Inside: A complete list of orange-breasted birds throughout the US and Canada including a full-color photo of each bird, details about habitat, diet, appearance, nesting habits, and a range map to show you where you may see them.
Did you spot an orange-breasted bird and wonder what type it is? Congrats – you’re in the right place! This article includes the species of wild birds that have orange chests and live in the US and Canada.
The birds included in this article could have a bright orange chest, dull orange, or some other shade of orange. It may be that the female of the species has the orange breast, or the male, or both! Regardless, they’re all here!
The next step is to identify it.
A beautiful photo of each bird and their range map are included to help you identify the one you’re interested in identifying.
t doesn’t stop there. You’ll also learn about the bird’s habitat, diet, nesting habits, and what foods they’ll eat at the feeder.
The range maps are color-coded so you know if it’s a year-round bird, there to breed, migrating through, or there during a nonbreeding time.
With more than 20 years of experience attracting backyard birds to my yard in Wisconsin, I’ve studied all of the orange-breasted birds in my area so I have the information you’re looking for. For the remaining species, I rely on my trusty sourcebooks and friends at The Cornell Lab of Ornithology to guide me.
Table of Contents
- Orange-Breasted Birds
- Allen’s Hummingbird
- Altamira Oriole
- American Robin
- Audubon’s Oriole
- Baltimore Oriole
- Barn Swallow
- Belted Kingfisher
- Black-Headed Grosbeak
- Blackburnian Warbler
- Bullock’s Oriole
- Eastern Bluebird
- Flame-Colored Tanager
- Hooded Oriole
- Lazuli Bunting
- Olive Warbler
- Orchard Oriole
- Red-Breasted Nuthatch
- Rufous Hummingbird
- Spot-breasted Oriole
- Varied Thrush
- Western Bluebird
- Western Spindalis
- Conclusion
Orange-Breasted Birds
Allen’s Hummingbird
| Appearance | Allen’s hummingbird is a tiny bird about 3.75″ long. They’re an orange-brown color with a bright copper iridescent throat, green head & back, brown wing flanks, and tufts of white on the neck and lower belly. The female is the same except pale coppery flanks. |
| Diet | Nectar from flowers and bushes as well as insects. |
| Feeder Food | Nectar |
| Habitat | Open woodlands |
| Nesting | They nest in trees or shrubs between 2-50′ from the ground. They have 1-3 broods/season and usually 2 tiny white eggs/brood. Eggs are incubated for 17-22 days and fledglings leave the nest after about 22-25 days. |
Range Map
Altamira Oriole
| Appearance | The Altamira oriole is a medium-size bird, but large for an oriole, at about 9″ long. They are bright, deep orange with black on their face, throat, back, wings, and tail. They also have a thick, pointy bill. The female looks the same. |
| Diet | Flower nectar, fruits, insects, and berries. |
| Feeder Food | Fresh fruit such as oranges and grapes, sugar-water nectar, as well as sunflower seeds. |
| Habitat | Although mostly a tropical bird found in Mexico and South America, it’s slowly inched northward into Texas where they prefer lightly wooded areas and edges. |
| Nesting | The pouch-like nest is suspended at the end of forked branches about 10-80′ up in a tree. They have about 4-6 eggs that are blue/white in color and speckled with black and lavender. |
Range Map
American Robin
Appearance: The American robin is a medium-size bird about 10″ long, with gray/brown upper, brown/orange underparts, yellow beak, white chin, and white surrounding eyes. orange beak. The Female has a lighter head and underparts.
Diet: Earthworms, insects, and fruit.
Feeder food: Not a feeder visitor.
Habitat: Common and pervasive throughout US and Canada. Found in fields, parks, wooded and forested areas, mountains, and backyards.
Nesting:
- Nest: Nesting sites vary from the lower half of a tree to rain gutters, outdoor lights, and more.
- Broods: 1-3 broods/season,
- Clutch: 3-5 eggs/brood,
- Egg color: Bright sky blue or blue-green, without spots
- Egg size: 1.1″ long x 8″ wide
- Incubation: 12-14 days.
