Skip to Content
Abert’s Towhee Acadian Flycatcher Acorn Woodpecker Alder Flycatcher Allen’s Hummingbird Altamira Oriole American Avocet American Bittern American Black Duck American Coot American Crow American Dipper American Golden-Plover American Goldfinch American Kestrel American Oystercatcher American Pipit American Redstart American Robin American Three-toed Woodpecker American Tree Sparrows American White Pelican American Wigeon American Woodcock Anhinga Anna’s Hummingbird Arctic Tern Arizona Woodpecker Ash-Throated Flycatcher Atlantic Puffin Audubon’s Oriole Bachman’s Sparrow Baird’s Sandpiper Baird’s Sparrow Bald Eagle Baltimore Oriole Band-tailed Pigeon Bank Swallow Barn Owl Barn Swallow Barred Owl Barrow’s Goldeneye Bay-breasted Warbler Bell’s Vireo Belted Kingfisher Bendire’s Thrasher Bewick’s Wren Black Guillemot Black Oystercatcher Black Phoebe Black Rail Black Rosy-Finch Black Scoter Black Skimmer Black Swift Black Tern Black Turnstone Black Vulture Black-and-white Warbler Black-backed Woodpecker Black-bellied Plover Black-bellied Whistling-Duck Black-billed Cuckoo Black-billed Magpie Black-capped Chickadee Black-capped Vireo Black-chinned Hummingbird Black-chinned Sparrow Black-crested Titmouse Black-crowned Night-Heron Black-footed Albatross Black-headed Grosbeak Black-legged Kittiwake Black-necked Stilt Black-throated Blue Warbler Black-throated Gray Warbler Black-throated Green Warbler Black-throated Sparrow Blackburnian Warbler Blackpoll Warbler Blue Grosbeak Blue Jay Blue-footed Booby Blue-gray Gnatcatcher Blue-headed Vireo Blue-throated Hummingbird Blue-winged Teal Blue-winged Warbler Boat-tailed Grackle Bobolink Bohemian Waxwing Bonaparte’s Gull Boreal Chickadee Boreal Owl Botteri’s Sparrow Brandt’s Cormorant Brant Brewer’s Blackbird Brewer’s Sparrow Bridled Titmouse Broad-billed Hummingbird Broad-tailed Hummingbird Broad-winged Hawk Bronzed Cowbird Brown Booby Brown Creeper Brown Pelican Brown Thrasher Brown-capped Rosy-Finch Brown-headed Cowbird Brown-headed Nuthatch Buff-bellied Hummingbird Buff-breasted Flycatcher Buff-breasted Sandpiper Bufflehead Bullock’s Oriole Burrowing Owl Bushtit Cackling Goose Cactus Wren California Condor California Gull California Quail California Thrasher California Towhee Calliope Hummingbird Canada Goose Canada Jay (Previously Gray Jay) Canada Warbler Canvasback Canyon Towhee Canyon Wren Cape May Warbler Carolina Chickadee Carolina Wren Caspian Tern Cassin’s Auklet Cassin’s Finch Cassin’s Kingbird Cassin’s Sparrow Cassin’s Vireo Cattle Egret Cave Swallow Cedar Waxwing Cerulean Warbler Chestnut-backed Chickadee Chestnut-collared Longspur Chestnut-sided Warbler Chihuahuan Raven Chimney Swift Chipping Sparrow Chuck-will’s-widow Chukar Cinnamon Teal Clapper Rail Clark’s Grebe Clark’s Nutcracker Clay-colored Sparrow Cliff Swallow Colima Warbler Common Eider Common Gallinule Common Goldeneye Common Grackle Common Ground-Dove Common Loon Common Merganser Common Murre Common Nighthawk Common Pauraque Common Poorwill Common Raven Common Redpoll Common Tern Common Yellowthroat Connecticut Warbler Cooper’s Hawk Cordilleran Flycatcher Costa’s Hummingbird Couch’s Kingbird Crescent-chested Warbler Crested Caracara Crissal Thrasher Curve-billed Thrasher Dark-eyed Junco Dickcissel