20 gorgeous real-life birds that look to beautiful to be real
We see birds every day, but most of us hardly ever notice them.
Then again, if we lived in the areas where these birds made their homes, we’d have trouble taking notice.
From fluorescent colors to glorious plumage, these 20 birds are just begging for attention.
1. Victoria Crowned Pigeon
This is not what we think of when we see the word “pigeon”!
What a mohawk!
Sadly, this beautiful blue, lacy-crested bird only lives in the New Guinea region.
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2. Painted Bunting
The Painted Bunting actually belongs to the Cardinal family of North American birds.
Their feathers are at their most vibrant in the second year of their lives – and, of course, only among males (females are much less opulent).
If you live down South, you might catch a peek of them in Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, South Carolina, Georgia, or northern Florida.
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3. Bearded Tit
He’s so goth!
This is why you need to wash your eye makeup off at night.
These little British birds (that are neither bearded nor belong to the tit family) live in reedbeds in England just about all year round.
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4. South Philippine Dwarf Kingfisher
Sadly, these little birds are threatened by habitat loss.
They make their homes in subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests, so you’re not going to be seeing them in North America any time soon (or ever again if we’re not careful!).
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5. Grandala
You’ll have to travel all the way to the Himalayas to find these birds.
But at least they live in the lower altitudes, so you don’t have to climb that high to get a glimpse.
Grandala bird from r/aww
6. Hooded Pitta
What a fabulous color scheme!
This little emerald beauty quietly forages the forest floor in tropical climates.
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7. Purple-Rumped Sunbird
These small, nectar-loving birds are native to India.
They can almost look like hummingbirds when they hover to feed, but most of the time they will perch on a petal.
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8. Common Green Magpie
These members of the crow family don’t seem so common to us.
Interestingly, they become less vibrant when they’re raised in captivity.
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9. Verditer Flycatcher
The lower Himilayas are alive with blue and turquoise birds because that’s where this little fella lives as well.
Even the females can be a beautiful shade of blue, but the males are the most vibrant (gotta attract that mate, after all!).
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10. Pink Robin
We didn’t know they came in pink!
You’ll find these pretty birds in the forests of far southeastern Australia.
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11. Chestnut Colored Woodpecker
This super-fancy woodpecker can be found throughout Belize, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, and Panama.
And despite those places taking a hit from deforestation and climate change, the birds still appear to be safe when it comes to their overall numbers.
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12. Collared Lory
Maybe it’s no surprise that this bird belongs to the parrot family.
But you’ll have to go to the rainforests of Fiji to find them.
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13. Violet-Tailed Sylph
These kinds of hummingbirds are found in Colombia and Ecuador.
Their long tails can make the males up to 7 inches long!
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14. Wattled Jacana
This tropical chicken- looking bird can be found throughout tropical regions in central and south America.
It’s one of the few species in which females are larger than males.
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15. Fruit Dove
Many of these stunning creatures are already extinct in their native homes throughout Oceania.
These doves have all sorts of unique coloring that would make the mourning doves in our backyard feel jealous.
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16. Mandarin Duck
While there are a few flocks traipsing around the U.S., these spectacular ducks are native to East Asia.
Fewer than 1000 pairs can be found throughout China and Russia, although Japan is still thought to have around 5000 pairs.
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17. Turquoise-Browed Motmot
These little birds are pretty hearty and the scrublands they inhabit in Central America give them an edge over birds with more woody habitats that are now being lost to deforestation.
We love its little black mask and that amazing tail!
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18. Harpy Eagle
This looks like something created by Jim Henson, but we can assure you it’s a real bird.
They are nearly extinct in Mexico but can still be found in moderate numbers in South American – especially Brazil.
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19. Lady Amherst’s Pheasant
The species is native to southwestern China and the northernmost parts of Myanmar, but they are named for the colonial woman who first sent a specimen back to London.
While it sounds nice to have these roaming your grounds, they were often shot on her property for sport.
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20. Red Bishop
If you click forward in the slideshow below, you will also see the Yellow Bishop.
This little guy happens to be the Southern Red Bishop, which has a much more elaborate crown than the Northern version.
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Isn’t nature grand?
It’s so easy to take it for granted when you see it in your yard every day but we all have birds in our parts of the world that would seem spectacular to others.
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