Migration: American robins are migrators.
Year-round range: Every US state except North Dakota, southern parts of Canada’s British Columbia, and Alberta, as well as Mexico.
Breeding range: Canada and Alaska.
Winter range: While most American robins head south back to the year-round range, others will go further into the far southern parts of Florida, California, Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, Louisiana, and Mexico.
Range Map
Audubon’s Oriole
| Appearance | The Audubon’s oriole is a medium-sized bird about 7.5-9.5″ long with an orange-yellow body and black on its head, wings, and tail. Wings are also striped with white. The bill is long, pointy, and curved downward. The females look the same but a bit more subdued in color. |
| Diet | Insects, berries, and occasionally flower nectar. |
| Feeder Food | Sugar-water nectar and sunflower seeds. |
| Habitat | Wooded and brushy areas especially along the water. |
| Nesting | Their pouch-style nests are suspended on the outer branches about 5-15′ up in a tree. They have about 3-5 eggs that are blue/white with dark streeks and speckles. |
Range Map
Baltimore Oriole
| Appearance | Medium-sized bird about 8.25″ long. Male Baltimore orioles have a flaming orange body and black head with black and white wing bars. The tail is orange with black and white streaks. The female and juvenile birds have pale yellow heads and bodies with grayish-brown wings and white wing bars. Both genders have a gray bill and dark eyes. |
| Diet | Insects, berries, and nectar from flowers. |
| Feeder Food | Baltimore Orioles will eat sweet foods such as nectar, oranges, and regular grape jelly. |
| Habitat | Baltimore orioles can be found in residential areas and wooded edges rich with high, deciduous shade trees – especially during breeding. They often nest near natural water sources such as ponds and rivers. |
| Nesting | The female builds a 4-6″ hanging long purse-style nest suspended on the end of a forked branch and only has one brood per year. About 4-5 bluish-colored eggs with brown markings are incubated for 12-14 days. |
Range Map
Barn Swallow
Appearance: 7″ long, steel blue glossy on top, chestnut forehead and throat, and rust-orange underparts. Long forked tail with a white base. The female’s coloring is lighter and the tail shorter.
Diet: Insects, preferably beetles, wasps, and flies. Drinks by skimming the surface of the water.
Feeder food: Not likely to visit a feeder.
Habitat: Open fields and pastures.
Nesting: A barn swallow typically nests in or on a manmade structure such as a barn. Builds nests of mud. 2 broods/season, 4-5 eggs per brood, eggs are white with brown markings, incubation from 13-17 days.
Migration: Barn swallows are migrators. In spring, they’ll migrate north into the US and Canada for breeding and to raise their young. When fall comes, they’ll head south to Mexico’s southern states. That said, they do maintain a year-round range in central Mexico where they remain for every season.
Range Map
Belted Kingfisher
Appearance: The belted kingfisher is a large 13″ long bird with a large head, long bill, and stocky body. Blue/gray throughout with white ring around neck and white chest. The Female is the same but with an additional chestnut band on her chest.
Diet: Large 13″ long bird with a large head, long bill, and stocky body. Blue/gray throughout with white ring around neck and white chest. The Female is the same but with the additional chestnut band on the chest.
Feeder food: Unlikely to come to the feeder but often attracted to yards with streams or ponds.
Habitat: Near streams, rivers, ponds, lakes, and calm marine waters – especially unclouded water with little vegetation.
Nesting: Belted kingfishers dig burrows along the water’s edge for their nest. 1-2 broods/season, 5-8 eggs/brood – large white glossy eggs (1.5″ long), 22-24 days incubation.
Migration: Many but not all belted kingfishers are migrators. In spring, the migrators will head north into Montana, North Dakota, northern Minnesota, Canada, and Alaska to breed and raise their young. When fall comes the migrators head back south – as far south as Arizona, New Mexico, southern California, and Mexico.
Year-round range: All US states (except North Dakota and Arizona) and the pacific coast of Canada’s British Columbia.
