60 birds

Bird Colored Pencil Drawing Ideas

Deal a bird to draw in coloured pencil, with the colours to get right.

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Drawn: A grey heron standing in shallow waterA grey heron standing in shallow waterWhite head and neck, a black stripe from eye to crest, grey wings, a pinkish-yellow beak.

Next step Butterflies by wing pattern Black and white in charcoal

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Reds and oranges 12

A Baltimore oriole at a feeder Orange underparts and shoulder, white bars on the wings. Start with yellow under the orange.
A crimson rosella on a eucalyptus branch Crimson body, blue cheeks, black-scalloped blue-edged wings. Draw the scallops before the blue.
A European robin singing on a fence post An orange-red breast and face edged with grey, brown on top. Keep the orange soft at its edges.
A male golden pheasant, tail trailing A golden crest and rump over a bright red body; the tail is two-thirds of its length.
A male northern cardinal cracking a seed All red with a crest and a black mask round the bill. Layer two reds; leave a highlight on the bill.
A male scarlet tanager in summer Red body with black wings and tail. Two colours, sharp edges between them.
A male vermilion flycatcher catching an insect Bright red crown and chest, brownish wings and tail. Press hard for the red, lightly for the brown.
A rufous hummingbird at a feeder, wings blurred A white breast, a rufous face and tail, an orange-red throat. Blur the wings with light strokes.
A scarlet ibis probing the mud with its bill Vivid red with inky black wingtips. The long bill curves down; draw it in one stroke.
A scarlet macaw with one wing open Red, yellow, green and blue in bands across the wing. Lay each band flat, then burnish.
An American flamingo feeding head-down Reddish-pink all over, the neck bent down to the water. Build the pink from light to deep.
An American robin on a nest of blue eggs A reddish-orange breast under a grey-brown back. The breast rounds out over the nest rim.

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Yellows and greens 12

A budgerigar peering into a mirror Green body, yellow face, black scallops on the back and wings. The scallops go on last.
A European bee-eater with a bee in its bill Brown and yellow upper parts, green wings, a black beak. Many colours: plan the order first.
A European green woodpecker on the ground Green body, a bright red crown, a black moustache. It feeds on ants, so draw it low.
A great tit on a peanut feeder A black head, white cheeks, yellow underparts. Draw the white cheek as untouched paper.
A green jay on a cactus Blue and black head, green wings and back. Put the blue in first; green overlaps it.
A keel-billed toucan side on The bill is a third of its length: mainly green with orange sides and a red tip.
A male American goldfinch in summer Vibrant yellow with a black cap and dark wings. Leave white paper for the wing bars.
A male golden oriole in leafy shade Black and yellow. Among yellow-green leaves it hides, so draw the leaves round it.
A male resplendent quetzal with its long plumes Iridescent green plumes and a red lower breast. Lay blue under the green for the shine.
A rose-ringed parakeet in profile Green all over, a red beak and a blue tail. The ring round the neck gives it its name.
A yellow warbler singing on a twig Yellow, with a few faint rusty-red breast streaks.
An American goldfinch in its olive winter coat The same bird turned olive for winter. Mix green over yellow to match it.

Blues 12

A blue jay carrying an acorn Blue, white-chested, with a black U-shaped collar. Draw the collar before the blue.
A common kingfisher diving into a stream Wings back, bill first. Blur the splash and keep the orange belly sharp.
A common kingfisher perched over water Blue upperparts, orange underparts, a long bill. Burnish the blue for the shine.
A Eurasian blue tit pecking at a coconut shell Blue and yellow and very small, clinging to the rim of a half shell.
A lilac-breasted roller with its tail streamers A lilac breast; the adults carry long tail streamers. Draw the tail first so it fits.
A male eastern bluebird on a wire Bright blue above, a brownish-red breast. Two colours meeting at the throat.
A male indigo bunting in summer Vibrant blue all over in the breeding season. One colour, shaded from light to dark.
A male painted bunting on a branch Head dark blue, back green, rump and underparts red. Keep each patch clean-edged.
A pair of blue-footed boobies facing each other Bright blue feet are the whole point. Draw them big and the rest in greys and white.
A peacock with its train spread A blue head with a fan crest and a train of long feathers, each with an eyespot. Repeat the eyespot.
A rainbow lorikeet feeding on blossom Deep blue head, a greenish-yellow collar, green wings and an orange-yellow chest.
A Steller's jay in a pine tree West of the Rockies, the only jay with a crest. Dark head, blue body.