Double-crested Cormorant Dovekie Downy Woodpecker Dunlin Dusky Flycatcher Dusky Grouse Eared Grebe Eastern Bluebird Eastern Kingbird Eastern Meadowlark Eastern Phoebe Eastern Screech-Owl Eastern Towhee Eastern Whip-poor-will Eastern Wood-Pewee Elegant Tern Elf Owl Emperor Goose Eurasian Collared-Dove Eurasian Tree Sparrow Eurasian Wigeon European Starling Evening Grosbeak Ferruginous Hawk Field Sparrow Fish Crow Flammulated Owl Florida Scrub-Jay Forster’s Tern Fox Sparrow Franklin’s Gull Fulvous Whistling-Duck Gadwall Gambel’s Quail Gila Woodpecker Gilded Flicker Glaucous Gull Glaucous-winged Gull Glossy Ibis Golden Eagle Golden-cheeked Warbler Golden-crowned Kinglet Golden-crowned Sparrow Golden-crowned Warbler Golden-fronted Woodpecker Golden-winged Warbler Grace’s Warbler Grasshopper Sparrow Gray Catbird Gray Flycatcher Gray Kingbird Gray Partridge Gray Vireo Gray-cheeked Thrush Gray-crowned Rosy-Finch Great Black-backed Gull Great Blue Heron Great Cormorant Great Crested Flycatcher Great Egret Great Gray Owl Great Horned Owl Great Kiskadee Great-tailed Grackle Greater Pewee Greater Prairie-Chicken Greater Roadrunner Greater Sage-Grouse Greater Scaup Greater White-fronted Goose Greater Yellowlegs Green Heron Green Jay Green-tailed-towhee Green-winged Teal Groove-billed Ani Gull-billed Tern Gunnison Sage-Grouse Gyrfalcon Hairy Woodpecker Hammond’s Flycatcher Harlequin Duck Harris’s Hawk Harris’s Sparrow Heermann’s Gull Henslow’s Sparrow Hepatic Tanager Hermit Thrush Hermit Warbler Herring Gull Hoary Redpoll Hooded Merganser Hooded Oriole Hooded Warbler Horned Grebe Horned Lark Horned Puffin House Finch House Sparrow House Wren Hudsonian Godwit Hutton’s Vireo Inca Dove Indigo Bunting Ivory-billed Woodpecker Juniper Titmouse Kentucky Warbler Killdeer King Eider King Rail Kirtland’s Warbler Ladder-backed Woodpecker Lapland Longspur Lark Bunting Lark Sparrow Laughing Gull Lawrence’s Goldfinch Lazuli Bunting Le Conte’s Sparrow Le Conte’s Thrasher Least Bittern Least Flycatcher Least Grebe Least Sandpiper Least Tern Lesser Black-backed Gull Lesser Goldfinch Lesser Prairie-Chicken Lesser Scaup Lesser Yellowlegs Lewis’s Woodpecker Limpkin Lincoln’s Sparrow Little Blue Heron Loggerhead Shrike Long-billed Curlew Long-billed Dowitcher Long-eared Owl Long-tailed Duck Louisiana Waterthrush Lucifer Hummingbird Lucy’s Warbler MacGillivray’s Warbler Magnificent Frigatebird Magnificent Hummingbird Magnolia Warbler Mallard Mangrove Cuckoo Marbled Godwit Marsh Wren Masked Duck McCown’s Longspur Merlin Mew Gull Mexican Jay Mississippi Kite Montezuma Quail Mottled Duck Mountain Bluebird Mountain Chickadee Mountain Plover Mountain Quail Mourning Dove Mourning Warbler Mute Swan Nashville Warbler Neotropic Cormorant Northern Bobwhite Northern Cardinal Northern Flicker Northern Fulmar Northern Gannet Northern Goshawk Northern Harrier Northern Hawk Owl Northern Mockingbird Northern Parula Northern Pintail Northern Rough-winged Swallow Northern Saw-whet Owl Northern Shoveler Northern Shrike Northern Waterthrush Northwestern Crow Nuttall’s Woodpecker Oak Titmouse Olive-sided Flycatcher Orange-crowned Warbler Orchard Oriole Osprey Ovenbird Pacific Golden-Plover Pacific Loon Pacific-slope Flycatcher Painted Bunting Painted Redstart Palm Warbler