From delicate Eurasian wrens to rounded Adélie penguins, the cute range in the bird world is impressive.
Of course, each bird exhibits its own unique beauty, and lists like this are more interesting than anything else. But here, for every lovely photo, we include some facts about the species. As a result, you will not only be captivated, but you will also expand your knowledge of birds in the process.
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Eurasian Wren
The Eurasian Wren is easily recognizable by its stubby tail, and it is often upright.
At the top of our list of adorable birds is the Eurasian Wren (caveman), a charismatic "brown bird" that can be served in a teacup. The Eurasian wren is found throughout Europe and North America, as well as parts of Asia. Their cuteness is largely due to their short stature and plump size, which is further emphasized when they fluff their feathers. The Eurasian Wren is light brown with delicate dark brown striped patterns on its wings, tail and body. They weigh only a quarter to half an ounce, and adult birds are only 3 to 5 inches long from beak to tail.
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Atlantic puffin
The Atlantic puffin is adorable for its unique, bold colors and proud stature.
Next on our list of adorable birds is the Atlantic puffin (Fratercula arctica), an enchanting seabird that nests in large flocks along the rocky coastline of the North Atlantic. Outside of the breeding season, Atlantic puffins spend time at sea, hunting fish in the open water. The Atlantic puffin's cuteness is attributed to its small, rounded body and unique color. It has black feathers on its back, wings and tail, and bright white feathers on its belly and face. Its beak, its signature feature, is large, triangular, bright orange-yellow with blue at the base and grooves at the bottom.
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Black-capped
Black-capped are cute but tough and brave enough to get out during North America's coldest winter.
The black-capped (Poecile atricapillus) is the next species on our list of adorable birds. Such a list would not be complete without this little charmer. Black-capped are often frequent guests to backyard feeders throughout North America. They are hardy birds and even in the coldest winters they remain residents of the entire range. In response to the extreme cold they often have to endure, black-capped lower their body temperature at night, entering a state of regulating hypothermia and saving a lot of energy in the process. As the name suggests, black-capped have a black hat, bib, and white cheeks. Their body feathers are more subtle in color, with a greenish-gray back, light yellow sides, and dark gray wings and tail.
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Northern sawed owl
The northern sawed owl has a distinct white Y-shaped patch on its facial disc.
No list of adorable birds without owls is complete, and the northern sawed owl (Aegolius acadicus) is arguably the cutest of all owl species. The northern sawed owl is a small owl with a rounded face disc and large golden eyes. Like many owls, the northern sawed owl is a clandestine nocturnal animal, preying on small mammals such as deer rats and white-footed mice. The northern sawed owl occupies the coast to coast in North America. They breed in boreal forests and northern hardwood forests in Alaska, British Columbia, the Pacific Northwest, and Rocky Mountain states.
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Adélie penguins
The Adélie penguin is named after Adélie de Ouville, wife of French Antarctic explorer Dumont de Ouville.
For the next bird on our list of adorable birds, we head to the southernmost latitude of the world, where we find the Adélie penguin, a species that loves black-capped, combining their cuteness with resilience. The Adélie penguin (Pygoscelis adeliae) inhabits the polar regions of the Antarctic coastline. Adélie penguins are classic penguins with black feathers on the top of their back, head and wings, and white feathers on their belly and underside of their wings.
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Costa's hummingbird
An adult female Costa hummingbird and her young bird.
Any cute bird list is missing something if it doesn't include hummingbirds. Here, we include the Costa hummingbird (Calypte costae), a small hummingbird that lives in the deserts of the southwestern United States and Mexico. Costa's hummingbird is almost as light as a postage stamp, averaging just over a tenth of an ounce by mass. They feed on the nectar of flowers such as desert honeysuckle and cacti.
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Blue-footed booby
Blue-footed, adult, and young.
The blue-footed (Sula nebouxii) are cute and clumsy. Their most notable feature is turquoise webbed feet. Like many seabirds, Bluefoot is quite clumsy when moving on land, but graceful when flying in open water. Blue-footed belong to the same group of birds, including pelicans, cormorants, and tropical birds. The blue-footed are found off the west coasts of Central and South America and on various coastal islands in the region, including the Galapagos Islands.
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Dunlin
Some Dunlin populations winter along the Pacific, Atlantic and Gulf Coasts of North America.
Calidris alpina is a widely distributed sandpiper that inhabits the polar regions of the Arctic and subarctic. Dunlin breeds along the coastlines of Alaska and northern Canada and winters in southern coastal areas around the world. The species is very diverse, with about 10 recognized subspecies. Dunlin feeds on clams, worms and other invertebrates. During the breeding season, Dunlinfish have distinct black patches on their abdomen, but outside of the breeding season, their belly is white.