Black, white and grey 12

A bald eagle perched on a dead tree Brown, with the head and tail white. Leave the head as paper and shade round it.
A black-capped chickadee on a branch Black cap, black bib, white cheeks, buff sides. A small round shape on stick legs.
A common loon swimming low Black head with a green sheen, a chequered back, white underparts. Draw the squares in rows.
A common raven calling from a rock All black but iridescent. Use blue and purple under the black for the gloss.
A Eurasian magpie on a gatepost Glossy black with a green and violet sheen, a pure white belly. Add the sheen over black.
A grey heron standing in shallow water White head and neck, a black stripe from eye to crest, grey wings, a pinkish-yellow beak.
A mute swan gliding on a lake All white with an orange beak bordered in black and a knob on top.
A pied avocet sweeping its bill through water Black and white with a long upturned bill. The curve of the bill is the drawing.
A snowy owl on a snowdrift No other owl is mostly white. Shade the snow blue-grey so the owl stands out.
A whooping crane in flight White, red-crowned, with a long dark bill; black wingtips show only in flight.
An Atlantic puffin with its bill full Black back, grey cheeks, white front, orange legs and a red-and-black beak.
An emperor penguin standing tall Black head and back, white belly, breast pale yellow, ear patches bright yellow.

Browns and patterns 12

A barn owl gliding low at dusk Its face is a heart outlined in a darker rim. Wings spread wide and pale against the dark.
A common starling in its speckled coat Glossy black with a metallic sheen, speckled with white. Dot the white with an eraser.
A Eurasian hoopoe with its crest up Cinnamon body, black and white wings and a tall crest. A long thin bill curves down.
A Eurasian wren perched on a mossy log Plump, rufous brown and finely barred, with a very short tail held upright.
A great horned owl with its ear tufts up Mottled brown with feather tufts like horns and a yellow iris. Hatch the mottling in layers.
A male common pheasant walking in a field A bottle-green head with a red wattle, a body barred in gold and copper-red.
A male house sparrow fluffed up on a gutter Males have black, white and brown markings. Fluffed up, it is almost a ball.
A male mandarin duck with its orange sails A red bill, a white crescent above the eye, a purple breast and two orange sail feathers.
A mallard drake on a pond A glossy green head and a white collar over a purple-tinged brown breast.
A red-tailed hawk circling The tail is brick-red above, the one warm colour on a brown and pale bird.
A song thrush with a snail on a stone Brown back and a cream breast with black spots. Space the spots in rows.
A wild turkey with its tail fanned A long fan-shaped tail, bronze wings, a featherless red head with red wattles.

How this list was compiled: Original list written for Draw This Next on 2026-09-24: 60 birds to draw in coloured pencil, grouped by their main colours and marked easy, medium or hard, each with the colours to get right and a hint on layering. Plumage colours and markings checked on each species' Wikipedia article on 2026-09-24: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Northern_cardinal, Scarlet_macaw, European_robin, American_robin, Vermilion_flycatcher, Baltimore_oriole, Scarlet_tanager, American_flamingo, Rufous_hummingbird, Crimson_rosella, Golden_pheasant, Scarlet_ibis, American_goldfinch, Budgerigar, Keel-billed_toucan, Resplendent_quetzal, European_green_woodpecker, Rose-ringed_parakeet, European_bee-eater, Eurasian_golden_oriole, Great_tit, Yellow_warbler, Green_jay, Blue_jay, Eastern_bluebird, Common_kingfisher, Indian_peafowl, Eurasian_blue_tit, Lilac-breasted_roller, Steller's_jay, Painted_bunting, Indigo_bunting, Blue-footed_booby, Rainbow_lorikeet, Bald_eagle, Eurasian_magpie, Emperor_penguin, Atlantic_puffin, Snowy_owl, Black-capped_chickadee, Common_loon, Mute_swan, Common_raven, Pied_avocet, Grey_heron, Whooping_crane, Mallard, Mandarin_duck, Barn_owl, Great_horned_owl, House_sparrow, Common_pheasant, Wild_turkey, Eurasian_hoopoe, Red-tailed_hawk, Song_thrush, Common_starling, Eurasian_wren (all under https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/). Details not found there were left out. No item repeats a title from any other list on the site. Licence: own work

How it works

Bird colored pencil drawing, sorted by colour: 60 birds in reds, yellows and greens, blues, black and white, and browns. Each names the colours to get right and how to layer them.

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Draw birds in colored pencil, light to dark

Lay the lightest colour first and press harder only at the end. For an American goldfinch in summer, yellow goes down before anything else and the black cap goes on last. White parts, such as a great tit's cheeks, stay bare paper.

Shine and sheen

Some feathers shine rather than hold one colour. A common raven is black but glossy, so blue and purple go under the black. Hard holds 17 birds like this, from a rainbow lorikeet to a common starling in its speckled coat.

Test each colour mix on a scrap of the same paper before it goes on the bird.
Sharpen often for feather edges; a blunter point suits soft breast feathers.

Questions and answers

What is the easiest bird to draw in coloured pencil?

One with two or three flat patches of colour: a male scarlet tanager in summer, red with black wings, or a male indigo bunting, blue all over. Easy holds 21.

Which pencils do I need for drawing birds with colored pencils?

A basic set with two reds, two yellows, two blues, a green, two browns, black and white covers most of these birds. The hard ones, such as a male painted bunting, need a few more.

How do I make a colored pencil bird look shiny?

Burnish: press hard with a light colour or a colourless blender until the paper's grain fills. A common kingfisher perched over water is a good one to practise on.