Pectoral Sandpiper Pelagic Cormorant Peregrine Falcon Phainopepla Philadelphia Vireo Pied-billed Grebe Pigeon Guillemot Pileated Woodpecker Pine Grosbeak Pine Siskin Pine Warbler Pinyon Jay Piping Plover Plain Chachalaca Plumbeous Vireo Prairie Falcon Prairie Warbler Prothonotary Warbler Purple Finch Purple Gallinule Purple Martin Purple Sandpiper Pygmy Nuthatch Pyrrhuloxia Razorbill Red Crossbill Red Knot Red Phalarope Red-bellied Woodpecker Red-breasted Merganser Red-breasted Nuthatch Red-breasted Sapsucker Red-cockaded Woodpecker Red-eyed Vireo Red-faced Warbler Red-headed Woodpecker Red-naped Sapsucker Red-necked Grebe Red-necked Phalarope Red-shouldered Hawk Red-tailed Hawk Red-throated Loon Red-winged Blackbird Reddish Egret Redhead Ring-billed Gull Ring-necked Duck Ring-necked Pheasant Rock Pigeon Rock Ptarmigan Rock Sandpiper Rose-breasted Grosbeak Roseate Spoonbill Roseate Tern Ross’s Goose Rough-legged Hawk Royal Tern Ruby-crowned Kinglet Ruby-throated Hummingbird Ruddy Duck Ruddy Turnstone Ruffed Grouse Rufous Hummingbird Rufous-capped Warbler Rufous-winged Sparrow Rusty Blackbird Sabine’s Gull Sage Sparrow Sage Thrasher Saltmarsh Sharp-tailed Sparrow Sanderling Sandhill Crane Sandwich Tern Savannah Sparrow Say’s Phoebe Scaled Quail Scarlet Tanager Scissor-tailed Flycatcher Scott’s Oriole Seaside Sparrow Sedge Wren Semipalmated Plover Semipalmated Sandpiper Sharp-shinned Hawk Sharp-tailed Grouse Short-billed Dowitcher Short-eared Owl Slate-throated Redstart Smith’s Longspur Smooth-billed Ani Snail Kite Snow Bunting Snow Goose Snowy Egret Snowy Plover Solitary Sandpiper Song Sparrow Sooty Grouse Sora Spotted Owl Spotted Sandpiper Spotted Towhee Sprague’s Pipit Spruce Grouse Steller’s Jay Stilt Sandpiper Summer Tanager Surf Scoter Surfbird Swainson’s Hawk Swainson’s Thrush Swainson’s Warbler Swallow-tailed Kite Swamp Sparrow Tennessee Warbler Thick-billed Murre Townsend’s Solitaire Townsend’s Warbler Tree Swallow Tricolored Heron Tropical Kingbird Trumpeter Swan Tufted Puffin Tufted Titmouse Tundra Swan Turkey Vulture Upland Sandpiper Varied Bunting Varied Thrush Vaux’s Swift Veery Verdin Vermilion Flycatcher Vesper Sparrow Violet-green Swallow Virginia Rail Virginia’s Warbler Warbling Vireo Western Bluebird Western Grebe Western Gull Western Kingbird Western Sandpiper Western Screech-Owl Western Tanager Western Wood-Pewee Western-Meadowlark Whimbrel White Ibis White-breasted Nuthatch White-crowned Pigeon White-crowned Sparrow White-eyed Vireo White-faced Ibis White-headed Woodpecker White-rumped Sandpiper White-tailed Hawk White-tailed Kite White-tailed Ptarmigan White-throated Sparrow White-throated Swift White-tipped Dove White-winged Crossbill White-winged Dove White-winged Scoter Whooping Crane Wild Turkey Willet Williamson’s Sapsucker Willow Flycatcher Willow Ptarmigan Wilson’s Phalarope Wilson’s Plover Wilson’s Snipe Wilson’s Warbler Winter Wren Wood Duck Wood Stork Wood Thrush Woodhouse’s Scrub-Jay Worm-eating Warbler Wrentit Yellow Rail Yellow Warbler Yellow-bellied Flycatcher Yellow-bellied Sapsucker Yellow-billed Cuckoo Yellow-billed Magpie Yellow-breasted Chat Yellow-crowned Night-Heron Yellow-headed Blackbird Yellow-rumped Warbler Yellow-throated Vireo Yellow-throated Warbler Zone-tailed Hawk

