Top 10 Most Expensive Birds in the World

Flamingo, also known as the pink flamingo, is easily recognizable by its pink feathers, long neck, and downward-curved beak. These elegant birds have slender legs, large wings, and short tails, standing between 90 to 150 cm tall. Flamingos often form large flocks, and during migration, they can be seen flying in stunning formations with their legs and necks stretched out. They feed on various foods, including sand algae, plankton, and small invertebrates such as mollusks and crustaceans. The pink and reddish hues of their feathers are a result of their diet. Flamingos are water birds, living in brackish or alkaline waters around ponds and lakes. According to the Integrated Taxonomic Information System (ITIS), there are six species of flamingos: the greater flamingo, lesser flamingo, Chilean flamingo, Andean flamingo, James’s flamingo (or puna flamingo), and the American (or Caribbean) flamingo. The greater flamingo is the tallest, reaching heights of 1.2 to 1.45 meters and weighing up to kg, while the lesser flamingo stands at 80 cm and weighs 2.5 kg. Their wingspan ranges from 95 cm to 150 cm. The price for a flamingo is 1,000 USD.

Scarlet Macaw is one of the most colorful and large species of parrot. Known for its vibrant plumage, the Scarlet Macaw is a popular bird among enthusiasts and is even the national bird of Honduras. This magnificent parrot is adorned in bright hues, with a long, colorful tail. It has a nearly featherless face with a creamy white color, while its body, wings, and long tail are covered in bright red feathers. The parrot's wings are accented with brilliant green and yellow feathers. Its powerful beak is perfectly adapted to break open hard nuts found in tropical forests.

Scarlet Macaws can be found from southern Mexico to Peru, as well as Bolivia, eastern Brazil, and Trinidad. They tend to inhabit tall, leafless trees near rivers and are often seen in noisy, large flocks. An adult Scarlet Macaw can reach up to 85 cm in length and weigh about 2 kg. These parrots are known for their intelligence, beauty, and eagerness to learn. When trained properly, they can perform various tricks and are also excellent talkers. Scarlet Macaws are energetic, playful, and enjoy interacting with their owners. They are quite loud and love to grab attention. The price for a fully grown, beautiful Scarlet Macaw ranges from 150 to 170 million VND, making them a high-priced pet for those looking to own one.

The Queen's Bulbul is a rare and highly valued exotic bird. Its white crest and neck, along with its striking red eyes, make it easily recognizable. Popular for its pleasant song and ease of care, this bird can be quite expensive, especially the genetically rare varieties. The price of a Queen's Bulbul can range from several tens of millions to hundreds of millions of VND. Adults typically measure 13-15 cm, and females are slightly smaller than males. A Queen's Bulbul can be priced at around 300 million VND.

The distinctive features of this species include its red ear patches and a golden-brown underside, with a slender beak and dark head adorned with a sharp crest. The legs and feet are relatively short and less powerful. Males and females share similar coloration, while juveniles resemble adults but lack the red feather markings. During the off-breeding season in North America, they form communal roosts from July to January.

Toucan birds are extremely rare and hard to find. If you're interested in seeing these magnificent creatures, you’ll need to visit regions such as South America, Central America, the Caribbean, and Mexico. Toucans are easily recognized by their large, colorful beaks, which are both robust and sharp. They typically have black feathers with bright yellow on their face, throat, and chest, while the underside features vibrant red feathers, and their beak and neck display a mix of multicolored patterns.

Toucans are known for their brightly colored beaks, which come in shades of green, red, white, and yellow. Males typically reach a length of 56 cm, while females are slightly smaller at 52 cm. Their weight averages between 599 and 746 grams. With their strong legs, they are incredibly agile in the dense rainforest. When foraging, they use their serrated tongues to grab food, tilting their heads back before swallowing. The value of a Toucan is high, largely due to their stunningly large beaks, with prices ranging from 5,000 USD to 10,000 USD, and the larger the beak, the higher the price.

Hyacinth Macaw is a large species of parrot and holds the title of the largest macaw in the world. Native to the heart of South America and the eastern regions, this bird is now facing a rapid decline in the wild due to illegal hunting and the demand for exotic pets. One of the most notable features of the Hyacinth Macaw is its incredibly strong and sharp beak, capable of breaking open coconuts. This bird is highly sought after, with prices reaching as high as 14,000 USD, a significant investment for those wanting to own the world’s largest parrot. Hyacinth Macaws can grow up to 100 cm long, weigh between 1.5-2 kg, and have wingspans of 120-140 cm. Their feathers are entirely blue, making it nearly impossible to tell males from females.

These long-tailed parrots are often found in small groups of 1-8 pairs, communicating loudly with each other. In the wild, they are frequently spotted flying to clay licks known as “macaw clay licks.” When disturbed, they emit loud calls and soar above, circling with their long tails. Macaws are playful, intelligent, and excellent mimics, capable of imitating human speech. During their daily foraging, they drop many seeds, which helps regenerate the forest ecosystem. They are highly valued as pets but are listed under CITES due to the overexploitation for the pet trade and loss of their natural habitat. Only captive-bred Hyacinth Macaws can be legally kept as pets.