Breeding range: While some stay in their year-round range, many others migrate north into Montana, North Dakota, northern Minnesota, Canada, and Alaska to breed and raise their young. When fall comes the migrators head back south – as far south as Arizona, New Mexico, and southern California.
Winter range: While many belted kingfishers migrate south for winter, just as many remain in their year-round range when the temperatures dip.
Range Map
Black-Headed Grosbeak
| Appearance | The black-headed grosbeak is a medium-sized bird about 8 1/4″ long. They have orange-cinnamon underparts, a black head, and black-and-white wings. The female is brown above with orange-brown streaks underneath, white eyebrows, and white wingbars. |
| Diet | Insects, seeds, buds, and fruit. |
| Feeder Food | Sunflower seeds, nectar. |
| Habitat | Open woodlands, lowlands as well as in wooded backyards. |
| Nesting | They build a large nest – about 5-7″ in diameter – and place them on the outer branch of a deciduous tree or shrub 6-12′ up. They have 1 brood/season and 2-5 eggs/brood that are green/blue with spots. Incubation is for 12-14 days and fledglings leave the nest at about 10-14 days. |
Range Map
Blackburnian Warbler
| Appearance | The Blackburnian warbler is a small bird about 4.5″ long. They have a vivid orange face and throat with a black crown and triangular tripe behind the eyes. The wings are black with white stripes, the belly is pale yellow with black streaks and their bills are short and pointy. The female is similar except she’s much paler all over and yellow instead of orange. |
| Diet | Insects and berries. |
| Feeder Food | Unlikely to visit a feeder, however, may be enticed with mealworms. |
| Habitat | Prefer deep forested areas of deciduous and coniferous trees. Often found perched on the tip-top of a spruce tree. |
| Nesting | Their nest is placed high in a coniferous tree near the end of an upper limb. They have 1 brood/season and 3-5 eggs/brood that are white or greenish/white with brown speckles. |
Range Map
Bullock’s Oriole
| Appearance | The Bullock’s oriole is a medium-sized bird about 8″ long. They’re orange with a black crown, eye stripes, throat, back, and wings (+ white wingbars). During the first spring, a juvenile male is more yellow-orange with a black mask and throat. The female is yellow with a dark stripe through the middle her eyes, and grayish-black only on her wings. White wingbars accent the black. |
| Diet | Insects, spiders, fruits, and nectar. |
| Feeder Food | Cut fruit, jelly, or nectar. |
| Habitat | Open wooded areas especially along riverbanks. |
| Nesting | Bullock’s orioles build a hanging pouch style nest about 10-20′ high in a tree or shrub and is suspended from a forked branch. They have 4-5 eggs/brood that are incubated for 11-14 days. The eggs are pale blue/white with purplish-brown spots. Fledglings leave the nest at about 14 days. |
Range Map
Eastern Bluebird
Appearance: Eastern bluebirds are small birds about 7″ long, royal blue, orange throat & breast, white belly & undertail. Female is similar but with more muted colors
Diet: Insects & spiders in spring/summer. Small fruit in Fall/Winter.
Feeder food: Suet, sunflower seeds, dried fruit, jelly.
Habitat: Wide-open spaces, fields, meadows.
Nesting:
- Nest: Cavity nesters. The male bluebird determines the nest site (an old woodpecker hole in a tree or manmade nestbox), but the female is the one who builds the nest. She keeps the nest for multiple broods.
- Brood: 2-7 broods/season
- Clutch: 4-5 eggs/brood
- Egg color: Pale blue eggs (sometimes white) with no blemishes or discoloration.
- Egg size: 0.9 inches by 0.8 inches
- Incubation: 11-19 days
Migration: Some eastern bluebirds are migrators. While many remain in their year-round range all year long, some migrate north for breeding and raising their young then head south in winter back into the year-round range or further west into Colorado, New Mexico, and western Texas.
Year-round range: The US states south and east of Nebraska, Mexico, and Central America.
Breeding range: Northwest Nebraska, South Dakota, North Dakota, Minnesota, the northern half of Wisconsin & Michigan, New Hampshire, Maine, and the southern part of these Canadian provinces: Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Ontario, and Quebec.
