Beautiful Birds with Mohawks: 18 Artistic Species

If you were shocked to see the crowned birds, I guarantee that you haven’t seen the half of it! Because the birds with mohawks are the most dashing, unthinkable avian creatures ever!

Mostly, these mohawks are made with their feathers. They remain spiked up in such a manner that the resemblance with this human haircut technique is just uncanny.

All of these birds are spreaded over the entire globe, so there’s no genealogical pattern which can be traced to reach the root of this natural feature.

Whether you’re looking forward to learning new hairstyles from birds or a lover of nature’s gift – both of your demands are certain to be satisfied in this article!

Unbelievably Attractive Birds with Mohawks!

This section will begin your journey with the mohawked birds that are simply unreal to look at. Why not scroll all the way down to get some ideas for your next haircut?

Victoria Crowned Pigeon

Source: @zoology.mike

• Scientific Name: Goura victoria
• Size: 73 to 75 cm (29 to 30 in)
• Locality: New Guinea
• Status: Near Threatened
• Breeding Season: June to September

Of all the pigeons, the Victoria Crowned species is probably the most gorgeous bird with mohawk due to the numerous feather crests flowing over the head. On one hand, its numbers are declining in nature. But on the other hand, it’s one of the highest numbered captive pigeons in the world. Killing or capturing this bird is currently illegal to pull it back from the ‘Near Threatened’ state, but so far it’s yet to be effective.

Recognition

This species belongs to the category of magnificent blue birds as the larger proportion of feathers are draped with this tone. Additionally, the wings are dark gray and it echoes on to parts of the tail as well. The wings have bars etched on but still the most standout feature for them are the white-tipped feather crests, highly resembling wild sugarcane flowers.

Habitat

Originally, this pigeon species are native to New Guinea and prefer living close to the ground. Some of the habitats are observed in the surrounding island, around low, swamp forests. Most of the birds spend most of their time around the sea-level, but some are more adventurous and climb higher altitudes in mountain ranges. Their nests are well-built using stems, leaves and sticks to ensure a safe incubation.

Eurasian Hoopoe

Source: @adriannasturica

• Scientific Name: Upupa epops
• Size: 25 to 32 cm (9.8 to 12.6 in)
• Locality: Europe, Asia, and North Africa and northern Sub-Saharan Africa
• Status: Least Concern
• Breeding Season: Winter

Eurasian Hoopoe probably has the most badass mohawk in this entire listing. It’s not a typical spike of plumages, rather zebra-patterned crests marking them unique from a lot of popular birds. They are distant relatives of hornbills due to belonging to the same order ‘Bucerotiformes’. Rather, Red-billed Chough, a bird with white-striped wings, shares a higher degree of genetic resemblance.

Recognition

This species is one of the most easily recognizable birds due to its unique shape and distinct colorization. The top half of the body is brown while the wings are black & white striped. Their mohawks are pointy with burned marks but they’ll seem spreaded from a side-view. A medium sized bird with its white abdomen and zebra textured tail doesn’t demand a pair of glasses for identification!

Habitat

The habitat zones for Eurasian Hoopoe is quite widespread – ranging from lands of Europe & Asia all the way to African Sub-Saharan regions. They tend to forage on grounds with mild vegetation, from which they collect insects, weeds, seeds or frogs. When it comes to their living quarters, cavities or holes in deadened trees, walls, rocks seem to satisfy their taste across different environments.

Sulphur-crested Cockatoo

Source: @sunny_my_cockatoo

• Scientific Name: Cacatua galerita
• Size: 44 to 55 cm (17.5 to 21.5 in)
• Locality: Australia, New Guinea, and some of the islands of Indonesia
• Status: Least Concern
• Breeding Season: August to December

These intelligent birds flaunt a yellow, spiky mohawk which can seem like one entity in hindsight. But if you inspect up close, you’ll find 4 to 5 individual spike shaped crests that add up together for this visually appealing mohawk. Apart from the aesthetics, this species is often utilized in aviculture – breeding in captivity as pets. However, they can consume a lot of time and attention due to their demanding nature.

Recognition

All four of the subspecies for Sulphur-crested Cockatoo look almost alike even without the mohawk part. These are relatively large snow-white birds but hints of yellows can be observed on the wings and undertail. The bill is a thick one colored in black, much like the eye-color for the male birds. Sulphur-crested describes their mohawk’s color that is quite expressive.

