16 Beautiful Birds of Iowa

Indeed, Iowa has always been a majestic destination full of amazing natural wonders. At the same time, it is also extremely rich in a number of beautiful bird species. It encompasses an array of beautiful native bird species. Ranging from beautiful Black Capped-Chickadee to rarely seen Yellow-Headed Blackbird there are 428 different species of birds found in different parts of Iowa over different times of the year. The bordering states of Iowa such as Minnesota, South Dakota, Nebraska, Missouri, Wisconsin, and Illinois also have a number of beautiful birds that they share in common. So, here is a list of the top 16 amazing birds of Iowa.

Birds of Iowa

1. American Goldfinch

This handsome little finch is a North American migratory type of yellow bird that loves to thrive in cultivated lands, roadsides, orchards, and suburban gardens. It is a granivore and feeds on garden vegetation specifically beet greens. It has an avarage lifespan of 3 to 6 years and can grow upto 11 to 14 cm (4.3 to 5.5 in) long. it is one of the smallest birds mostly seen in flocks while feeding and migrating.

However, the male American Goldfinch is vibrant yellow during summer and displays brightly colored Plumage during the breeding season while the female is a dull yellow-brown shade that brightens up only during the summer. It is also listed as one of the most beautiful yellow and blackbirds in the world.

Also Read: Top 10 Amazing Woodpeckers In Ohio

2. Downy Woodpecker

Particularly found among deciduous trees, and brushy weedy edges. Downy Woodpeckers are small versions of the classic type of woodpecker that have a straight, chisel-like bill, blocky head, wide shoulders, and straight-backed posture. Male Downy Woodpecker has a small red patch on the back of the head and the outer tail feathers are typically white with a few black spots and hence listed as one of the black and white animals in the world.

This beautiful bird of Iowa has a rising-and-falling flight style that is distinctive of many woodpeckers. In spring and summer, Downy Woodpeckers make a lot of noise, both with their shrill whinnying call and by drumming on trees.

Also Read: Top 7 Black Birds With Orange Wings

3. Red-bellied Woodpecker

These medium-sized birds In Pennsylvania belong to the Picidae family and are mainly common in many Eastern woodlands and forests, from old stands of oak and hickory to young hardwoods and pines. This type Of woodpecker found in Arkansas possesses the most prominent red plumage on the head. Also, this red-headed woodpecker often appears pale overall, even the boldly black-and-white stripped back, with flashing red cap and nape. Like most woodpeckers, red-bellied Woodpeckers also have a characteristic undulating flight pattern.

4. American Robin

This migratory songbird of the true thrush genus and Turdidae, the wider thrush family is one of the most popular birds of Iowa. This beautiful bird is named after the European robin because of its reddish-orange breast, even though the two species not being closely related. This quintessential early bird is commonly found in lawns across North America, tugging earthworms out of the ground.

Also, Robins are basically popular birds for their warm orange breast, cheery song, and early appearance at the end of winter. However, it is interesting to note that Robins eat a lot of fruit in fall and winter. It is also listed as one of the birds chirping at night.

5. House Finch

The House Finch is a recent introduction from western into eastern North America (and Hawaii). Belonging to the Fringillidae family, House Finches are one of the most commonly seen finches in Colorado that collect at feeders or perch high in nearby trees. These are small-bodied birds with redheads that have large beaks, long and flatheads, and short heads making the tail seem long by comparison.

Also, many finches have distinctly notched tails, but the House Finch has a relatively shallow notch in its tail. Males finches are basically rosy red around the face and upper breast, with streaky brown back, belly, and tail and females finches are plain greyish-brown with thick, blurry streaks and indistinctly marked faces.

Also Read: 10 Birds With Red Beaks With Pictures

6. White-breasted nuthatch

The largest nuthatch in North America, The White-breasted nuthatch is a small songbird belonging to the nuthatch family. It has a distinctive white face, black cap, and blue-grey upperparts, with a large head and almost no neck and short tail. These are agile birds that creep along trunks and large branches, probing into bark furrows with their straight, pointed bills. Unlike other birds of Iowa, these birds are non-migratory and stay at one place all year round.

7. European Starling

Brought by Shakespeare enthusiasts in the nineteenth century to North America, European Starlings are now among the continents of the most beautiful black birds with yellow beaks. European Starling is chunky with a short tail, triangular wings, long, pointed bill, and beautiful plumage. Inbreeding season, it shows purple and green iridescence on the body with yellow bill and in winter, bold white spots cover the entire body giving a fantastic look. However, Starlings are boisterous birds and they travel in large groups, particularly with blackbirds and grackles.

