The Complete List of Small Red Birds (That Aren’t Cardinals)

ByTammy Poppie Updated on
Male vermillion flycatcher

You saw a small red bird but know it’s not a cardinal – so what is it? It’s natural to want to identify the small red bird you spotted and the good news is there are less than a dozen small red birds throughout the US and Canada so identifying your bird should be easy.

Hopefully, you’ve either captured a picture of the small red wild bird or remember its unique characteristics so you can identify the species. If not, make a note to remember the details of the bird for the future.

With more than 25 years of experience attracting backyard birds to my yard (Wisconsin), I’ve studied all of the small and large red birds in my area so I know exactly which bird species you may have spotted from my area.

For the small red birds outside my area, I rely on my trusty sourcebooks and friends at The Cornell Lab of Ornithology to guide me.

There are several small red birds, that are not cardinals, including:

  1. Hepatic Tanager
  2. House Finch
  3. Pine Grosbeak
  4. Purple Finch
  5. Red Crossbill
  6. Scarlet Tanager
  7. Summer Tanager
  8. Vermillion Flycatcher

To be clear, the small red birds I’ve included are either all red or primarily red with other colors besides.

How to identify a Small red bird

The easiest way to identify that small red bird you saw is to make note of whether the entire bird was red or only parts of it. If a part of the bird was red, note which parts were red and what colors were the other body parts including head, breast, wings, and tail.

Usually, color attributes are enough to identify the small red bird you saw. If not, make note of the beak size, shape, and color. Some of the birds on the list have very distinctive beaks making them simple to identify on just the beak.

To follow is a list of small red birds throughout the US and Canada – one of which is likely the one you saw! I also included a color photo of the bird, more detail about its appearance, where it lives, what it eats, and its habitat. Armed with this information you should be able to identify the name of the small red bird you saw.

[wp_show_posts id=”3808″]

Difference between a Red Bird and a cardinal

Male cardinals are perhaps the most recognizable red bird throughout the US and Canada. The vibrant red color throughout its body is breathtaking.

There are 3 key differences between other red birds and the cardinal: the crown, the beak, and the body size.

  1. The male cardinal is the only red bird with a prominent red crown on the top of its head. On occasion, the crown will lay back but it’s typically standing tall clearly identifying the red bird as the cardinal.
  2. The male cardinal is the only red bird with a bright orange beak.
  3. The male cardinal is the only medium-sized red bird whereas the other red birds are several inches smaller. The only exception is the Pine Grosbeak which is about the same size as the male cardinal – about 9″.
Male cardinal and male house finch on the feeder together
Male cardinal and male house finch. Photo by Tom Sakiyama.

The biggest difference between a male cardinal and some of the red birds on this list is the crown. Only the male cardinal is an all-red bird with a tall and majestic crown. The cardinal’s beak is another dead giveaway. It’s the only red bird with a vibrant orange beak.

If you’re interested in learning more about cardinals check out my comprehensive article How to Attract Cardinals.

Are red birds rare?

None of the small red birds included in this article are rare. They are all common within the range in which they live.

I hope you’ve identified your small red bird. If so, please comment below on what bird you identified and your location. If you weren’t able to identify the small red bird you saw, comment below what characteristics the bird had that were missing from the list above.

Happy Birding!