Habitat

Sulphur-crested Cockatoos are mostly found in the south-eastern parts of the globe with the highest concentration in Australia, New Guinea and some of the islands of Indonesia. Mostly, their natural habitats consist of trees and the areas that fail to meet this criteria hold fewer populations of the species. Even the suburban territories play host to these birds in large numbers.

Great Curassow

Source: @aviary_sm

• Scientific Name: Crax rubra
• Size: 36 to 42.4 cm (14.2 to 16.7 in)
• Locality: Neotropical rainforests in Mexico, Central America & parts of Northern America
• Status: Vulnerable
• Breeding Season: Late winter to spring

Great Curassows are currently stated as ‘Vulnerable’ due to massive hunting and habitat loss. They belong to the pheasant category of birds and their physical aspects as well as behavioral traits support this classification. It’s a monogamous species and the male bird tends to build the breeding nest using leaves or twigs for the female to lay eggs inside.

Recognition

It’s a fairly large bird, sizing in the range of 30+ inches and weighing up to 10 lbs. Rufous morph suggests that the male bird is feathered in black while the females hold a reddish tone. The yellow bills stand out from the black draping and the mohawk on top of the head is short but extended. Feathers on mohawk are curly unlike the rest of the body.

Habitat

In parts of Central America and the surrounding regions, this species lives in smaller groups with the same kind of birds. They forage on the ground for food inside rainforests and despite spending most of the time closer to the earth, their living and roosting spots are usually up the trees. Although dryer regions are not their cup of tea, yet a small number of birds inhabit dry forest lands and islands.

Grey Crowned Crane

Source: @kenn_muema

• Scientific Name: Balearica regulorum
• Size: 1 m (3 ft 3 in)
• Locality: Eastern and southern Africa
• Status: Endangered
• Breeding Season: October to April

Grey Crowned Cranes are the significant relatives of the long-beaked white birds of Florida but situated on the continent of Africa. Due to their condensed population in Africa and the mohawk-like crown, many refer to them as African Crowned Crane or simply African Crane. It’s the national bird of Uganda and is in decline despite being endorsed by an entire nation.

Recognition

Although their title contains ‘gray’, that’s not the only color of their feathers. Mostly the gray part surrounds the thin neck that holds the head with black, red and white patched face. On top, the mohawk may seem like an onion-flower or a peacock-display in golden. The rest of the body holds white wings and black tail portions – all of it set together over a thin pair of feet.

Habitat

Africa’s eastern and southern areas allow for most of the Gray Crowned Cranes to inhabit. Their usual zones can vary in quality, but a common factor can be picked up by their knack for sub-saharan regions. In terms of preference, wetter, marsh lands are ranked higher up, or even around water bodies for most part. But it doesn’t prevent them from exploring drier lands without migrating.

Northern Cardinal

Source: @condore7

• Scientific Name: Cardinalis cardinalis
• Size: 21 to 23.5 cm (8.3 to 9.3 in)
• Locality: North America
• Status: Least Concern
• Breeding Season: March to September

The popular ‘Angry Bird’ surely is stylish with its looks and the primary reason for that lies in its mohawk in the most traditional form. They belong to the bird group of cardinals and often go with this simple name ‘redbirds’ because of their striking, scarlet feathers. These songbirds are often aggressive, even competing against Blue Jays in the measurement of territoriality.

Recognition

This species of birds are usually medium-sized, never exceeding 10 inches in length. The feather is a vibrant crimson red color with black accents on the wings and a faded tone for the tail. It’s usually the case for the male birds because the females are brown-feathered, carrying white abdomen. For both sexes, short, thick, red bills are the standout features.

Habitat

Red Cardinals are commonly found in North America but the distribution is not even. Mostly, the southeastern parts of Canada, eastern coasts of the USA, northeastern Mexico and a few Central American states hold the majority of the population. They can inhabit a wide array of ambiances, ranging between woodlands to gardens, shrublands to wetlands.

Pileated Woodpecker

Source: @schwarzaj

• Scientific Name: Dryocopus pileatus
• Size: 40 to 49 cm (16 to 19 in)
• Locality: North America
• Status: Least Concern
• Breeding Season: Late March and early April

Pileated Woodpecker gets its name from the red mohawk on top of the head, pileatus meaning ‘capped’ in Latin. This species is a North American insectivore widely found in states like Florida and New Mexico. Two subspecies don’t usually share their territories, one is more focused on the western Canada to northwestern USA, the other marks its habitats solely in the southeastern USA.

Recognition

Sizewise, this species is the overall third largest woodpecker in all of the world. Proportion-wise, the most amount of feather is black which allows some degree of whites to peek through. Its prominence is at the maximum around the face where a red patch is etched up on both sides. Finally, strong, black beaks are contrasted with the red mohawk, ranking it within the cool category of birds.