White Birds (Different Types With Photos)

White Birds

When you think of a white bird, what comes to mind? A heron, a crane, or an owl?

Well, these are just a few white birds that are the most easily recognizable. Of course, completely white birds aren’t something you will see at your bird feeder, but there are many white birds in the wild! We’ve compiled a list of the most common white birds, their descriptions, frequently asked questions, and more!

So, sit back and enjoy!

White Birds

 

#10 – Whooping Crane

Whooping Cranes

Whooping Cranes

Whooping Cranes are very tall, large birds. They have long legs and long necks. In fact, they’re the largest bird in North America. The bill is straight and strong, and the overall slender body widens at the tail. In-flight Whooping Cranes fully extend their necks, and their wings are wide. Male and female whooping cranes look incredibly similar. They both are primarily bright white and have red on their heads. The wingtips, bill, and legs are black.

There’s not a large population of Whooping Cranes left. The remaining population in the North spends their winters on the Gulf Coast and breeds in Canada’s Northwestern territories. Whooping Cranes in this territory nest in potholes that contain mostly bulrushes and other aquatic plants. On their wintering grounds, which are located in Texas, Whooping Cranes inhabit shallow bays, tidal flats, and estuarine marshes. They sometimes venture into nearby farmland as well.

#9 – Great Egret

great egret

Great Egrets are long-legged, tall-wading birds. They have long bills, short tails, and S-curved necks. When flying, their long necks are tucked in, and their legs extend far past the end of their tails. Both male and female Great Egrets are white. They have black legs and yellowish-orange bills.

Great Egrets live in marine, brackish, and freshwater wetlands. During their breeding season, they live in colonies in shrubs or trees with other wading birds. Said colonies are located on ponds, lakes, estuaries, marshes, islands, and impoundments. Great Egrets use similar habitats on their wintering grounds and when migrating. They hunt for prey in swamps, marshes, streams, ponds, lagoons, lakes, impoundments, rivers, tidal flats, ditches, and canals.

#8 – Snowy Egret

snowy egret

The Snowy Egret is a medium-sized heron. They have slender, long bills, thin, long legs, small heads, and thin, long necks. Both male and female Snowy Egrets are bright white, have yellow feet, and black legs and bills. They also have a patch of yellow skin at the base of their bills.

Snowy Egrets nest in isolated places, thick vegetation, and colonies. They can be found in dredge-spoil islands, barrier islands, salt marsh islands, marshes, and swamps. Snowy Egrets will change their locations often, and during their breeding season, these birds will feed in salt marshes, estuaries, shallow bays, mangroves, and tidal channels. Snowy Egrets winter in saltwater lagoons, mangroves, freshwater swamps, temporary pools, and grassy ponds. They’ll forage on shallow reefs, wet fields, and beaches.

#7 – American White Pelican

American White Pelican

American White Pelicam

American White Pelicans are very large waterbirds. They have long necks, huge bills, wide wings, and uniquely shaped heads. They have short legs, square, short tails, and thick bodies. During their breeding season, adults grow a noticeable bump near the tip of their bill, also known as a horn. Male and females look very similar. They’re snowy white, have yellow-orange legs and bills, and black flight feathers.

American White Pelicans inhibit isolated islands in freshwater lakes during their breeding season. They’ll forage 30 miles or more from their nesting sites in shallow water locations. Some examples of places they’ll feed are river edges, island marshes, lake edges, and wetlands. During migration, they’ll stop in similar habitats to rest and forage. They favor inlets, coastal bays, sloughs, and estuaries in the winter.

#6 – Rock Ptarmigan

Rock-Ptarmigan

Rock Ptarmigans are chickenlike birds. They’re plump, have short necks, small heads, large, feathered feet, and small bills. During the winter, Rock Ptarmigans are white and have dark bills, eyes, and tail feathers. Male Rock Ptarmigans have scarlet red patches above their eyes.

They’ll remain white into the middle of the summer and then molt into brown plumage. The legs and wings will remain mostly white even after this molt. Female Rock Ptarmigans are camouflaged well due to their intricate pale and dark brown mottling.

Rock Ptarmigan nest in the alpine and arctic tundra. They prefer drier and higher parts of the tundra with abundant mosses, rocks, and lichen. There are records of this species south of its breeding range. However, it’s very few. These birds can be found in Alaska, Canada, and Greenland.

