Beaks are one of the most remarkable parts of a bird’s body. A bright, attractive beak can add considerably to a bird’s appeal. In this article, we are going to talk about birds that have yellow beaks. The list includes names of Thrushes, Gulls, Eagles, as well as other yellow-beaked birds.
True Thrushes
True Thrushes are a family of omnivore (mostly insectivore) passerine birds who populate the whole world quite indiscriminately. There are 84 extant species of True Thrushes today, out of which, the following have yellow beaks:
1. Yellow-Legged Thrush
Scientific name – Turdus flavipes
Body length – 22-23 centimeters (8.7-9.1 inches)
Weight – about 55-70 grams
Diet – omnivore
Found between northern to eastern South America, the Yellow-Legged Thrushes are small songbirds who have a slate-grey body. Their head and wings are jet black, with yellow beaks and legs. Around their black eyes is a yellow rim, which makes them look more prominent.
2. Pale-Eyed Thrush
Scientific name – Turdus leucops
Body length – 18-21 centimeters
Weight – about 65 grams
Diet – omnivore
The Pale-Eyed Thrushes are found in the subtropical regions of South America (Peru, Venezuela, Bolivia, Ecuador, Columbia, Brazil, etc.
The males and females look different from each other. While the males have a glossy black body with bright orange-yellow beaks and pale eyes, the females have a dark brown body with darker beaks. They often make their nests on fruiting trees.
3. African Thrush
Scientific name – Turdus pelios
Body length – 21-23 centimeters
Weight – about 46-78 grams
Diet – omnivore
Also called the “West African Thrush”, the African Thrushes are found in the western part of sub-Saharan Africa, where there are plenty of trees. These non-migratory birds have dull olive-grey upperparts, with brownish breast slowing turning into white towards the vent. Their beaks are painted in a bright shade of yellow-orange.
4. Karoo Thrush
Scientific name – Turdus smithi
Body length – 24 centimeters
Weight – about 86 grams
Diet – omnivore
The Karoo Thrushes are another species of African Thrushes who reside in the Karoo and Northern Cape, Limpopo, Gauteng, Little Namaqualand, etc. These birds have an overall brown-grey body with grey flanks and yellow beaks. Their tails are long and curve slightly upwards.
5. Somali Thrush
Scientific name – Turdus ludoviciae
Body length – 22-24 centimeters
Weight – about 58-63 grams
Diet – omnivore
The Somali Thrushes are also known as the “Somali Songbird” because of their sing-song voice. These birds are native to the country of Somalia and frequent in the montane juniper woodlands.
They have a brown body with a black head and breast, grey underparts, and yellow beaks. In 2008, the IUCN declared these species to be on the Vulnerable List.
6. Black-breasted Thrush
Scientific name – Turdus Flavipes
Body length – 22-23.5 centimeters (8.7-9.3 inches)
Weight – about 80-100 grams
Diet – omnivore
The Black-breasted Thrushes are found in south China, Vietnam, Thailand, Pakistan, Myanmar, northeast India, and Laos.
The ideal habitats for these birds are tropical, subtropical, dry, and moist montane forests. While their lower bodies are the same in both genders, the males have blackheads and black breast, and grey belly, but the females have dull brown upperparts. Both of them have yellow beaks, but the beak of the male is brighter.
7. Grey-winged Blackbird
Scientific name – Turdus boulboul
Body length – 27-29 centimeters
Weight – about 85-105 grams
Diet – omnivore
The Grey-winged Blackbirds are found in the tropical and subtropical forests from the Himalayas to northern Vietnam. They have a slender, black body with a long tail. On their black wings is a wide light-grey streak.
8. Common Blackbird
Scientific name – Turdus merula
Body length – 23.5-29 centimeters (9.25-11.4 inches)
Weight – about 90-125 grams
Diet – omnivore
The Common Blackbirds are also called the “Eurasian Blackbird”, and breed in North Africa, Asiatic Russia, and Europe. Recently, their species have also been introduced to New Zealand and Australia.
While the males have shiny, black plumage and yellow beaks, the females have a dull brown body with beaks that have a tint of brown.