Habitat

In the mentioned distribution ranges, Pileated Woodpeckers are usually found inside forests that are heavily wooded with mature trees. That way, they can drill their way through and create crevices for nesting and finding food. Additionally, smaller forests can be inhabitable, given that there are sufficient amounts of tall trees.

Tufted Titmouse

Source: @corbyamos

• Scientific Name: Baeolophus bicolor
• Size: 14 to 16 cm (5.5 to 6.3 in)
• Locality: North America
• Status: Least Concern
• Breeding Season: March to May

In the category of songbirds like Catbird or Mockingbird, Tufted Titmouse is probably the smallest one. Its scientific name pays homage to the mohawk that’s beautifully placed on the scalp and tilted backward. Baeolophus refers to the small crest and bicolor suggests the two colors of black and gray on the mohawk.

Recognition

The reason behind the English name referring to this bird as ‘Titmouse’ is because of its shape, color and movement like an actual mouse. Top half of the bird is gray while the bottom half is a dirty patch of white. Wing accents are black and underneath is a small portion of orange. With the black face & the tiny mohawk, it often resembles the cardinals.

Habitat

Despites Tufted Titmouse’s recognition of distribution range tagged as North America, the vast, natural population resides around the eastern states of the USA. Since these are small birds, their preferred areas contain shrubs and broadleaves. They’re present in the urban areas, especially around parks and gardens, and thus these non-migratory species have expanded up to Ontario.

Steller’s Jay

Source: @barred_life

• Scientific Name: Cyanocitta stelleri
• Size: 30 to 34 cm (12 to 13 in)
• Locality: Western North America and the mountains of Central America
• Status: Least Concern
• Breeding Season: Late March to early July

It’s rare to see blue birds with beautiful mohawks, but the Jay family seems to have covered a large portion of this genre. Steller’s Jay are the mountain-living relatives of the Blue Jay birds, a species that is renowned for symbolic connotations of their feathers. These omnivorous birds are monogamous and can mimic other species like Red-tailed Hawk.

Recognition

The mohawk on these birds is a crispy and uneven one, standing out to be seen by observers from measurable distance. Top half of their body is darker toned, nearing in on black in terms of intensity. The bottom half, starting from the wings, is a fine shade of blue and accented by cyan. However, the face carries some patterns on the head that can vary in color.

Habitat

Western mountain ridges of North America and higher grounds of Central America are where you’ll find the Steller’s Jays. The 13 subspecies are distributed among this range and desert presence for a few groups has also been noticed. The most common habitation zones are coniferous forests and other smaller woodlands, but they can exist in nearby agro-fields as well.

Wood Duck

Source: @newyorkcitywild

• Scientific Name: Aix sponsa
• Size: 47 to 54 cm (19 to 21 in)
• Locality: North America
• Status: Least Concern
• Breeding Season: March to April

If you spot a Wood Duck, you’ll be lost for words and won’t be able to compose yourself to start looking for the bent mohawk parallelled with the neck. It’s because of the painted canvas feathering, containing the most vibrant shades of colors. Among all of the North American waterfowls, this one is probably the most colorful and visually soothing.

Recognition

The first thing to remember to recognize this species, except for the colors and mohawk, is to check if it perches on a tree. Usually, the colors are iridescent but a common factor is the sectoral outlines in white. Only the male bird carries the mohawk with a matching, greenish tone of the head. Abdomen is usually of lighter color and less vibrant.

Habitat

Wood Ducks are mighty travelers! Although the core residents are spreaded across eastern and western coasts of North America, migration occurs more often than a lot of birds. Mostly the northern individuals travel south during winter to co-exist with their fellow ducks. But many records and evidence dictate that a significant portion makes it to England and other parts of Europe.

Amazonian Royal Flycatcher

Source: @jodasile2

• Scientific Name: Onychorhynchus coronatus
• Size: 15 cm (5.9 in)
• Locality: Northern South America
• Status: Least Concern
• Breeding Season: Unidentified

Amazonian Royal Flycatchers are endowed with one of the most ravishing mohawks one could ever imagine! But those aren’t always at full stretch, instead, remain passive and laid down for most of the time and the full extent is mostly observed during an overhead view. These birds are insectivorous and their breeding season is yet to be identified by ornithologists.

Recognition

The golden brown feathers and red crests are the primary identifying factors for the Amazonian Royal Flycatchers. Due to this color combination and crown placed upon their heads, a sense of royalty emits from their essence. Their red mohawks are followed along the edges with a black tipped line. Neck is usually lighter in color and the wings contain black fringes.

