Discover 13 Amazing White Birds in Michigan

Michigan is a wide range of homes for different types or different colours of birds. You can find many white, black, green, pink, red, and orange colour birds in Michigan as well as in other parts of America.

Each of the White Birds in Michigan that we are gonna be exploring today has different diets, colour patterns, habitats, sizes, and fun facts. 

You just saw a bird with white colour but don’t know its name or your class mam just drew a picture of a white bird but you can’t answer due to low knowledge?

Ok, wait! In this blog post, we cover the entire section about White birds that are found in Michigan.

What kind of white birds are in Michigan?

There are 13 beautiful white birds found in Michigan. The 13 white birds in Michigan are –

• Snowy Owl
• Snow Goose
• Snow Bunting
• Great Egret
• Cattle Eget
• American White Ibis
• Mute Swan
• Trumpeter Swan
• Tundra Swan
• Whooper Swan
• Ring-Billed Gull
• Ross’s Goose
• Iceland Gull

Let’s explore all 13 types of white birds in Michigan.

1. Snowy Owl:

The Snowy Owls are the most beautiful white birds in Michigan. Their white plumage looks amazing.

If you are a bird lover or photographer you will love this bird without any doubt. 

It has white plumage, yellow eyes, and a black bill. Snowy Owls can grow up to 2 feet in length with a wingspan of up to 5 feet.

They are the largest owl species ever found in North America. Snowy Owls mostly eat small mammals, such as lemmings, voles, and rabbits, but they may also prey on birds, fish, and insects. 

How to identify: 

You can easily identify this bird with white plumage, yellow eyes, and black bill. Males are whiter than females. In-flight Snowy Owls, have broad wings, and graceful flight patterns. 

Related: Doves in Michigan

2. Snow Bunting:

The Snow Bunting is a small bird that breeds in the Arctic regions of North America, including Michigan. It is known for its striking white and brown plumage.

Snow Buntings can grow up to 6 inches in length and have a wingspan of about 12 inches. They have a small, conical bill and a compact body.

During the breeding season, Snow Buntings eat insects and other small animals but they primarily feed on seeds during the winter months. 

How to identify: 

You can easily identify Snow Bunting by its white and brown plumage. Males have a pure white head and underparts, while females have more brown and white plumage. 

Related: Discover 2 Types of Cranes in Michigan

3. Snow Goose:

The Snow Gooses are medium to large-sized migratory White birds in Florida.

You can easily find these beautiful white birds in Michigan. Snow geese can grow up to 25-33 inches in length with a wingspan of up to 53 inches.

During breeding, season snow geese can be found nesting in Canada and Alaska. In the winter they migrate to the United States. Snow Goose are the most common black and white birds in Michigan.

How to identify:

1. White or blue-grey body, black wingtips
2. pink bill with a black “grinning patch” on the upper mandible.
3. In flight, snow geese fly in large flocks often in V-formations.
4. Their wings make a “whistling” sound when they fly overhead.

Snow geese primarily eat plants such as grasses, sedges, and grains, and also eat insects and molluscs.

4. Great Egret:

The Great Egret is a large wading White bird that is commonly found in Michigan.

This bird has a long neck, yellow bill, and long, black legs. Great Egrets are entirely white with some black plumes on its back and tails during the breeding season.

Great Egrets are one of the largest egret species. They can grow up to 3.3 to 3.7 feet and weigh up to 1kg. It has a wingspan of up to 1.4 meters.

Habitat: The Great Egrets always prefer wetland habitats such as swamps, ponds, marshes, lakes, and coastal areas.

Diet: The Great Egrets mostly eat fish, but they also eat amphibians, reptiles, insects, and small mammals.

How to Identify:

• All-white plumage
• long neck, long legs, and pointed yellow bill
• During the breeding season, they develop long plumes on their backs and tails.

5. Cattle Egret:

Cattle Egret is a small white heron species found in Florida, Michigan, as well as other parts of the country.

It has a shot, a thick neck, and a stout, yellow bill.

During the breeding season, cattle egrets develop bright orange-buff plumes on their head, neck, and back.

They can grow up to 18 inches tall with a wingspan of 35 inches.

Cattle egrets are native to Africa. But this species of white bird is found all over the world except Antarctica.

They can be found in open habitats, such as pastures, fields, and wetlands.

Cattle Egrets feed primarily on insects, grasshoppers, and crickets, which they catch by walking.

How to Identify:

• compact size, white plumage, yellow bill
• During the breeding season, they develop orange-buff plumes.
• In-flight cattle egrets hold their necks tucked in.
• They have a habit of perching on the backs of grazing cattle.

Related: What Bird is Only Found in Michigan?

6. American White Ibis:

White Ibis is a large size of white bird that is commonly found in Michigan’s wetlands.

You can easily identify these birds with their football-shaped bodies, long legs, long neck, and long curved bill. 

These species of white birds are big and long but smaller than Great Egret.

These Ibis are entirely white with black wings and beautiful pink legs and bills.

If you look closely then you will find their heads always down when they walk slowly on water. 

American White Ibis can grow up to 20 to 21 inches in length with a wingspan of 35 to 41 inches. Their average weight is 1 kg. 