9. Indian Blackbird
Scientific name – Turdus simillimus
Body length – 19-20 centimeters (7.5-7.9 inches)
Weight – about 70 grams
Diet – omnivore
Earlier believed to be a subspecies of the Common Blackbirds, the Indian Blackbirds are endemic to India and Srilanka. They are similar to the Common Blackbirds in appearance; they have a black body, with bright yellow beaks, legs, and eyerings.
10. Chestnut-bellied Thrush
Scientific name – Turdus fulviventris
Body length – 25 centimeters
Weight – about 48-61 grams
Diet – omnivore
The Chestnut-bellied Thrushes are mostly found in the heavily degraded former forests of South America. Along with chestnut (reddish-brown) breast and underparts, they have a dark grey head, neck, and wings and yellow beaks.
11. Great Thrush
Scientific name – Turdus fuscater
Body length – 28-33 centimeters (11-13 inches)
Weight – about 128-175 grams
Diet – omnivore
The Great Thrushes are the largest species of Thrushes in South America. They inhabit high-altitude shrublands and forests. In appearance, they are quite like the other thrushes. They have black wings and upperparts, dully grey underparts, with a bright yellow ring around their eyes and yellow beaks.
12. American Robin
Scientific name – Turdus migratorius
Body length – 23-28 centimeters (9.1-11 inches)
Weight – about 77 grams
Diet – omnivore
The American Robins are migratory songbirds who belong to the family of true thrushes. These birds are most widespread in North America. They have blackheads and streaked necks, with breast varying from reddish-orange to maroon in shade. Their beaks are yellow with a dark tip.
Gulls
Gulls are a family of seabirds who are known for their squawking calls and stout beaks. The following gulls have yellow beaks.
13. Common Gull
Scientific name – Larus Canus
Body length – 40-46 centimeters (16-18 inches)
Weight – about 120 grams
Diet – omnivore
The Common gulls are also referred to as “Sea Mews”. These sea birds breed in north-western North America and northern Europe.
In North America, they are commonly known as “Mew Gulls”. They are medium-sized birds with grey wings and upperparts and white underparts. Their beaks are yellow in color and acquire a greenish hue during the breeding season.
14. Western Gull
Scientific name – Larus occidentalis
Body length – 55-68 centimeters (22-27 inches)
Weight – about 0.8 to 1.4 kilograms
Diet – omnivore
Found on the west coast of North America, the Western Gulls are a large species of gulls. They have a white head and body, with grey wings. Both their legs and beaks are yellow in color. The Western Gulls are opportunist birds who steal the nests (and often babies) of other sea birds.
15. Iceland Gull
Scientific name – Larus glaycoides
Body length – 50-64 centimeters (20-25 inches)
Weight – about 480 grams to 1.1 kilograms
Diet – omnivore
The Iceland Gulls are the medium-sized migratory birds that are found in the arctic regions of Greenland and Canada. These birds are not native to Iceland as their names might suggest, but migrate there during winters. They have an overall white body with light-grey wings. Some of them have heads streaked with brown. Their beaks are yellow with a small reddish spot on the lower beak.
16. American Herring Gull
Scientific name – Larus smithsonianus
Body length – 60-66 centimeters (24-26 inches)
Weight – about 1.05-1.65 kilograms
Diet – omnivore
The American Herring Gulls are also known by the name of “Smithsonian Gulls”, and breed in North America. These birds live near coasts, lakes, rivers, and garbage dumps.
They are overall white, with light-grey wings and back, and pink legs. Their wing tips are black with white spots, and their beaks are yellow with a slight curve downwards at the edge.
17. Yellow-legged Gull
Scientific name – Larus michahellis
Body length – 52-68 centimeters (20-27 inches)
Weight – about 550 grams to 1.6 kilograms
Diet – omnivore
The Yellow-legged Gulls are large gulls found in the Middle East, North Africa, and Europe. These birds are more or less similar in appearance to the American Herring Gulls, with the exception of their yellow legs. The beaks of the juvenile gulls are black in color and turn yellow as they mature.