Habitat

Around the northern portions of South America, these birds are usually at large. Their habitat zones follow along the Amazonian river basins, Rio Negro and Rio Tapajós, at the heart of the continent. Green forests and lowlands are the ideal spots for their habitation, breeding and incubation.

Red-whiskered Bulbul

Source: @photo_magicshots

• Scientific Name: Pycnonotus jocosus
• Size: 20 cm (7.9 in)
• Locality: Asia
• Status: Least Concern
• Breeding Season: December to May (Southern India); March to October (Northern India)

This species puts a very sharp mohawk on display which might make you ask whether the bird is using any hair gel. These too are passerines and sprout out nine subspecies over different parts of Asia. It’s the member of the huge bird group of ‘bulbuls’ and has been introduced to places outside of Asia. The bird has a distinct calling sound that the experts find easy to identify!

Recognition

In terms of physical description, their backs are usually brown and the frontal parts are a solid white. This species in particular contains darker bills unlike their close relatives who are proud of having orange beaks. In addition to the black mohawk, their face is painted with a red patch. Lastly, the vent area under the tail varies from red to rufous orange.

Habitat

The localities in Asia that host this species are India, Andaman Islands, China, Indonesian islands and all of the areas in-between. There, gardens, shrublands, farmlands or similar tropical regions are preferred by these birds for nesting. They have an established population in parts of Australia and the USA, especially around the state of Florida.

Crested Partridge

Source: @kennethliewmc

• Scientific Name: Rollulus rouloul
• Size: 25 cm (9.8 in)
• Locality: South Burma, south Thailand, Malaysia, Sumatra and Borneo
• Status: Vulnerable
• Breeding Season: Depends on the range

Much like Turkeys, Crested Partridges too are ‘gamebirds’ that come in a relatively small size, scaling a little shy of 10 inches on average. The areas that this species inhabit are prone to flooding and waterlogging. These have been the prime reasons for massively dropping the population and descending to ‘vulnerable’ status by IUCN.

Recognition

This species shows sexual dimorphism endorsed between the male and the female birds and that’s why only the male gets to show off its fancy mohawk. This mohawk is usually red-colored and consists of numerous, thin feathers. Male birds are darker, closer to black with a metallic green accent while the females are pea green and the head is generally gray.

Habitat

As these birds are pheasants, they prefer staying close to the ground in lowlands which aids in their foraging. The rainforests of eastern Asia encompassing Thailand, Burma or Malaysia are the handful regions allowing Crested Partridges some degree of refuge. In locations as such, they build nests on the ground using leaves, hidden under leaf heaps.

Purple-crested Turaco

Source: @birdsofsouthafrica

• Scientific Name: Gallirex porphyreolophus
• Size: 42 to 46 cm (16.5 to 18 in)
• Locality: Africa
• Status: Least Concern
• Breeding Season: August to February

Purple-crested Turacos have the most uniform mohawk shaped like a crescent dyed in purple. It’s so significant of a feature for this species that the mohawk got prominence while naming the bird above all others. This species holds priority in Swaziland’s Kingdom of Eswatini and is considered to be their national bird and their feathers are symbolically rich like hawk’s.

Recognition

For most parts, it’s a blue bird with some variation of colors here and there, especially around the neck portion. The neck and chest show a hint of crimson that are edged by a light shade of green. Wings hide red patches within folds and can be laid bare at full flight. Its mohawk is a dark purple one and the saturation lowers as you climb down the body.

Habitat

This African bird can be spotted in different countries of the continent, most of which are rich in woodlands and greenery. It’s essential for the bird’s survival since it lives off consuming fruits. Within such territories, they plant their nests slightly higher above ground on shrubs or trees, mostly to protect themselves from predators.

Bare-Faced Go-Away-Bird

Source: @didier1960

• Scientific Name: Crinifer personatus
• Size: 48 cm (19 in)
• Locality: Eastern Afrotropics
• Status: Least Concern
• Breeding Season: Almost all year-long

Unlike most birds in this list, this species shows a mean, bare face that comes in black, and it’s so menacing that you can metaphorically hear it telling you to go away. On top of this black face, there’s the extrusion of a white-ish gray mohawk adjacently standing with feeble feathers. This one is quite a sizable bird and is often restless as well as noisy.