Winter range: Eastern Colorado, New Mexico, western Texas, and northeast Mexico.
Range Map
Flame-Colored Tanager
| Appearance | Bright flame-orange bird with brown feathers and tail. Also displays a brown mark below the cheek. Gray bill with additional white markings on the wings. The female is yellow instead of orange. |
| Diet | Insects and fruit. |
| Feeder Food | Unknown |
| Habitat | Pine and coniferous wooded areas in mountainous foothills within their range. |
| Nesting | Unknown |
Range Map
Hooded Oriole
| Appearance | Hooded Orioles are medium-sized- birds about 8″ long. The male is a deep orange with a black face, throat, wings (+ white wingbars), and long tail. They also have a long pointy turned down bil. • A juvenile male is the same with bright yellow instead of orange. • The female is yellow with an olive back and black wings with white wingbars. |
| Diet | Insects, spiders, fruits, and nectar. |
| Feeder Food | Fruit and nectar. |
| Habitat | Open, dry areas with scattered trees – especially palm trees. |
| Nesting | These birds nest in shade trees, palm trees, or large shrubs about 10-45′ up. The nest is a suspended cup-style. They have 1-2 broods/season and 4 eggs/brood that are whitish to pale blue with dark blotches. Incubation is for about 13 days. Fledglings leave the nest at about 14 days. |
Range Map
Lazuli Bunting
| Appearance | Small bird 5-6″ long, brilliant blue on top, soft orange-cinnamon color chest, white belly and patch on the shoulder, cone-shaped bill, and slightly flat forehead. |
| Diet | Insects, fruits, and grasses. |
| Feeder Food | White proso millet, sunflower seeds, or nyjer thistle seeds. |
| Habitat | Open woodlands, brushy hillsides, thickets, and backyards throughout the West. |
| Nesting | Cup-shaped nest of bark, twigs, and leaves nestled in a shrub about 3′ up. They have 1-2 broods/season, 3-4 eggs/brood, and eggs are .7-.8″ long and pale blue to faint green/blue or white. 11-14 days incubation period. |
Range Map
Olive Warbler
| Appearance | Olive warblers are small birds with an orange head, throat, and chest. They have a black eye mask. Most of the body is gray with black wings and white wing bars. The female is more subdued and more yellow vs orange. |
| Diet | Insects. |
| Feeder Food | Unlikely to visit a feeder. |
| Habitat | Forested areas comprised of coniferous trees. |
| Nesting | Nests are located very high up in coniferous trees – 30-70′ up placed on the outer branches. They have 3-4 blue-white eggs with brown speckles. |
Range Map
Orchard Oriole
| Appearance | The orchard oriole is a medium-sized bird about 7″ long. The male has black upperparts and orange-chestnut underparts. They have a pointy bill that points downward. The female is a pale yellow with black wings and white wingbars. |
| Diet | Insects, spiders, fruits, and nectar. |
| Feeder Food | Cut fruit and nectar. |
| Habitat | This bird prefers open woodlands along waterways as well as open shrubby areas. |
| Nesting | They nest on the outer branches of a tree between 10-50′ up. Their nest is cup-shaped and hangs about 4″ long. They have 1-2 broods/season, 4-6 eggs/rood, and incubate for 12-14 days. Fledglings leave the nest at about 11-14 days. |
Range Map
Red-Breasted Nuthatch
Appearance: The red-breasted nuthatch is a small bird about 4.5″ long, with gray/blue backs, a white head with black stripes running over either eye, orange-cinnamon-colored breast, and a pointy pick-like beak. The females look the same except their underside is a more faded color. Usually spotted climbing upside-down on a deciduous tree foraging for insects beneath the bark.
Diet: Insects, spiders, and other bugs.
Feeder food: Suet, sunflower seeds, shelled peanuts, fruit.
Habitat: Forested areas primarily comprised of coniferous trees (i.e. pines). Woodsy areas of deciduous trees in the east. Southern birds prefer mountainous regions until winter comes in which case they head to lower land.
