Beautiful Birds: 10 Most Attractive Species on the Planet!

The very mention of a beautiful bird produces images of an Indian Peacock in our mind! Indian Peacock is the male bird of the Peafowl which has been a constant muse of poets and writers. The national bird of India is renowned for its long tail of iridescent feathers called the "train" which its opens to attract a female bird. The attractive display of the green and blue feather-fan often described the "peacock dance" is a part of the mating strategy.

2. Golden Pheasant:

The Golden Pheasant is undoubtedly one of the most colorful birds on the planet. It is the male which is blessed with a golden yellow crest, a scarlet red breast and a mix of rust and cobalt blue tail. The female on the other hand is a dull-looking bird which has pale grey and pink feathers. Golden Pheasants are shy birds which do not prefer venturing out of their comfort zones. They are highly prized by bird collectors and zookeepers for their brightly colored feathers.

3. Rainbow Lorikeet:

Rainbow Lorikeets are renowned for their incredibly bright and brilliantly colored feathers. They are native to Australia and live on large trees, usually as a group of 12-20 birds. True to the word "Rainbow" in their name, Lories have a set of multi-colored feathers in vibrant shades of red, cobalt blue, green, orange and yellow. These incredibly noisy and "chatty" birds are popular as companion birds due to their developed vocalization and ability to respond to human commands.

4. Keel-Billed Toucan:

Also called Rainbow Toucans, Keel-Billed Toucan is one of the most prettiest birds in the world. It has a vibrant suplhur-yellow breast that sometimes gives the illusion of a "flying banana". Keel-billed Toucans is native to Latin American and usually found in the tropical rainforests of Mexico and Colambia. The most attractive feature of this bird is the enormous rainbow colored bill with shades of yellow, orange, blue, green and red.

The Nicobar Pigeon is a beautiful bird native to the Nicobar Islands, Thailand and other Asian countries. It is one of the many species of the common pigeons and doves with a slightly larger sized body. The distinguishing feature of this bird is the extravagant plume in mixed shades of green, grey, orange, blue and black. Another interesting aspect of the bird is the snow-white tail which often gets lost among the colorful feathers. Unlike the other pigeon species, Nicobar pigeons are ground-dwelling birds, although they are swift flyers.

6. Great Bird of Paradise:

The Great Bird-of-Paradise is a large bird with exceptional physical beauty. The Europeans named them "Bird of Paradise" as they believed the birds were legless and flew to earth from the Paradise. They have a strikingly attractive plumage of brown, yellow and white, an emerald green throat and a pair of long tail wires. Native to South Guinea and Indonesia, these birds are overhunted for their exotic plumes which have a huge demand in the animal trade and are nearing extinction.

7. Mandarin Duck:

The Mandarin duck is a beautiful species of the duck that is native to China and Japan. The male duck, also called the Drake has an artistic-looking plumage with colors like orange, brown, white, blue, grey, black etc. Mandarin ducks are usually found near small water bodies like ponds, lakes etc. and are also remarkable flyers. During the mating season, the drake raises its crest and the elongated tail feathers to attract the female ducks.

8. Spatuletail:

The Marvelous Spatuletail is a gorgeous looking hummingbird that is found only in the Andean Cloud forest of North Peru. The male is the attractive bird of its species which has a blue crest and an ornamental throat covered with small iridescent feathers. Another remarkable feature of this small bird is the exceptionally long pair of rear tail feathers with spatula shaped discs. Spatuletails are one of the fastest flying birds in the world and is impossible for the human eye to match its speeds.

9. Victoria Crowned Pigeon:

Victoria Crowned Pigeons are the largest and unarguably one of the most beautiful birds of the pigeon species. The most recognizable feature of these birds is the extravagant crest with blue and white lacy feathers which resembles a jewelled crown. Victoria Crowned Pigeons are native to the Islands of North Guinea and use their puffed up blue feathers as a natural defense mechanism. The male uses the attractive fanned tail to impress the female bird.

The Painted Bunting is one of the most beautiful birds in the world which looks like a real painting. The plumage of the male bird is filled with multi-colored feathers which include shades of blue, yellow, red, green etc. which reminds us of the pictures from a coloring book. However, the colors come only after maturity and it's hard to distinguish the male and female birds during the initial years. These vividly colored birds also make a sweet chirping noise that sounds like rhythmic music.

There are many more such beautiful birds in the world which makes us wonder if we humans are the most inferior species on the planet! Most of the birds are facing a threat of extinction due to habitat loss, illegal hunting, bird trade etc. We hope their numbers get restored soon and our future generations will get to enjoy their unparalleled beauty!