There are colorful birds. And also, there are birds that are just black and white. Not just, but a very nice looking birds. We’ve gathered a list of such birds. Enjoy the nature masterpiece of these birds.
These birds might lack eye-catching, colorful feathers but they make up for it with beautifully patterned plumage. Several such species with striking black and white feathers are familiar birds that catch the eye and pose for the camera.
These are birds like chickadees, the Black-crowned Night-Heron, Downy Woodpecker, Black-and-White Warbler, and other species that have black and white coloration to help them blend in with their surroundings. See and learn more about these common, eye-catching bird species below.
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Black-Crowned Night-Heron
The Black-Crowned Night-Heron is a stocky heron with a thick neck and a strong, black bill. The adult has a black cap and back that contrast with bright white on the face, in front of the eyes, and on the underparts.
Both sexes have two to four, long, elegant white feathers on the head. The adult of this nocturnal heron is easily recognized by its solid black cap and pale underparts, and is commonly found roosting in trees in wooded swamps, next to rivers, and other wetlands.
- The Black-Crowned Night-Heron feeds at night on everything from crabs to fish and even nestlings of other waterbird species.
- Black-Crowned Night-Herons live on every continent except for Australia and Antarctica.
- Its scientific name of “Nycticorax” means “night raven”.
Black Skimmer
The Black Skimmer is a large, unique bird in the gull and tern family with a hefty, dark-tipped, orange beak. The lower part of the beak is longer than the upper part and is used to skim through the surface of water to catch small fish.
This species is coal black above and has bright white below, in front of and below the eye, on the tail, and on the trailing part of the wings. Flocks live in coastal waters of the eastern and southern USA.
- The Black Skimmer has vertical pupils to reduce glare while foraging over water and resting in white sand.
- Flocks of the Black Skimmer often forage together and make turns over the water at the same time.
Downy Woodpecker
downy woodpecker
The Downy Woodpecker is a small, common woodpecker of gardens, woodlands, and backyards in much of North America. This small black and white bird has white underparts, white at the edge of the tail, white spotting in the wings, white on the back, and white above and below the eye.
Males also have a small red spot on the back part of the crown, and this species can be separated from the nearly identical Hairy Woodpecker by its smaller size and much shorter bill.
- Downy Woodpeckers have feathers around their nostrils to prevent them from breathing in sawdust.
- As with other woodpecker species, the skull of the Downy Woodpecker is cushioned to protect its brain from the force of hitting wood with its bill.
Black Phoebe
The Black Phoebe is a small to medium-sized, dull black flycatcher with white on the lower breast, belly, and under the tail. It also has some white in the tail and as edging to some feathers in the wings.
This flycatcher has a short crest, and is commonly seen at the edges of rivers, lakes, and other open habitats near water from California to the southern half of Arizona and New Mexico, and western Texas.
- The Black Phoebe builds a cup-shaped nest made of mud under bridges and on walls and other structures.
- The Black Phoebe mostly eats insects but on occasion, it also dives into the water to catch tiny fish.
Eastern Kingbird
The Eastern Kingbird is a small to medium-sized, flycatcher of open habitats with black and dark gray upperparts, white underparts with pale gray on the breast, white at the edge and tip of the tail, and white edging in the wings.
No other bird in its range is dark above and white below with a white tip to the tail. It lives in meadows and other open habitats in much of Canada and the USA.
- The Eastern Kingbird and other kingbird species are named after the hidden red or yellow crown patch revelaed when they fearlessly chase hawks and other large birds from their territory.
- Flocks of Eastern Kingbirds migrate to the Amazon rainforest where they feed on fruit.
Black-capped Chickadee
The Black-capped Chickadee is a very small, familiar and friendly bird with a black cap and throat, and white on the cheek and side of the neck. It has a grayish back, wings, and tail, and has white edging on the feathers of the wings, and white underparts with buff highlights.
This chickadee species cheers up gardens, parks, and other woodlands in the northern half of the USA, Canada, and parts of Alaska.
- The Black-capped Chickadee hides seeds and other bits of food to help it survive the winter months.
- Black-capped Chickadees nest and roost in small holes in trees and will also use wooden nest boxes.
