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Have you ever seen a small bird with a white head and wondered what kind of bird it was?
Well in this article we will look at a list of 11 types of white headed birds across the world. We will see what they look like with the aid of pictures, where they are native to, their habitats and their diets.
Male White headed marsh tyrant
The white headed marsh tyrant, as in the above picture, is of the flycatcher family. At around 12.5cm in length this little bird is quite striking with its white head set against the black plumage of the rest of its body.
Native to
Tropical South America
Habitat
Found near bodies of water such as marshland, lakes, and ponds
Diet
Being a flycatcher their diet consists of flying insects, insects, grasshoppers, beetles and other arthropods
Male White-crested laughing thrush
So as this bird’s name suggests very clearly this bird has a wonderful white crested head, also as seen in the picture above it has a white throat and breast. They have a broad black mask from their beaks running through their eyes and light gray nape. The rest of the plumage is a chestnut brown color. These birds are approximately 35-45 cms in length including the tail.
Native to
South & South east Asia
Habitat
Various habitats including forests, woodlands, scrub bamboo jungle
Diet
Mainly invertebrates, sometimes fruits, berries and seed
Male Pied wagtail
The Pied wagtail appears to be a happy little bird. As seen in the above picture they do have a mostly white head but are pied in color as in their name. They are usually around 25-30 cm in length and have, as their name suggests, a distinct wag in their tail as they go about their business.
Native to
UK
Habitat
They can be found almost anywhere from near streams to supermarket car parks
Diet
Mainly insects, but will scavenge scraps of food
Male White headed buffalo weaver
The male white headed buffalo weaver bird as the picture shows above has a marvelous white head, breast and underbelly, with its brown wings and tail and the flash of orange on its shoulders and under tail feathers make this an unusual but attractive bird. They usually grow to around 20-25 cm in length.
Native to
East Africa, Uganda, Tanzania, Ethiopia, Sudan, Somalia, Kenya
Habitat
Savannas, dry bush, thickets, shrubland
Diet
Mainly insects, beetles, fruit, seed
Male white crowned sparrow
The male white crowned sparrow, has as can be seen in the above picture a black and white striped head, while the rest of the plumage is brown, gray and sparrow like. A relatively small but characterful bird at around 18 cm.
Native to
North America
Habitat
Bushy clearing of forests, alpine meadows, thickets & scrub land
Diet
Mainly seeds, buds, fruit & grass, but will take insect
Male downy woodpecker
Another bird with a white striped head is the impressive looking male downy woodpecker. As seen in the picture above they have a red spot on the nape of their necks, mostly white on their under parts and black and white to their wings and tail. Usually around 28cm in length.
Native to
North America
Habitat
Forests, woodlands, parks, backyards
Diet
Mainly insects, fruits, seeds, weeds
Male white headed woodpecker
At around 23-25cm this woodpecker is slightly larger than the previous downy woodpecker we looked at. As his name suggests he has a white head, he still has a red spot on his nape and the remainder of the plumage is black with a white edging to the wings, as seen in the above picture.
Native to
Western US and British Columbia
Habitat
Mountain pine forests
Diet
Pine seeds, insects, spiders, beetles
Male Long tailed tit
At 7-9cm the long tailed tit is one of the UK smallest garden birds. As seen in the picture above they have a white head and underparts with black and white back with pinkish tones. These birds are usually seen in flocks, they are noisy and excitable, when you see one, you usually then see around 20.
Native to
UK
Habitat
Woodland, forests, parkland, farmland hedgerows, gardens
Diet
Insects & invertebrates
Male White-headed munia
Another unusual looking bird with its white head and chestnut brown body as seen above. A smallish finch at 11cm in length.
Native to
South East Asia
Habitat
Rice fields, marsh land, reed beds, grasslands
Diet
Rice seed & grass seed
Male white headed black bulbul
At around 24cm the male white headed black bulbul is the biggest white headed bird in this article. As seen above it is quite a stunning bird with its orange beak, white head and black body plumage.
Native to
Asia
Habitat
Tropical and Subtropical forests
Diet
Berries, nectar
Male white headed barbet
The male white headed barbet as seen above is an usual looking bird, with its white head, breast, tail and under tail feathers, the gray black back with white spots on the wings. They are around 18-19 cm in length.
Native to
Central Africa
Habitat
Savannas, woodlands, gardens
Diet
Mainly fruit, supplemented with a range of insects
In summary
I hope you have enjoyed this article on white headed small bird. We have seen a variety of birds and have found out some interesting information such as where in the world we are likely to find them, what habitat they prefer and their diets.
You are most welcome to leave any feedback or questions regarding this article.