Nesting: Red-breasted nuthatches are cavity nesters and they prefer to excavate their own holes. They have 1 brood/season, and 6 eggs/brood, eggs are white & speckled with red-brown.
Migration: Red-breasted nuthatches are partial migrators. While many remain in their year-round range, others migrate south for winter.
Year-round range: Southern Alaska, states in the western third of the US, northern Minnesota & Wisconsin, Michigan, Pennsylvania, and New England as well as all Canadian provinces except Nunavut.
Winter range: US states that are not part of the year-round range.
Range Map
Rufous Hummingbird
| Appearance | The rufous hummingbird is a tiny bird about 3″ long. They have coppery-orange upperparts, flanks, and tails. The gorget is red with orange. The female has metallic green upperparts, a white throat with bronze-green spots, white underparts, and white spots on the throat. |
| Diet | Nectar from flowers and bushes as well as insects. |
| Feeder Food | Nectar |
| Habitat | Open woodlands. |
| Nesting | The nest is placed high in coniferous or deciduous trees. They have 1 brood/season and 2-3 tiny white eggs/brood. Eggs are incubated for 15-17 days and fledglings leave the nest after about 151-29 days. |
Range Map
Spot-breasted Oriole
| Appearance | Spot-breasted orioles are large birds about 9″ long. They have a deep orange head and flaming orange underparts. The wings are black as well as the throat, and mask. Black spots on the breast. The female is the same |
| Diet | Insects, berries, and nectar. |
| Feeder Food | Unknown. |
| Habitat | Scrubby, vegetated areas, and forested edges. |
| Nesting | The pouch-like nest is suspended near the end of forked tree branches. They likely have about 2-5 eggs and they’re white with dark purple markings on them. |
Range Map
Varied Thrush
| Appearance | Varied thrushes are large birds about 9 1/2″ long. They are orange underneath except for the black band across the breast. Orange also stripes each side of the head above the eyes. Black back, head, and weaved with orange on the wings. The female is the same except brown instead of black. |
| Diet | Insects, berries, fruits, and nuts. |
| Feeder Food | May forage for food beneath a feeder. |
| Habitat | This bird prefers moist coniferous and mixed forests with a closed canopy. |
| Nesting | Nest: They nest in a conifer 4-20′ up. Females choose the location and build the nest, including layers of moss, mud, twigs, leaves, and grass. Broods: They have 12-broods/season Clutch: 1-6 eggs/brood Egg color: Pale sky blue with occasional dark-brown speckling. Egg size: 1.1 – 1.4 inches by 0.8 – 0.9 inches Incubation: 12 days. Fledglings leave the nest at about 13-15 days. |
Range Map
Western Bluebird
| Appearance | Small bird 7″ long, deep blue underparts, orange-chestnut back and breast. Female gray/blue, light blue wings and tail, and pale chestnut breast. |
| Diet | Insects, fruits & berries. |
| Feeder Food | Mealworms |
| Habitat | Open woodlands especially those with pines and oaks, orchards, and farmland with some trees. |
| Nesting | Nest: Cavity nesters – old woodpecker hold or manmade nesting box. Brood: 2 broods/season Clutch: 4-5 eggs/brood Egg color: Pale blue without blemishes, although sometimes are white Egg size: Length: 0.8-2.4″ x Width: .8″ Incubation: 12-18 days and young fledge at about 20 days. |
Range Map
Western Spindalis
| Appearance | The western spindalis has a burnt orange chest, stripe from the bill to the chest, upper back, and as well as under lower wings. The head and wings are black-and-white striped, and the belly is bright white. The female is similar but a drab olive green instead of orange. |
| Diet | Although not confirmed, they likely consume fruit as they’re frequently found in fruiting trees. |
| Feeder Food | Unknown |
| Habitat | The western spindalis are typically found in the Caribbean and South America. However, they’ve also been sighted in southern Florida. |
| Nesting | Unknown |
Range Map
Conclusion
Hopefully, you’ve identified the orange bird you were looking for or just broadened your knowledge of orange-chested birds in North America. If you want to see more of a particular species of these orange birds, consider taking steps to attract them to your yard.
Happy Birding!