Eagles
Eagles are large birds of prey found mostly in Africa and Eurasia. There are about 60 extant species of eagles, out of which these three have the most remarkable yellow beaks:
18. Bald Eagle
Scientific name – Haliaeetus leucocephalus
Body length – 70-102 centimeters (28-40 inches)
Weight – about 3 to 6.3 kilograms
Diet – carnivore
The Bald Eagles are sea eagles found in North America. These birds nest in old-growth trees and live close to areas with water bodies and sufficient food supply. They have a white and tail, with the rest of their body colored evenly in brown. Their legs, beaks, and irises are bright yellow in color. The female Bald Eagles are larger than their male counterparts.
19. White-Tailed Eagle
Scientific name – Haliaeetus albicilla
Body length – 66-94 centimeters (26-37 inches)
Weight – about 4 to 6.9 kilograms
Diet – carnivore
The White-Tailed Eagles are large sea eagles that live across temperate Eurasia. They are also known by the names of “Ern” and “Grey sea eagles”.
Due to the loss of habitat during the World Wars, their species suffered a severe decline, one from which they haven’t fully recovered yet. They have a greyish brown color overall their bodies, with yellow beaks and legs.
20. Stellar’s Sea Eagle
Scientific name – Haliaeetus pelagicus
Body length – 85-105 centimeters
Weight – about 5-9 kilograms
Diet – carnivore
The Stellar’s Sea Eagles were first described by the Prussian botanist and zoologist, Peter Simon Pallas in 1811. Commonly found in the Kamchatka peninsula, these birds only breed in eastern Russia, along the coast of the Bering Sea and the Sea of Okhotsk.
These eagles are among the largest raptors in the world. They have an overall dark brown plumage with white wings and tails. Both their beaks and talons are yellow.
Other birds with yellow beaks
21. Toco Toucan
Scientific name – Ramphastos toco
Body length – 63 centimeters (29 inches)
Weight – about 680 grams
Diet – omnivore
The largest and most popular among all the toucan species, the Toco Toucans are widely appreciated for their large, uniquely colored bills. Their bills take up half of their body length and are bright yellow in color with a black spot towards the edge of the upper beak. These birds reside in the tropical forests of South America.
22. Large-Billed Tern
Scientific name – Phaetusa simplex
Body length – 36-38 centimeters
Weight – about 208-247 grams
Diet – carnivore
The Large-billed Terns are a member of the tern family and are found most commonly in South America. These birds also appear in Aruba, United States, Cuba, Panama, and Bermuda as a vagrant.
They have a jet-black cap over their heads with an overall white body and wings, a mixture of white and dark grey. They have long, pointed yellow beaks.
23. Common Myna
Scientific name – Acridotheres tristis
Body length – 23-26 centimeters
Weight – about 100 grams
Diet – omnivore
The Mynas are small birds native to the Asian subcontinent that are slowly spreading all over the world. The IUCN has declared them to be the most invasive species. They have an overall brown body with a blackhead, yellow bills, and legs. They are accomplished scavengers, feeding on both fruits and insects.
24. European Starling
Scientific name – Sturnus vulgaris
Body length – 19-23 centimeters (7.5-9.1 inches)
Weight – about 58-101 grams
Diet – omnivore
The European or Common Starlings are medium-sized passerine birds belonging to the starling family. They are noisy birds who have the gift of mimicry.
They are native to temperate Europe and Western Mongolia but have also been introduced to Argentina, New Zealand, Mexico, Canada, Fiji, South Africa, Australia, and the United States. They have a glossy black body that is speckled with white. Their beaks are yellow in summer but turn black in winters.
25. Little Pied Cormorant
Scientific name – Microcarbo melanoleucos
Body length – 65 centimeters
Weight – about 487-900 grams
Diet – omnivore
The Little Pied Cormorant is an Australian waterbird found in the coasts, islands, and inland waters of New Zealand, Indonesia, New Guinea, and Australia. They are also commonly known as “Little Shag” or “Kawaupaka”. These birds have a long, slightly curved neck, white underparts, and blackhead, legs, and wings. Their beaks are small and yellow in color.
Conclusion: Birds With Yellow Beaks
The family of Thrushes has a number of yellow-beaked birds, and so does the Gull family. If you go through the list carefully, you can easily recognize the yellow-beaked bird you encounter the next time.