Recognition

When it comes to spirituality associated with gray and white bird feathers, the Bare-Faced Go-Away-Bird is sitting in the front seat of this journey. The head and neck are mostly white while the rest of the body is grayed out. Only difference between the male and female birds is the beak – the former matching the face with a black one and the latter a green pair.

Habitat

These birds live in concentrated areas of Africa, with an exceptional population rate around the tropical regions. Geographically these habitats can be divided into two parts: Ethiopia and the surroundings of Zambia, Rwanda, Uganda etc. Ranges with trees and some openings are among their favorites. Also higher altitudes have shown presence of this species’ nests.

White-crowned Hornbill

Source: @kunilbw

• Scientific Name: Berenicornis comatus
• Size: 83 to 102 cm (33 to 40 in)
• Locality: Malay Peninsula, Sumatra and Borneo
• Status: Endangered
• Breeding Season: Aseasonal

Starting with the letter ‘H’, Hornbills are usually the highly picked groups due to their popularity. Added to that, White-crowned Hornbills show a rugged mohawk with its ashen hair (read ‘feathers’). Note that it’s a different species from the White-crested Hornbills abundant in Africa. Habitat loss ranks the current species as ‘Endangered’ and rapid steps are demanded for its preservation.

Recognition

This one is a gigantic bird measuring up to 40 inches in length and over 3 lbs of weight. It’s basically a bird in black and white. The tail, chest and head areas are generally white and the remainder of the body parts are black-colored. Bills are arched and quite long, reminding you of old stone walls due to the texture.

Habitat

Due to the weight, these birds usually prefer to remain around altitudes lower than 1 km in the Malay peninsula. As the habitat zones are in decline, some of the birds have started to take shelter in oil and rubber plants. For safekeeping, their nest entries are covered with mud and it’s broken out by the female bird after successful incubation.

Crested Guineafowl

Source: @birding_by_bernie

• Scientific Name: Guttera pucherani
• Size: 50 cm (20 in)
• Locality: Sub-Saharan Africa
• Status: Least Concern
• Breeding Season: April to September

This bird’s mohawks almost replicate the ones on human heads – dark colored, hairy and layered. It might even cost you some handsome amount to get it done at your local barber shop, it’s that much dashing! Other than this mohawk, Crested Guineafowls look a lot like Turkeys due to body shape. The species has 8 recognized subspecies as of this moment.

Recognition

Most of the plumages on this species are shades of black. There are white spots embedded on these blacks and the wing accents generally showing brown. The neck is stripped off of any feather, making it look like wearing a leather mask. With eyes red and the mohawk like human hair, this indeed is a fabulous sight for bird watchers.

Habitat

Crested Guineafowls are spreaded all over Africa, but the sub-Saharan mosaics seem to attract most of the population. Otherwise, savannah, open forests and wooded areas let these birds roam around in search of food and nesting spots. They hide the nest inside bushes or long grasses for the monogamous pair to live in.

Andean Cock-Of-The-Rock

Source: @neil_colman

• Scientific Name: Rupicola peruvianus
• Size: 32 cm (13 in)
• Locality: Andean cloud forests in South America
• Status: Least Concern
• Breeding Season: February to July

This large passerive is a cliff-living, vibrant and insectivorous bird. Due to its huge popularity, it’s regarded as the national bird of Peru in South America. Its cousin Guianan cock-of-the-rock displays a more defined mohawk on top of the head but the Andean’s one is seemingly more natural. All 4 of its subspecies have been recognized before the 20th century.

Recognition

The first step for identifying this bird would be to look for a punchy orange and deep black combination. Mostly, the orange is restricted at the top half of the body while black consumes the rest. Its mohawk goes the same as the head’s deep orange, which makes it tough to spot the tiny, orange beaks at times. Female birds are more brown, less colorful and lack the black portion.

Habitat

From the name you could gain the idea that this species lives within the Andean territories of South America. While the range is quite huge holding most of its population, the map will tell you that it’s over a thin, long line over the Andean cloud forests. Some of the habitats follow along streams through the mountain woods.

Thoughts

Now it’s time to draw the blinds on today’s article about birds with mohawks. As you’ve witnessed by now, birds of such a category come in all colors, sizes and shapes.

You might have noticed that some of the birds are currently threatened or vulnerable when it comes to conservation status.

One of the prime reasons for this is their beauty that you’ve admired through the article. Many tend to hold them prized possessions or even kill them because of such natural features.

On our part, admiring their beauties comes with every other responsibility. It can start from our small periphery – from raising awareness to actively working on their preservation.

Only then can we truly appreciate the beauty of birds out in nature.

Audio Credits: xeno-canto, wikimedia