Types of Tropical Birds

To know what a tropical bird is, you first have to know where the tropics are. The tropics form a band around the equator, bordered by the Tropic of Cancer in the north and the Tropic of Capricorn in the south. Birds native to this band are considered tropical birds. Some birds are not native to the tropics but have been introduced there, either accidentally or intentionally. Birds native to the tropics have also been introduced to regions outside the tropics. These tropical birds are considered exotic species in their new environments. An example is the endangered yellow-headed amazon parrot, which is native to Central America but has established small, feral populations in Florida, where it is considered an exotic species.

The tropics are also called the torrid or tropical zone. Because this zone receives more direct sunlight, it tends to be hotter and wetter, which is why people often associate it with rainforests and jungles. However, not all tropical habitats are hot and wet. For example, the central Andes Mountains are located within the tropics, but this region is cold and dry year-round. Yet, it is also home to different types of tropical birds. People also think of tropical birds as being brilliantly colored and easily kept as pets, but some birds have dull coloring and are impossible to domesticate. Read on to learn about eight different types of tropical birds.

1. Greater Rhea

Of all the different types of tropical birds, the greater rhea (Rhea americana) is one of the largest. It can reach up to 5.7 feet tall and weigh as much as 66 pounds. The rhea is the perfect example of a tropical bird that lacks brilliant colors and does not live in the trees of the rainforest. Found from Brazil to Argentina, this flightless bird primarily lives in a habitat of open grasslands and scrublands. However, their breeding grounds are near lakes, rivers, and marshes.

Like its distant cousin, the ostrich, the rhea has an oval body, a long neck, long legs, and long, shaggy feathers of black, grayish-brown, and white. They do not have tail feathers, but they have very long wings that they use for balance when running. Rheas also have three short, thick, dinosaur-like toes. These birds are omnivorous, but the bulk of their diet consists of clover and broad-leafed vegetation. They also eat seeds, fruit, roots, insects, small reptiles, birds, and amphibians.

2. Hamerkop

The hamerkop (Scopus umbretta) can be found in sub-Saharan Africa and Madagascar. It gets its name from its backswept crest and long bill that make its head resemble a hammer. Aside from the unusual shape of its head, this bird is famous for the size of its domed nest, which is the largest of any African bird. They inhabit a range of habitats, from forests to semi-arid deserts, as long as a water source is nearby.

Hamerkops have large, rounded wings, with a wingspan of around 37 inches. They fly by flapping and gliding. Their plumage is mostly brown, with a bit of iridescent purple on their backs, and their tail feathers are barred with darker brown. The hamerkop’s legs are long and slender, and its feet are only partially webbed. They are around 22 inches long and weigh up to one pound. These carnivorous wading birds typically feed on frogs, tadpoles, and fish found in shallow water.

3. Roseate Spoonbill

The roseate spoonbill (Platalea ajaja) is a fascinating combination of the beautiful and the strange. It has a partially featherless head with yellowish-green skin and a long bill with a broad, flat end, like a spoon. Its neck has short, white feathers. The beauty of the bird is found in its wings and underparts, which are an eye-catching rose color, while its tail and legs are scarlet. The bird’s eyes are also red. They grow to about 34 inches in length and weigh up to 4 pounds.

The roseate spoonbill can be found from the southeastern coast of the U.S. down through Central and South America to Argentina and east to the Caribbean. They forage in shallow freshwater, brackish, and marine water for crustaceans and other invertebrates. These birds typically nest and roost in the trees near a water source.

4. African Pygmy Goose

Although it is called the African pygmy goose (Nettapus auritus), this small bird is a species of dabbling duck. It is the smallest waterfowl in the world, at about 12 inches long and weighing up to 10 ounces. They can be found near slowly flowing rivers, floodplains, marshes, and swamps across sub-Saharan Africa and Madagascar. Though it is not migratory, it is nomadic in its search for bodies of water with abundant food. These birds are omnivorous, with a diet of aquatic plants, insects, and small fish.

The male has colorful plumage year-round, not just during the breeding season. This bird has a white face and neck, black eye patches, a black crown, and large ear patches of olive green. It has brown feathers on its side, dark, metallic green wings, and white underparts. It has dark gray to black feet, reddish-brown eyes, and a bright yellow-orange bill. Females are mostly shades of brown and gray with darker bills.

5. Harpy Eagle

The harpy eagle (Harpia harpyja) is the largest eagle in the New World. It generally inhabits the lowland rainforests of Central and South America from southern Mexico down to Argentina. It is named after the harpies of Greek mythology, which were said to be part woman and part bird. Their plumage is primarily dark gray, with lighter gray feathers around their faces and white underparts. They have a crest that they raise when threatened and facial feathers that form a circle, similar to those of an owl.

Harpy eagles can reach up to 41 inches in length and weigh up to 20 pounds. The females are nearly twice as large as the males, which is typical for eagles. They have sharp, hooked beaks and curved talons that are around 5 inches long. Although harpy eagles have 6.5-foot wingspans, they can easily navigate the forest canopy, preying on arboreal animals as large as sloths and monkeys. They also prey on large birds and reptiles.

6. Kagu

Found only on the main island of New Caledonia, the kagu (Rhynochetos jubatus) lives in the rainforests and semi-dry forests. Kagu are flightless, ground-dwelling birds that use their long, pointed bills to pull prey from between rocks and out of the ground. They have flaps of skin over their nostrils called corns, which keep dirt from entering their nostrils while digging. Their diet primarily consists of insects and other invertebrates such as spiders, centipedes, beetles, snails, worms, and larvae. They also eat small lizards.

Its plumage is blue-gray, and it has a crest similar to a cockatoo’s. Kagus have orange bills and legs and large, red eyes. While this bird does not truly fly, it uses its long wings to help maintain balance while running and climbing over rocks. Kagus are around the size of chickens, at 22 inches long and weighing up to 2.4 pounds.

7. West Papuan Lorikeet

The beautiful West Papuan lorikeet (Charmosyna papou) is a species of parrot that lives in the mountain forests of West Papua, Indonesia, up to around 11,480 feet in elevation. This lorikeet gathers in flocks in the forest canopy. It often moves among the branches, flicking its long tail instead of flying over the treetops.

This is a small bird, around 10 inches long and weighing up to 4 ounces. It is beautifully colored, with a red head and breast and yellow patches on the flanks. It has green wings, a dark purple iridescent patch on the belly, a blue patch on the rump, and a very long green tail with a yellow tip. While this bird does not truly fly, it uses its long wings to help maintain balance while running and climbing over rocks.

8. Eclectus Parrot

The eclectus parrot (Eclectus roratus) can be found throughout New Guinea and Indonesia, as well as other islands in the South Pacific and northern Australia. The parrot inhabits dense forests up to elevations of around 3,281 feet, often near the coasts or other water sources. The eclectus parrot is a frugivore. In addition to eating berries and other forest fruits, they consume seeds, nuts, buds, nectar, and flowers.

Male and female eclectus parrots have such different coloring that they look like two different species. The male is primarily a brilliant green with a yellowish-orange beak. It has partially blue primary feathers and patches of red under its wings. The tail feathers are green, blue, and yellow. The female has a scarlet head with a dark beak, a blue patch on the nape of her neck, a maroon back and wings, a purple belly, and yellow feathers under her tail. This parrot has nine subspecies whose color patterns differ slightly depending on where they’re found. These are large parrots that grow up to 19 inches long and weigh a maximum of 1.4 pounds.