look like cardinals
Cardinals are also called redbirds, but not every red bird is a cardinal. Read about a few more birds that resemble cardinals.
Pyrrhuloxia
Pyrrhuloxia birds resemble cardinals so closely, they’re also known as the desert cardinal. This species ranges into the Southwest and sports the same splendid crest as the northern cardinal. The plumage color is a little different, however: Male pyrrhuloxias are mostly gray with red highlights. Looking for a cool pyrrhuloxia? Try the southern Arizona, New Mexico and Texas areas. See breathtaking images of cardinals here.
Scarlet Tanager
At a glance, a number of red birds could pass as cardinals. Solid red heads and bodies on scarlet tanagers are rounded out by black wings and tail feathers. These are migratory birds, and are almost always found up in the high tree tops. Learn about more of the most colorful tanager species you should get to know.
Summer Tanager
Summer tanagers are all red birds, lacking the scarlet tanager’s black wings and tail, or cardinals’ black eye mask. You will in the southern states. They’re rarer than cardinals, after all, and an exciting spot for bird-watchers.
Vermilion Flycatcher
Saguaro National Park, in Arizona, may be among the best places to observe the brightly red vermilion flycatcher of the desert scrub. They have a black eye mask, similar to a cardinal, and black wings and tail feathers, like scarlet tanagers. Meet the desert birds of the southwest.
10 Birds that look like cardinals
Red Crossbill
Yet another red bird to keep an eye on is the red crossbill. For a positive ID, consider the bird’s distinctive beak. Crossbills turn up almost anywhere; they are the supreme nomads of the bird world.
Don’t get confused! Find out how to tell robins from the other birds that look like robins.
This species usually stays far up north, but you may see it at your feeders in winter. So if you catch a photo-flash of a reddish-pink feathered creature in a snowy tree, don’t be too quick to assume it is a cardinal. Psst — we found the best cardinal bird feeders and birdseed.
Tufted Titmouse
Yes, the tufted titmouse is gray and white, rather than red, but from a distance you might mistake its head crest for that of a female cardinal.
Cedar Waxwing
A cedar waxwing has so many colors! They have a head crest and a black mask, which makes these birds look similar to cardinals from a distance. Search for bright feathers on their wing tips and tail. You’ll likely encounter these birds at a berry bush. Know how to distinguish bohemian waxwings vs cedar waxwings.
MD Imdadul Haque is the founder of BirdzFly, a research-backed resource on North American backyard birds. Drawing on years of independent study into bird identification, behavior, and migration patterns, he writes in-depth guides designed to help US birders understand the species in their own backyards — from common feeder visitors to seasonal migrants passing through.
