Birds are some of the most diverse creatures on the planet, showcasing an incredible array of colours, shapes, and sizes. While many species are celebrated for their elegance or beauty, others stand out for entirely different reasons.
With their unusual features, outlandish plumage, or downright odd proportions, some birds look like they’ve stepped out of a surreal painting rather than the natural world.
Here’s a look at 20 birds whose appearances are so strange they seem almost too bizarre to be real.
The national bird of New Zealand, the kiwi, is a peculiar-looking creature. Without its long beak and legs, it could almost be mistaken for a small, fluffy mammal.
Its ivory-coloured beak is unique among birds, with external nostrils at its tip, which it uses to forage for invertebrates. The kiwi also possesses an extraordinary sense of smell, with its olfactory bulb being the second largest relative to the forebrain among all bird species.
Kiwis lay the largest eggs in proportion to their body size of any bird, with the eggs weighing around 15% of the female’s body weight. They are flightless and primarily nocturnal.
The male Vogelkop lophorina, a bird-of-paradise, performs one of the most bizarre courtship rituals in the avian world.
His display begins with meticulous preparation, as he clears a “dance floor” by sweeping away debris with leaves. Once the stage is set, he emits a loud call to attract a female. Then, in a remarkable display of “shape-shifting,” he folds his feathers to transform into a jet-black disc adorned with a metallic blue-green “smiling face.”
To enhance the performance, he snaps his tail feathers together to create a clicking sound while hopping in circles around the female.
Competition for mates is intense, as there are significantly fewer females than males in the species. A female will typically reject up to 20 suitors before selecting her ideal mate.
Magnificent frigatebirds are seabirds that inhabit the tropical and subtropical waters around the Americas, as well as the Galapagos Islands and Cape Verde. Males are particularly striking, with an impressive wingspan of up to 2.5 metres.
Christopher Columbus recorded sightings of frigatebirds near the Cape Verde Islands in 1492, observing their kleptoparasitic behaviour – harassing other birds until they regurgitate their food.
“They saw a bird that is called a frigatebird, which makes the boobies throw up what they eat in order to eat it herself, and she does not sustain herself on anything else. It is a seabird, but does not alight on the sea nor depart from land 20 leagues. There are many of these on the islands of Cape Verde.”
During breeding season, male frigatebirds perform a remarkable courtship display by inflating their large, scarlet-red gular sac like a balloon and tapping it with their beak to produce a drumming sound. Once a female selects a mate, the male wraps his massive wings around her to shield her from rival suitors.
The greater prairie chicken, also known as the pinnated grouse, is a North American grouse species that was once widespread but is now critically rare due to hunting and habitat loss.
These birds are famous for their elaborate mating displays, which take place in communal leks known as booming grounds. During courtship, male prairie chickens gather on open grasslands, raising their ear-like feathers above their heads and inflating vibrant orange throat sacs.
As part of their display, they drum their feet and produce a deep, resonant booming call that can carry over a mile. Female prairie chickens, or hens, visit the lek to observe the males and choose the fittest mate.
All umbrellabirds have an odd appearance, with crests on top of their heads resembling umbrellas and wattles dangling from their necks. However, none are as unusual as the long-wattled umbrellabird, which boasts an extraordinary wattle that far surpasses those of its relatives.
The wattle of the long-wattled umbrellabird can grow up to 35 cm in length and is covered in short, scaly feathers. Typically lying flat against its chest and retracted during flight, during courtship it inflates to resemble a large pinecone. To impress a potential mate, the male also flares his crest to cover his bill and leaps between tree branches while emitting deep, grunting calls.
Umbrellabirds inhabit the rainforests of South and Central America. Both the long-wattled umbrellabird and its close relative, the bare-necked umbrellabird, are threatened by habitat loss and hunting.
Potoos, the subject of many memes thanks to their comical appearance, are closely related to nightjars and frogmouths.
These nocturnal birds are inactive during the day, spending their hours perched on branches with their eyes half-closed. Their excellent camouflage allows them to blend seamlessly into their surroundings, resembling tree stumps when they adopt a “freeze” position in response to perceived danger. In fact, the English zoologist Hugh Cutt famously described them in this way:
“[The potoo] habitually selects the top of an upright stump as a receptacle for its egg, which usually occupies a small hollow just, and only just, large enough to contain it… the stump selected had thrown up a new leader just below the point of fracture… and the birds sat facing this in such a way that when viewed from behind they came into line and blended with the grey stem.”
The kakapo, also known as the owl-parrot, is a flightless, nocturnal parrot endemic to New Zealand. The name “kakapo” comes from the Māori language, meaning “night parrot.”
Critically endangered, the kakapo population has dwindled to just 125 known individuals. While conservation efforts began in the late 1800s, it was not until the 1980s, with the introduction of the Kakapo Recovery Plan, that the population began to rise. This plan involved supplementary feeding for females, relocating kakapos to predator-free islands, and protecting their nests.
Historically, kakapos held cultural significance for the Māori, appearing in many traditional legends and folklore. Their irregular breeding cycles were believed to coincide with bountiful harvests, leading the Māori to regard kakapos as predictors of the future.
The meat of the kakapo was considered a delicacy by the Māori, although Europeans found it to have a strong, pungent flavour. The bird’s feathers were also highly prized for making valuable garments.
