RareList

Birds that start with R

56 birds, sorted from the ones everyone says first to the ones almost nobody thinks of. 18 of them are in the Rare tier or rarer.

Rare but real

Names that are easy to defend and hard to guess. Good when you need an answer no one else will have.

Red grouse
Reddish-brown grouse of upland moors of Great Britain. Rare
Redshank
A common Old World wading bird with long red legs. Rare
Ricebird
Small finch-like Indonesian weaverbird that frequents rice fields. Rare
Riflebird
Velvety black Australian bird of paradise with green and purple iridescence on head and tail. Rare
Rifleman bird
Small green-and-bronze bird. Rare
Ring ouzel
European thrush common in rocky areas. Rare

All 56 birds that start with R

Sorted by search interest, most familiar first. The last column is average monthly US Google searches.

Showing all 56. Tap a name to copy it.

Birds that start with R, with definition, group, rarity tier and monthly searches
NameWhat it isGroup
Large black bird with a straight bill and long wedge-shaped tail. Birds Plankton 2.2M
Small European thrush having reddish flanks. Birds Plankton 823K
also Bird of prey Any of numerous carnivorous birds that hunt and kill other animals. Birds Plankton 368K
also Redbreast, Robin redbreast, Old World robin Small Old World songbird with a reddish breast. Birds Plankton 201K
also Redtail Dark brown American hawk species having a reddish-brown tail. Birds Plankton 165K
also Chaparral cock Speedy largely terrestrial bird found from California and Mexico to Texas. Birds Plankton 165K
also Cardinal, Cardinal grosbeak, Cardinalis cardinalis Crested thick-billed North American finch having bright red plumage in the male. Birds Too Clever 91K
Western United States bird with red undersurface to wings and tail. Birds Too Clever 74K
North American blackbird with scarlet patches on the wings. Birds Too Clever 74K
also Nandu Smaller of two tall fast-running flightless birds similar to ostriches but three-toed. Birds Too Clever 61K
North American hawk with reddish brown shoulders. Birds Too Clever 50K
Black-and-white North American woodpecker having a red head and neck. Birds Too Clever 50K
breed American breed of heavy-bodied brownish-red general-purpose chicken. Birds Too Clever 41K
also Razor-billed auk Black-and-white northern Atlantic auk having a compressed sharp-edged bill. Birds Too Clever 33K
Tropical rose-colored New World spoonbill. Birds Too Clever 27K
Valued as a game bird in eastern United States and Canada. Birds Too Clever 27K
A jungle fowl of southeastern Asia that is considered ancestral to the domestic fowl. Birds Too Clever 18K
Common pheasant having bright plumage and a white neck ring. Birds Too Clever 18K
Reddish-brown stiff-tailed duck of North America and northern South America. Birds Too Clever 18K
Common Eurasian sandpiper. Birds Too Clever 18K
also Resplendent trogon Very rare Central American bird. Birds Too Clever 15K
African parakeet. Birds Too Clever 15K
also Rock pigeon Pale grey Eurasian pigeon having black-striped wings from which most domestic species are descended. Birds Too Clever 15K
Bluish-grey nuthatch with reddish breast. Birds Too Clever 12K
A kind of lorikeet. Birds Schooler 9.9K
also Ruby-crowned wren American kinglet with a notable song and in the male a red crown patch. Birds Schooler 9.9K
Widely distributed merganser of America and Europe. Birds Schooler 8.1K
also Ratite bird, Flightless bird Flightless birds having flat breastbones lacking a keel for attachment of flight muscles: ostriches. Birds Schooler 6.6K
Of northern North America having red irises and an olive-grey body with white underparts. Birds Schooler 6.6K
also Roughleg Large hawk of the northern hemisphere that feeds chiefly on small rodents and is beneficial to farmers. Birds Schooler 6.6K
also Rusty grackle North American blackbird whose bluish-black plumage is rusty-edged in the fall. Birds Schooler 3.6K
Western North American sapsucker. Birds Schooler 2.9K
Small siskin-like finch with a red crown and a rosy breast and rump. Birds Schooler 2.9K
Common Arctic turnstone that winters in South America and Australia. Birds Schooler 2.9K
European songbird with a reddish breast and tail. Birds Schooler 1.9K
also Crested penguin Small penguin of the Falkland Islands and New Zealand. Birds Schooler 1.6K
Large stocky grebe of circumpolar regions having a dark neck. Birds Schooler 1.3K
Wren inhabiting badlands and mesa country of western United States and Mexico. Birds Schooler 1.3K
also Moorfowl, Moorbird, Moor-bird Reddish-brown grouse of upland moors of Great Britain. Birds Rare 880
Common western European partridge with red legs. Birds Rare 720
A common Old World wading bird with long red legs. Birds Rare 720
breed Small plump hybrid developed by crossbreeding Plymouth Rock and Cornish fowl. Birds Rare 720
Phalarope of northern oceans and lakes. Birds Rare 590
also Java sparrow, Java finch Small finch-like Indonesian weaverbird that frequents rice fields. Birds Rare 480
Velvety black Australian bird of paradise with green and purple iridescence on head and tail. Birds Rare 480
South American species of scarlet finch with black head and wings and tail. Birds Rare 390
Small green-and-bronze bird. Birds Rare 390
also Ring blackbird, Ring thrush European thrush common in rocky areas. Birds Rare 260
also Greek partridge Of mountainous areas of southern Europe. Birds Rare 260
European bunting inhabiting marshy areas. Birds Rare 210
Greyish Old World turtledove with a black band around the neck. Birds Rare 170
also Sedge warbler, Sedge bird Small European warbler that breeds among reeds and wedges and winters in Africa. Birds Deep Cut 70
A Canada jay with a white head. Birds Deep Cut 40
also Rose-colored pastor, Pastor sturnus, Pastor roseus Glossy black bird with pink back and abdomen. Birds Deep Cut 30
A dowitcher with a red breast. Birds Deep Cut 10
Common gregarious Old World bird about the size and color of the American crow. Birds One in a Krillion <10

Questions about birds that start with R

How many birds start with R?

RareList lists 56 birds that start with R, including 2 breeds. 6 are in the Plankton tier, the names everyone knows, and 18 are in the Rare tier or rarer.

What are common birds that start with R?

The most searched birds starting with R are Raven, Redwing, Raptor, Robin and Red-tailed hawk.

What is a rare bird that starts with R?

Red-breasted snipe is one of the rarest. A dowitcher with a red breast. It gets about 10 US searches a month. Other rare picks: Red grouse, Redshank and Ricebird.

How does RareList decide what counts as rare?

Each name is ranked by its average monthly Google searches in the United States. Fewer searches means fewer people are likely to think of it, which is what matters in games that reward unique answers. See how we rank for the details.