Females are plain, streaky brown with no red. It is one of the most common feeder birds across much of the continent.
• Purple finch: Males look as if they were dipped in raspberry juice, with the color extending over the head, back and breast and with little brown streaking underneath. Females have a bold white eyebrow and strong facial pattern.
• Cassin’s finch (West): Similar to the purple finch, with a more distinctly red cap against a paler body.
• Common redpoll: A small, streaky bird with a red forehead patch and a black chin, mostly seen in winter in northern areas.
• Red crossbill: A heavier-bodied finch with a bill whose tips cross. Males are brick red overall.
• Pine grosbeak: A larger northern finch. Males are rosy red on the head and body with white wing bars.

If you see a red-headed bird on a feeder and it is not a woodpecker, a house finch is usually the first species to rule in or out. To separate it from a purple finch, look at how far the red extends and whether the belly is streaked. Note that “red-headed finch” is also the name of a species from southern Africa, so the phrase can refer to something quite different depending on where the person asking lives.

Cardinals, Tanagers and Other Red-Headed Birds

• Northern cardinal: Males are red overall, with a pointed crest and a black face around a thick red-orange bill. Females are warm tan or buff with reddish tones in the crest, wings and tail.
• Pyrrhuloxia (Southwest): A gray cardinal relative with a red crest and a short, curved, parrot-like bill.
• Summer tanager: Males are rosy red from head to tail, with no black on the wings.
• Scarlet tanager: Breeding males are bright red with jet-black wings and tail. It is fairly widespread in eastern forests but spends much of its time high in the canopy, which makes it feel uncommon even where it lives.
• Western tanager: Males have a red-orange head on a yellow body, with black wings and back.
• Vermilion flycatcher (Southwest): A small, active flycatcher with a bright red crown and underparts and a dark brown back and mask.
• Hummingbirds: Males of some species have red on the head. Anna’s hummingbird has a rose-red crown and throat, while ruby-throated males show red only on the throat. A hummingbird’s tiny size and hovering flight make it easy to separate from the other birds here.

A Quick Comparison

Putting It Together: Identifying Your Bird

1. Note the pattern of the red. Whole head, cap, nape patch or crest?
2. Look at behavior. Clinging to a trunk, probing for insects, and drumming suggests a woodpecker. Perching at a feeder and cracking seeds suggests a finch.
3. Check the season and region. Some birds, such as the common redpoll, only reach many areas in winter, and several tanagers are summer visitors.
4. Think about male and female. A drab bird nearby may be the same species.
5. Use a tool. A free app such as Merlin Bird ID from the Cornell Lab of Ornithology can suggest candidates from a photo or a few questions, and an online range map can confirm whether a species occurs where you live.

If you are mainly interested in small, mostly red species, our guide to small red birds and their names covers cardinals, finches and tanagers in more detail. For birds with a splash of yellow on the crown instead, see how to identify a bird with a yellow stripe on its head.

Frequently Asked Questions

What birds have red heads?

The best known are the red-headed woodpecker, the pileated woodpecker (red crest), male house finches and purple finches, western tanagers, and the vermilion flycatcher. Many other species have red on the crown or nape only.

What bird looks like a sparrow but has a red head?

A male house finch is the usual answer. It is sparrow-sized and streaky, with red on the head and breast. Purple finches and common redpolls also fit that description in some areas.

Are red-headed finches rare?

In North America, house finches are common and widespread, so seeing one is not unusual. Cassin’s finches and common redpolls are more local or seasonal.

Is it rare to see a scarlet tanager?

They are not considered rare across much of the eastern forest, but they stay high in the treetops and can be hard to spot, so many people go years without a clear look. Listening for the song can help you find one.