The helmeted hornbill is undoubtedly one of the world’s most unusual-looking birds, but it is now under threat due to a surge in demand for its ivory, which is valued three times higher than that of elephants.
Native to the Malay Peninsula, Sumatra, and Borneo, helmeted hornbills are known as the “farmers of the rainforest” due to their vital role in seed dispersal. The decline in their numbers could have a devastating impact on the local ecosystem.
Unlike other hornbills, the helmeted hornbill’s casque is solid and used in head-to-head combat between males. This casque is the source of prized ‘red ivory,’ and with ‘white ivory’ becoming increasingly scarce, it is now traded on the black market to meet the growing demand in China for carved ivory objects.
Helmeted hornbills are famous for their distinctive call, which sounds like manic laughing.
Quetzals belong to the trogon family and are native to the cloud forests of Central America. They held significant importance in Mayan mythology, featuring prominently in artwork and legends. Today, the resplendent quetzal is the national bird of Guatemala and lends its name to the country’s currency.
With an iridescent green body that can shimmer in hues ranging from green-gold to blue-violet, and with a striking red breast, resplendent quetzals are stunningly beautiful. Males are particularly notable for their long tail feathers, which can extend up to 65 cm. Despite having very thin skin, quetzals have evolved thick plumage for protection.
According to legend, quetzals would accompany Mayan chiefs wherever they went. On the day that the conquistador Pedro de Alvarado battled the prince Tecún Umán, a quetzal was seen flying overhead. When Alvarado struck Umán with a spear, the quetzal swooped down, dipping its chest in the prince’s blood, which is said to have given the bird its red breast.
Famous for its comical courtship ritual, the blue-footed booby is a marine bird that’s native to tropical and subtropical areas of the Pacific Ocean. It is easily recognisable by its large, bright blue feet which are a result of sexual selection and are linked to its diet and health.
The blue colour comes from carotenoid pigments, which the birds obtain from their diet of fresh fish, particularly sardines and anchovies. These pigments are processed in their bodies and contribute to the vibrant blue hue of their feet, and a well-nourished booby with a diet rich in carotenoids will have more intensely coloured feet. Males with brighter blue feet are more attractive to females during the courtship display of a high-stepping dance, as the colour signals that they are healthy and capable of providing strong genes for their offspring. Similarly, females with brighter feet are also more likely to attract a mate.
The colour of their feet fades, as they age or if a bird is sick or malnourished, making it an “honest signal” that cannot easily be faked. This ensures that only the fittest individuals are chosen as mates.
During breeding season, male greater sage grouse display peculiar-looking features, including inflated yellow air sacs on their chest and a fan-like array of spiky tail feathers.
The air sacs, surrounded by white feathers, are used in elaborate mating displays, where males puff them up and emit distinctive popping sounds to attract females, while their mottled brown, black, and white plumage helps them blend into the sagebrush environment, providing camouflage from predators.
The combination of dramatic courtship traits and practical survival adaptations gives the greater sage-grouse a distinctly odd look.
The spectacled eider is a striking and unusual-looking sea duck, instantly recognisable by its bold, mask-like facial markings that resemble a pair of spectacles.
The male is particularly eye-catching with his vivid green head, cream-coloured crown, and the contrasting dark, goggle-like rings around the eyes, giving him a cartoonish appearance. The chunky, sloped bill adds to the strange look, giving the bird a peculiar profile.
Adapted to life in Arctic waters, the spectacled eider has dense plumage and a bulky body, which help insulate it from the cold. The combination of vivid colours and unusual proportions makes it one of the most strange-looking ducks in the world.
The Andean cock-of-the-rock is one of the most visually striking birds in the world.
Males are adorned with vibrant orange or red plumage and an exaggerated, fan-shaped crest that covers much of their head. The large, staring yellow eyes add to their weird appearance, contrasting sharply with their colourful feathers.
This bold display is a key part of their courtship rituals, during which males gather in leks to perform elaborate dances, flaunting their striking crests to attract potential mates. The performance includes “confrontation displays,” where males face off in a frenzy of activity that includes bowing, jumping, flapping their wings, and occasionally snapping their bills. Throughout these dramatic displays, they emit a variety of squawking and grunting calls, creating a chaotic spectacle.
Wilson’s bird-of-paradise is renowned for its vibrant colours and handlebar-moustache-shaped” tail feathers.
The male’s plumage is a kaleidoscope of bright red, yellow, green, and blue, with a striking bald turquoise crown that appears almost luminous and is clearly visible by night.
Adding to its unusual appearance are two long, spiral-shaped tail feathers that curve elegantly behind it like delicate wires. These extravagant features are the result of intense sexual selection, evolved to attract females during courtship displays. From her viewpoint, the male appears as a bright green disc with a glowing fluorescent mouth, a vivid demonstration of the power of female sexual selection.
4 Responses
God there so cute!!!!
GREAT SHOTS OF C R E A T I O N !!!!! THANK YOU
How could you leave off
Shoebill
Spoonbill
Flamingos
Maribou Stork
Secretary bird
Lammergeier
They’re so much weirder than a finch
The first one doesn’t look anything like a bird at all. It looks like a little mouse of something with a long nose. Aren’t birds funny little things.