10 Rainforest Birds that Will Delight your Eyes
In tropical forests, there is a wide range of ecosystems and it´s estimated that some 400 bird species inhabit them. Tropical rainforests are located in some countries of Central America, South America, Africa, India, Southeast Asia, parts of Indonesia and Australia. These birds are some of the most beautiful creatures in the animal kingdom due to their color and majesty, and you´ll be delighted when you see the pictures of these species, no doubt!
1. Zebra Finch
– Order: Passeriformes.
– Family: Estrildids.
– Distribution: Australia, Indonesia and East Timor.
– Habitat: dry subtropical environments and savannas.
Features
He´s a sturdy, small, and sociable bird. The male has orange spots on the cheeks and a black bar on the chest (the female doesn´t), with white belly (female: creamy) and red beak. Both male and female have gray head and neck:
Zebra finch, male and female
There are mutations in these bird species, which means that there´s a wide variety of colors. He feeds on seeds, fruits and insects.
2. Toucan
– Order: Piciformes.
– Family: Ramphastidae.
– Distribution: from the jungles of Mexico to northwestern Argentina.
– Habitat: tropical rainforests.
There are more than 40 species of toucans.
Features
– He´s medium to large in size and can grow up to 60 cm. (23 inches), with short wings and a long tail. His orange beak, which is serrated on the edge, regulates the body temperature.
– He´s a sociable bird and lives in flocks, making nests in hollow trees.
– He feeds on fruits, insects and arachnids.
3. Red Macaw: also known as “Green Wings Macaw” and “Red and Green Macaw“
Image / Dirk Vorderstraße
– Order: Psittaciformes.
– Family: Psittacidae.
– Distribution: from eastern Panama, through South America to northern Argentina.
– Habitat: tropical forests and mountainous jungle areas.
Features
– He´s one of the largest parrots in the world, growing up to 90 cm (34 inches). His head and most of his body are red, his wings are yellow and his long tail feathers are striking.
– He´s very sociable and needs to be in pairs or groups when having him as a pet.
– Regarding his nutrition, he feeds on nuts, seeds, fruits and sprouts. Thanks to the curved shape of his beak, which resembles a hook, he can crack hard shells and eat them.
4. Budgerigars
Image / Mary Bernadette de Vera
– Order: Psittaciformes.
– Family: Psittacidae.
– Distribution: Australia.
– Habitat: Australia in semi-arid areas, scrubs and pasture lands.
Features
– Small in size, from 18 to 20 cm long (7.3 – 7.78 inches).
– In the wild, he´s green (belly and chest) and has yellow wings with black stripes, while hatcheries have produced different varieties of colors: blue, white, yellow, violet, and gray.
– He´s nomadic, lives in flocks and feeds on insects, seeds and grains.
5. Andean Cock-of-the-rock
– Order: Passeriformes.
– Family: Cotingidae.
– Distribution: Amazon, Andes from Colombia through Ecuador, Peru to Bolivia.
– Habitat: Andean cloud forest, subtropical and tropical forests near rocky areas to build their nests.
Features
– Medium-sized bird, 32 cm long (12.19 inches). The male is orange, with beak and legs of the same color and a prominent fan-shaped crest; the female is grayish brown, with black and yellow-speckled beak and a small comb.
– The males dance and sing to the female and the best dancer will be chosen to mate.
– He feeds on fruits, berries and sometimes insects and reptiles.
6. Gouldian Finch
Image / Jürgen Schiller García.
Image / “Australianaviculture“
– Order: Passeriformes.
– Family: Estrildids.
– Distribution: Australia.
– Habitat: woodlands of Australian tropical savannas, near watery areas.
Features
– He´s a very popular bird due to his beauty, and he´s about 13 to 15 cm long (5.18 to 5.29 inches).
– Both male and female have green feathers, yellow belly, purple breast (males) and soft mauve breast (females).
– You can find 3 varieties of Gouldian Finches: red head, orange head and black head. The other existing colors are obtained through genetic crossbreeding and are considered to be mutants.
– He feeds on small insects and seeds.
7. African Grey Parrot
– Order: Psittaciformes.
– Family: Psittacidae.
– Distribution: Central, Western and Equatorial Africa.
– Habitat: tropical forests in Africa.
Features
– He´s medium in size and is about 33 cm long (12.63 inches long), with gray feathers in different shades, white color around the eyes, a red tail and a black beak.
– He´s an excellent climber and prefers to be in the trees instead of walking on the ground, as he´s very clumsy and only descends to drink water.
– Also considered one of the most intelligent birds in the animal kingdom, as he has a great capacity to learn and repeat phrases.
– He feeds on fruits, seeds, nuts and vegetables (I dedicated a complete article to this species called Examining the Grey Parrot).
8. Oriental Dwarf Kingfisher, also called “Dwarf Kingfisher.”
– Order: Coraciiformes.
– Family: Alcedinidae.
– Distribution: Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asia.
– Habitat: densely shaded forests near small streams.
Features
– He´s small in size, being only 13 cm long (5.18 inches). His belly and chest are yellow and his wings are bright bluish black.
– He feeds on insects, spiders, centipedes, frogs and small fish, diving into rivers and streams to catch them.
9. Rainbow Lorikeet
– Order: Psittaciformes.
– Family: Psittaculidae.
– Distribution: Indonesia, Timor, New Guinea, Solomon Islands and the eastern coast of Australia.
– Habitat: he lives in the coastal scrub, woodlands and rain forests.
Features
– He´s medium-sized, i.e. between 25 and 30 cm long (9.27 – 11.13 inches). His head and belly are turquoise, his wings and tail are green, and his breast and hook-shaped beak are orange. The shape of his beak enables tree climbing.
– He feeds on nectar, pollen, insects, seeds and fruits.
10. Paradise Tanager
– Order: Passeriformes.
– Family: Tanager.
– Distribution: tropical and subtropical moist forests.
– Habitat: Amazon Basin in South America.
Features
– Medium-sized at 15 cm long (5.29 inches). His head is light green, his belly and back are aqua, and his wings and beak are black.
– He feeds on fruits, berries and insects.
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Cristina Pichon
Cristina Pichon is a psychologist with a specialization in clinic psychology from Complutense University of Madrid. Since 2012 she has dedicated herself exclusively to researching the animal world, with an emphasis on dogs and cats with mobility problems. Her biggest aspiration in life is creating an animal shelter, and she knows that, eventually, dreams come true.
Very very colorful Birds and t here are stil those who claim their decenaced from Dinosoars which is a Lie