Brown Birds with an Orange Chest

Today, my goal is to find 10 species of birds that are brown with an orange chest. I can only think of a couple offhand and am fairly certain we will have to look beyond the United States to find more. Let’s start by considering why birds need colored feathers at all. Why do birds need colored feathers? There are two main reasons why birds have colored feathers. Firstly, for camouflage against predators. This may be why females are often so muted in tone as they need to blend in to protect their chicks. Secondly, male birds are often very colorful and this is to attract a female for mating. The colors show her that he is a good genetic choice. How are feathers colored? Feathers are colored by the presence of pigments. There are 2 types of such pigment. MelaninProduces black, brown, orange and grey feathers. It is already present in the birds’ bodies. CarotenoidsProduces all the other brighter colors (except for blue). It is not naturally occuring in the birds’ biology. It has to be ingested from certain foods. Blue FeathersThere is no such thing as blue feathers. They are caused by light scattering, a trick of the light. For more information, please read our Black Birds with Blue Heads post. So, today we are looking for those more muted tones. It looks like the species we find might well be females. American Robin (Turdus migratorius) Identification and Size The American Robin is actually a thrush and as so, is a large songbird. Its back is gray/brown and the belly a dark orangey red. The female is more muted than the male Length: 7.9 – 11.0 inchesWingspan: 12.2 – 15.8 inchesWeight: 2.7 – 3.0 ounces The American Robin is widespread acros continental America, into Canada and Alaska in

Today, my goal is to find 10 species of birds that are brown with an orange chest.