#5 – Snowy Plover

Snowy Plover

Snowy Plovers are plump, small shorebirds. They have slender, short bills, large heads, and short tails. Male and Female Snowy Plovers look very similar. They’re a pale sandy brown on their upper parts and white on their underparts. During the summer, males and females will have a black behind their eyes, on the tops of their heads, and across their breasts. Nonbreeding adults are a sandy gray color, don’t have the black behind their eyes, and have a partially brown collar. Their legs are gray, and the bills are black.

Snowy Plovers are usually found in sandy, open areas next to water. This could be barrier islands, barren shores of saline lakes inland, and ocean beaches. They can also be found utilizing reservoir margins, wastewater ponds, dredge spoils, sand bars in rivers, parking lots, and salt evaporation ponds.

#4 – White Hawk

The White Hawk is eagle-like. They’re big, have broad, long wings, and long legs. When resting, their wings extend past their tails. Both males and females are steel gray on top and have a brick-red color on the shoulders. They are snowy white on their underparts and have a black band on their white tails.

White Hawks can be found in Texas, Mexico, Central America, and South America. They live in southern Texas year-round, where they inhabit prairies, grasslands, pastures, and savannas. These locations have some vegetation, like shrubs and trees. When prairie fires happen, White Hawks will gather together to hunt vertebrates like rodents that are running away from the flames. These hawks are seldom unless there is a prairie fire.

#3 – American White Ibis

American White Ibis

 

The American White Ibis are large wading birds. They have football-shaped bodies, long necks, long legs, and long, curved bills. These birds, both males and females, are mainly white. They have reddish-pink bills and legs and black-tipped wings. Their eyes are a brilliant light blue.

White Ibises inhabit wetlands like mangroves, swamps, flooded pastures, shallow ponds, and freshwater marshes. They forage in areas that have less than 8 inches of water and short vegetation. However, they can be seen feeding in parks and lawns in places like Florida. They nest in shrubs or trees in colonies. These colonies are located near salt, brackish, or fresh water.

 

#2 – Snowy Owl

snowy owl

Snowy Owls are large owls. They have smooth, round heads, rarely showing their ear tufts, bulky bodies, and legs with dense feathers. These birds are primarily white and have various brown or black markings on their wings and bodies. Males tend to be whiter than females and turn whiter as they age. Females usually have a salt-and-pepper look. Both males and females have yellow eyes.

Snowy Owls are most often seen in wide-open spaces and areas without trees. This could be the Great Plains, beach dunes, an airport field, or the tundra. They prefer treeless, open spaces because they sit on the ground while hunting. Snowy Owls will find a vantage point that will allow them to survey the entire surrounding area. When they reach their wintering grounds, they’ll perch on top of hay bales, fence posts, telephone poles, and buildings because they offer a good view.

#1 – White Tern

White Tern

Photo Copyright: Forest and Kim Starr

White Terns are medium-sized birds. They have slightly forked tails and dark eyes. In fact, their eyes look bigger than they are because of black eye rings. Their bills are mostly black but have dark blue at the base.

White terns can be seen both in small groups and by themselves. They breed in subtropical and tropical Pacific, Indian, and south Atlantic Oceans.  These islands have some vegetation. In this vegetation, they’ll build nests during the breeding season.

 

People Also Ask

What does it mean when you see a white bird?

White birds are said to represent fresh starts and good fortune. In some cultures, they also represent purity and hope. If you see white birds often, the universe may be trying to tell you something!

Are white birds rare?

No, white birds in the wild are not rare. However, seeing a white bird at your bird feeders could be a rare occurrence. These birds could be albino or leucistic.

About the Author

Sam Crowe

Sam is the founder of Birdzilla.com. He has been birding for over 30 years and has a world list of over 2000 species. He has served as treasurer of the Texas Ornithological Society, Sanctuary Chair of Dallas Audubon, Editor of the Cornell Lab of Ornithology's "All About Birds" web site and as a contributing editor for Birding Business magazine. Many of his photographs and videos can be found on the site.

Let others know your thoughts or ask an expert

Would you like to get new articles of birds (Once a month?)

No SPAM! We might only send you fresh updates once a month

Thank you for subscribing!

No thanks! I prefer to follow BirdZilla on Facebook