Most common red-eyed birds

Have you ever seen a bird with red eyes and wondered what it was? Do you ever wonder how many different kinds of birds have red eyes? Then you've arrived at the perfect spot!

The color red is fairly common in birds' eyes.  Yes, red eyes are more common in mature males. Brown eyes are common in immature birds and females. In North America, there are several kinds of birds with red eyes. We'll show you the ones most likely to appear in your own garden or at a local lake. This is due to the fact that many different varieties of water birds have red eyes!

The following are examples of birds with red eyes:

• Red-eyed Vireo

• Wood Duck

• Cooper's Hawk

• Spotted Towhee

• Eastern Towhee

• American Coot

• Killdeer

• Cinnamon Teal

• White-winged Dove

• Black-crowned Night-Heron

• Canvasback

• Phainopepla

• Horned Grebe

Other birds with red eyes

The Clark's Grebe, Black Rail, Common Loon, Yellow-crowned Night-Heron, Red-breasted Merganser, White-tailed Kite, Sharp-shinned Hawk, Eared Grebe, Western Grebe, and Yellow-green Vireo are all birds with red eyes.

Red-eyed Vireo

Only one North American bird bears the word "red-eye" in its name. It is among the most prevalent birds in northern North America in terms of numbers. It is, however, more commonly seen high in shade trees, often in damper areas. You're unlikely to see or even hear about this small insect-eating songbird unless you look for it.

However, you might well have heard it humming softly above during the scorching summer middays when all the other birds have ceased singing.

Wood Duck

This is a brightly colored bird that is seen across most parts of the country.

In the summer, the Wood Duck can be found in calm woodland ponds, and in the winter, it can be seen in flooded fields and bigger ponds. It builds its nest in tree cavities and readily accepts specially constructed nest boxes. Wood Duck's red-orange eye is bordered by a darker red eye ring.

Cooper's Hawk

The Cooper's Hawk nests across much of the United States and is more frequently spotted than the Sharp-shinned Hawk and the bigger Northern Goshawk, which both nest further north. All three species can fly and traverse at full speed through the thickest tree branches and tangles thanks to their short broad wings and long tails.

Small birds make up the majority of their diet. They've been known to spend the winter around bird feeders much to the dismay of bird watchers.

Spotted Towhee

If you notice a bird with red eyes in your seed feeder, it's either this Spotted Towhee from the west or the Eastern Towhee. They were previously thought to be the same species. However, according to a recent study, they differed sufficiently in song and DNA to be classified as separate species. These huge sparrows frequently graze in tangles on the ground.

Eastern Towhee

So this is Spotted Towhee's eastern counterpart. This species has a white panel mid-wing instead of wing bars with dots over the wing coverts and back. Both species have rusty sides and large white tail patches on the underside of their tails, which are most visible when the tail is stretched out. These birds will flock to platform feeders in search of sunflower seeds. They may be found there, or on the ground beneath the feeder, cleaning up the mess left by other birds.

American Coot

The American Coot is a black bird with red eyes that might be seen at the local pond. The eyes of many water birds are red. The strange-looking coot is one of the most common birds in North America. Like grebes, this one has green legs and feet with unusual lobes on the toes. It creates a grunting sound.

Even if you don't spot the red-eye, the white beak and dark grey plumage make it easy to recognize. Many park ponds have been taken over by these birds. They eat fresh tender grass and sprouting vegetation.

Killdeer

The Killdeer's eyes are actually brown. The eye ring, or the naked skin around the eye, is red. Killdeer are a sort of upland shorebird that can be found on beaches and in fields all over the continent. They build their nests on the ground.  Parents engage in a technique known as a distraction display to safeguard their children. They cry and drag their wings as if they've been injured, sprinting just ahead of predators until they've gotten far away from the nest. Then they suddenly recover and fly away!

Cinnamon Teal

This little Western duck has a striking red eye. They winter in the Southwest and Mexico. It migrates north in the summer to breed in ponds in SW Canada. It's easy to spot because of its signature color.

White-winged Dove

This big pigeon may be found in the American Southwest's deserts. A wide patch of naked blue skin surrounds the red eye, which is brighter during the breeding season. When possible, they visit bird feeders and bird baths. They are distinguished from other pigeons and doves by their white wing patches.

Black-crowned Night-Heron

Night-Herons eat at night in shallow water and sleep away the day in medium-sized groups in densely forested marshy tangles . This species is strongly brown and white streaked with a brown eye during its first year of life. Adults are the only ones with red eyes.

Canvasback

The eyes of canvasback drakes are red. In the winter, these diving ducks can be seen in coastal and southern United States on deeper lakes and bays. They breed in the summer from the Great Basin to western Canada and Alaska. 

Phainopepla

This silky flycatcher is a one-of-a-kind bird that lives in the Southwest's deserts. They can be seen in the mesquite desert and arid coastal oak woodlands of southern California, where they eat mistletoe berries and insects.

They have dark red eyes. In-flight, the males exhibit large white wing patches on the bases of the primaries. They are common desert birds with an inquisitive nature.

Horned Grebe

It residents and makes its nests in Canada and Alaska. It might be spotted on ponds and lakes throughout the United States during migration, wintering in the sough and along both the Atlantic and Pacific coasts—wherever the water is open all year. Small fish and water insects are their main sources of food.