8. Northern Cardinal

Belonging to the Cardinalis genus, the Northern Cardinal is a fairly large, long-tailed songbird with a short, very thick bill and a prominent crest. It is also known by the name as redbird, common cardinal, red cardinal, or just cardinal. These birds are basically Inhabitat in areas such as backyards, parks, woodlots, and shrubby forest edges and nest in dense tangles of shrubs and vines. Also, Male cardinals are extremely red all over, with a reddish bill and black face while females are pale brown overall with warm reddish tinges in the wings, tail, and crest but they have the same black face and red-orange bill. It is also one of the birds with orange beaks in the world.

9. Blue Jay

Blue Jay is one of the popular Missouri birds and one of the most beautiful birds that are blue in the color of eastern back yards and woodlots. Also, Blue Jay is a popular large songbird known to many people. With its perky crest of blue and white and black plumage, it is one of the most popular birds of Iowa. This beautiful Blue Jay is a large crested songbird with a broad, rounded tail. However, Blue Jays are smaller than crows but larger than robins. Blue Jays are birds of forest edges that stuff food items in the throat pouch when eating holds a seed or nut in feet and pecks it open.

10. Brown-Headed Cowbird

The Brown-headed Cowbird is a stocky blackbird with fascinating features. However, it is a small native to North America. Males are glossy black with chocolate brown heads and females are gray-brown overall, without bold streaks. Also, many people consider them nuisance birds because they destroy the eggs and young of smaller songbirds. Brown-Headed Cowbird is a permanent resident in the southern parts and northern birds migrate to the southern United States and Mexico in winter and then return to their habitat in March-April.

11. Ruby-throated Hummingbird

Ruby-throated Hummingbird is one of the most common hummingbirds seen across the summer season in the regions of the eastern U.S. and east of the Rockies in southern Canada. The bird species is a good eater that can eat twice of its body wieght in the form of nectar, small insects, and tree sap every day. The wing flapping is quite fast where it can flap around 53 times in a second and zoom even faster when the wind pushes them along. The varage flying speed is 25 miles per hour.

Image Source: Wikimedia

12. Rock Pigeon

Rock Pigeon scientifically known as Columba livia is also known as Common Pigeon. Talking about the appearance, It has a dark bluish-grey head, neck, and chest with glossy yellowish, greenish, and reddish-purple iridescence along with its neck and wing feathers. The bill of the bird species is dark greyish-pink. It feeds primarily on corn, oats, cherry, and barley, however, in cities it is also seen eating popcorn, cake, peanuts, and bread. It prefers to make nests on sheltered cliff-ledges. Domestic Rock Pigeons and Homing pigeons have a good ability to find their way home from long distances.

Image Source: Wikimedia

13. Red-winged Blackbird

The Red-winged Blackbird is orange and blackbird scientifically known as Agelaius phoeniceus is a passerine bird that belongs to the family Icteridae has mostly been seen in the regions of North America and much of Central America. It loves to thrive in marshes, brushy swamps, hayfields; forages also in cultivated land and along edges of the water. It feeds primarily on insects such as beetles, caterpillars, grasshoppers, and others and seeds.

14. Song Sparrow

Song Sparrow was mostly seen in the areas of North America and loves to thrive in regions of Savanna Grasslands, Forest, Wetland, Scrub Forest, Chaparral, and Marsh. It can grow upto 4.7-6.7 in length and have an average wieght of 0.4 to 1.9 oz. The song sparrow belongs to the class Aves and is scientifically known as Melospiza melodia. It used to build its nests in terrestrial and temperate habitats. The bird species are solitary in nature and cannot be seen in large groups or flocks.

Image Source: Wikimedia

15. Dark-eyed Junco

Dark-eyed Junco is also known as Snowbirds because it used to bring snowy winter weather on its wings as it migrates. There are many subspecies of Dark-eyed Junco known till now and they are mostly divided into grey-headed, Oregon, pink-sided, slate-colored, and white-winged. The varage lifespan of bird species is 11 years in the wild.

Image Source: Wikimedia

16. Black-capped Chickadee

Black-capped Chickadee scientifically known as Parus atricapillus can grow upto 12-15 cm in length and has a total wingspan of 16-21 cm. They are mostly seen in the regions of deciduous and mixed deciduous/coniferous woodlands, open woods and parks, willow thickets, and cottonwood groves. Black-capped Chickadee primarily feeds on insect eggs, larvae and pupae (insects in the torpid stage), weevils, lice, sawflies, and other insects. They are also seen eating centipedes, snails, slugs, and spiders as well.