24 Extraordinarily Beautiful Birds You Might Not Have Heard About

Beautiful birds can be seen across the globe, but which ones are the most beautiful? And what’s the rarest bird from around the world? Check out our list of the 25 top beautiful birds to discover more. You’ll learn what makes each of these beautiful birds unique, where they live, what they eat, and what they look like.

The White-cheeked Turaco (Tauraco leucotis):is found in Eritrea, Ethiopia, and South Sudan. A striking, crested head describes most of the 23 turaco species. On the white-cheeked turaco, the rounded blue-black crest has hairlike feathering which is elongated and slicked back. Prominent red eyerings also stand out. Lacking feathering, they are composed of wattles: a single row of tiny ones below the eye; two or three rows of larger wattles above and to the sides. In front of the eye is a roundish white patch. Legs are grayish-black. Toes are semi-zygodactylous. That is, the outer toe is normally at a right angle, but can be switched backwards or forwards. Claws are short and sharply curved. There are two subspecies: T.l. leucotis is described above. T.l. donaldsoni has a crest that is green towards the front and dull crimson at the back. Wings are a dull violet-blue. Photo credit: Joseph T Gioglio