Carolina Chickadee
Carolina Chickadee
Like the Black-capped Chickadee, the Carolina Chickadee is a very small, friendly, and familiar bird with black on the cap and the throat, and a white cheek and side of the neck.
This bird has gray on the back, tail, and wings, and has some white edging on the feathers of the wings but less white on the upper part of the wing than the Black-capped Chickadee. The underparts are also white with some buff.
It lives in parks, gardens, and woodlands from New Jersey and Ohio to Florida and west to Oklahoma and Texas.
- The Carolina Chickadee can be separated from the Black-capped Chickadee by range, less white in the upper part of the wing, a shorter tail, a more complex song, and a call with four to six notes.
- In very cold weather, the Carolina Chickadee can lower its body temperature and essentially hibernate for up to 15 hours.
The Loggerhead Shrike is a small to medium-sized, pale gray songbird with bulky head, a black mask, stout black bill with a hooked tip, and black wings with a small white patch.
It also has white on the underparts and the underside and edges of a black tail. This interesting bird perches on wires and bushes in grasslands and other open habitats in parts of southern Canada, and in much of the southern, central, and western USA, and Mexico.
- As with other shrike species, the Loggerhead Shrike catches large insects and small animals including small snakes, small birds, and mice, and kills them with its strong, hooked beak.
- The Loggerhead Shrike is sometimes referred to as a “butcherbird” because it eats small animals after impaling them on barbed wire and thorns.
White-breasted Nuthatch
The White-breasted Nuthatch is a small bird with a slightly upturned bill that creeps down tree trunks with its head pointed toward the ground. It has a black cap and nape, white face and side of the neck, and white underparts with a bit of chestnut.
The rest of the upperparts are gray with black and white in the wings and tail. The White-breasted Nuthatch lives in woodlands in southern Canada and in much of the USA south to Oaxaca, Mexico.
- When a pair of White-breasted Nuthatches forage together, the female watches for predators more than the male does.
- Sometimes, the White-breasted Nuthatch puts mashed insects around the opening of its nest hole to try and scare off squirrels that would eat the eggs or nestlings.
Black-and-white Warbler
The Black-and-White Warbler is a small bird with a sharp bill, and black and white stripes and markings over much of its body. Like its name says – it is really black and white bird. The male has more black than the female, especially on the throat and face.
It forages for insects by creeping along trunks and branches in forests in Canada from the Northwest Territories east to Nova Scotia, and in parts of the northern and eastern USA.
- Black-and-White Warblers have strong legs and a long claw on their back toe; adaptations to help this warbler better grasp tree bark.
- Although the Black-and-White Warbler can forage quite high in trees, it builds its nest on the ground.
Yellow-rumped Warbler
The Yellow-rumped Warbler is a small, pretty bird with yellow on the crown, on each side of the breast, and on the rump. It has a large black patch on the face, a white throat, black markings on a white breast and flanks, and black marks on bluish-gray upperparts.
It two white wing bars, and white markings on a blackish tail. Birds in western North America have a yellow throat, less black on the face, and more white in the wings.
This common warbler breeds in forests in Alaska, Canada, and the northern and western USA, and winters in parks and open woodlands in much of the southern USA to Central America and the Caribbean.
- On account of its bright yellow rump, the Yellow-rumped Warbler is often referred to as the “butterbutt”.
- The Yellow-rumped Warbler eats myrtle berries and is the only warbler species able to digest this waxy fruit.
Rose-breasted Grosbeak
The Rose-breasted Grosbeak is a medium-sized songbird with a big, finch-like beak. The female is mostly brown and white, but the male has a white beak, black head and back, and black wings with a few white patches and spots.
It has a white lower back and rump, white underparts with a red patch on the breast, and a black and white tail. This handsome bird lives in wooded habitats in much of southern Canada, and in the northern USA from eastern North Dakota south to Oklahoma and Ohio, and the Appalachian Mountains.
- In spring and early summer, the male Rose-breasted Grosbeak often sings its warbling song on moonlit nights.
- In winter, male Rose-breasted Grosbeaks have plumage that looks much more like that of the female.
Which ones you’ve seen? Let us know in the comments