The Palm Cockatoo, also known as the Goliath Cockatoo or long-tailed Palm Parrot, is one of the most striking and unique species of parrot. This bird has a robust, smoky grey body with a prominent red crest that makes it easily identifiable. With a body length of 55-60 cm, the Palm Cockatoo is one of the largest cockatoos, though it is relatively light for its size, weighing only 910–1200 grams. These birds are usually seen alone, in pairs, or in small groups of 5–7 individuals. The Palm Cockatoo is incredibly expensive, with prices reaching around 16,000 USD. It is truly a bird for those with deep pockets.

The Palm Cockatoo is a large, black or smoky grey parrot with a distinctive appearance. It features a large crest and one of the biggest beaks among all parrot species. The unique shape of its beak, where the upper and lower mandibles do not meet along their length, allows the bird to hold objects such as seeds. Between its eyes and beak, it has a patch of bare, red skin, and its cheeks have a special red patch that can change color if the bird is excited or scared. Juvenile Palm Cockatoos have pale yellow underparts, and those under 18 months old have white markings around their beak and eyes.

Racing Pigeons, also known as homing pigeons, are a specialized breed of bird developed through selective breeding and training to achieve maximum distance and speed when flying towards a specific destination. The sport of pigeon racing began in Belgium, where the first long-distance race, over 100 miles (160 km), was held in 1818. By the late 1800s, the sport had gained popularity in the UK, USA, and France, but nowhere has it been as popular as in Belgium, where nearly every village has a pigeon fancier’s club.

Racing pigeons are trained to repeatedly return to their lofts from various distances, entering through trap doors upon arrival. During a race, the birds are released together by a starter, who records the release time. They take off quickly, orient themselves, and fly straight toward their loft. These pigeons are known to fly thousands of miles to return home, with some even reaching average speeds of over 145 km/h in races. The price of racing pigeons has reached as high as 1.4 million USD.

The Mountain Bluebird, also known as the Arctic Bluebird, is a stunning species with bright, powder-blue feathers, making it one of the most beautiful birds in the western United States. The male is particularly striking with its vibrant blue plumage, which is the most intense blue among North American bluebirds. Females are generally gray but display subtle blue hues, particularly on the wings and tail. The males also feature a white eye-ring, while females can have a light reddish-brown tinge around the chest and throat. Young Mountain Bluebirds resemble the females, though they have darker, more muted upper parts, and noticeable streaks around their throats and breasts.

These birds breed as far north as central and eastern Alaska, and southward through central and western Canada (west of Manitoba and southern Yukon), extending into the western United States, particularly east of the Rockies. Unlike other bluebird species, Mountain Bluebirds are more likely to nest in cliff faces or earthen banks when tree cavities are unavailable. They forage by flying low over open fields and meadows. In winter, Mountain Bluebirds often form large flocks, sometimes numbering in the hundreds, and can mix with Western Bluebirds. A Mountain Bluebird typically costs around 850 USD.

The Oriole is known for its striking combination of black and yellow or black and orange plumage, with some species featuring white accents. These birds are typically shy and hard to spot in the treetops, but their loud whistles and sharp calls make them easier to detect. Orioles are insectivores, though some species also consume fruits, and they are commonly found in forests and gardens, primarily in warm climates. The European Oriole is a 24 cm bird that can be found from Central Asia to India, boasting vibrant yellow feathers with dark eye spots and black wings. The African Oriole is quite similar, while the Oriole from the Himalayas to Indochina features a striking deep red hue instead of the usual yellow.

The Oriole's hanging nest is considered one of the marvels of the avian world. The female spends 5 to 8 days weaving together any sturdy material she can find—such as grass, weeds, animal fur, and twine—until the nest is completed. These nests are typically suspended around 30 feet above the ground from the outer branches of heavy trees, though sometimes they are precariously hanging. Despite their height, the nests are remarkably sturdy, allowing Orioles to reuse them when they return from their wintering grounds months later. An Oriole bird can cost around 850 USD.

The Scarlet Tanager is one of the most strikingly beautiful birds found in the eastern forests during summer. With a body that is bright red like blood, paired with its jet-black wings and tail, it is truly eye-catching. However, this bird is also one of the hardest to spot as it sings rich, soulful songs from the heights of the tree canopy. The females, with their yellowish-green, olive, or even dark green plumage, can be even more difficult to detect until their 'chick-burr' call gives them away. Come autumn, the male tanager sheds its vibrant red feathers and adopts a more subdued yellow-green coloration.

In spring and summer, the adult males flaunt their brilliant red feathers, making them unmistakable, with contrasting black wings and tail. The females and juveniles have olive-yellow feathers, with slightly darker olive wings and tails. After breeding season, the adult males molt into a plumage that resembles the female's, but still retain black wings and tail. The Scarlet Tanager is often found in mixed feeding flocks with flycatchers, ant-eaters, woodpeckers, and other tropical insectivores. This bird sings melodious, yet medium-sized songs with a fairly steady rhythm. It has a thick, rounded beak designed for catching insects and consuming fruit. The Scarlet Tanager has a large head and a relatively short, broad tail. A Scarlet Tanager can cost around 900 USD.