White Ibi’s main diet is crayfish, which also eat aquatic insects and small fish. 

White Ibies always prefer freshwater marshes, mangroves, flooded pastures, and swamps where they easily find food them.

7. Mute Swans:

The Mute Swans are not native to Michigan. They are native to Europe. But they can be spotted all year.

Mute Swans are one of the largest flying birds found in Michigan. They are very aggressive bird species. 

Mute Swans are pure white, with long necks, large bills, and black legs.

They can grow up to 56 to 62 inches in length with a wingspan of up to 84 to 96 inches.

Mute Swans are also the heaviest bird flying birds, weighing up to 30 pounds. 

Mute Swans mostly eat aquatic vegetation, such as widgeon grass, eelgrass, and pondweed, but they also feed on insects, fish, and amphibians. 

How to identify: You can easily identify this bird with its white plumage, long neck, and distinctive orange bill. In flight, Mute Swans have a slow wing beat and hold their necks in an S-shape. 

8. Trumpeter Swan

The Trumpeter Swan is a large white swan species found in Michigan and also other parts of America.

Just like its brother (Mute Swan) Trumpeter Swan is the longest and heaviest living bird native to America. It is the heaviest flying bird on the earth. 

They have pure white on their body except for their black bills, legs, and feet. They can grow up to 6 feet with a wingspan of up to 10 feet. 

Trumpeter Swans primarily eat pondweed, wild celery, and widgeon grass but may also feed on insects, fish, and small amphibians.

Besides their heaviest and longest bodies, they are strong swimmers and divers. 

How to identify: 

You can easily identify this bird by its big size, white plumage, and entirely black bill. In flight, they have slow powerful wing beats. 

9. Tundra Swan:

The Tundra Swan is a medium-sized whitewater bird found in North America. It has white plumage, a long neck, and a black bill with a yellow spot at the base. 

If we compare Tundra Swans and Trumpeter Swans, We can find that Tundra Swans are slightly smaller than Trumpeter Swans, with a wingspan of up to 6 feet and a length of up to 4 feet.

They have long, graceful necks that they often hold in an S-curve. 

They mainly eat aquatic vegetation and also feed on insects, fish, and other small amphibians. 

How to identify: 

To identify a Tundra Swan, look for its white plumage, long neck, and black bill with a yellow spot at the base.

In flight, they have slow, powerful wing beats and hold their necks straight out. They also have a high-pitched, trumpet-like call that is distinctive from the honking call of Trumpeter Swans.

10. Whooper Swan:

This is the fourth type of swan that is found in Michigan. This species of bird have pure white feathers.

You can easily identify this swan by its long black legs, half the beak is orange-yellow and the tip is black.

Whooper Swan mostly eats aquatic plants and roots. Also, they eat insects and a variety of invertebrates.

They can grow up to 55-65 inches in length with a wingspan of 81-108 inches. Their weight is between 7-14 kilograms.

Whooper Swans prefer large areas of water to live in. Their habitats include shallow freshwater pools, lakes, slow-flowing rivers, marshes, and swamps.

11. Ring-Billed Gull:

The Ring-Billed Gull is a medium-sized white gull especially found in Michigan, Florida, and other parts of the country. They have short bills, and long, slender wings.

This bird looks amazing when they are flying. Adults have white heads, bodies, and tails. They have yellow legs and a yellow bill with a black band around them.

They can grow up to 50.2 cm long and weigh about 550 grams. Females are 46 cm long and weigh about 470 grams.

Ring-Billed Gull prefers habitats like garbage dumps, parking lots, and freshly ploughed fields. Also, they are found in lakes, beaches, and beside water areas.

How to identify: You can easily identify this bird by its shorter, yellow bill, yellow legs, and pale grey back.

12. Ross’s Goose:

The Ross’s Goose is a white goose found in Michigan. They have black wingtips, short necks, triangular bills, and bluish bases.

These beautiful white birds look amazing. You will love these birds.

It has a short beak, short legs, and short, and black tails. Also, they have a black colour eye.

They can grow up to 23 to 25 inches, and weigh between 1 to 1.5 kg with a wingspan of 44 to 46 inches.

They always prefer wetlands, wet meadows, often in patches of dwarf birch, and small lakes. Ross’s Goose diet includes plant matter and insects. They mostly eat grasses and sedges.

How to identify: You can easily identify this bird by its short neck, black wingtips, and triangular bill.

13. Iceland Gull:

Iceland Gulls are another beautiful white birds in Michigan. You can also find these birds in America’s different regions.

These medium-sized birds have short bills and fairly long wings. They are larger than a Ring-billed Gull.

Iceland Gull is an intelligent bird species. They can grow up to 19 to 24 inches in length, and weigh between 800 to 1100 grams with a wingspan of 45 to 54 inches.

Iceland Gulls have pale grey wings and back, white heads, yellow colour bills, and white necks. Also, they have pink legs.

Iceland Gulls always prefer open water. In winter, they can be seen on coasts and forage on beaches, and sometimes on lawns, fields, and garbage dumps.

How to identify: You can easily identify this gull by its grey wings and back, yellow bill, white head, and pink legs.

People Also Ask:

You can find all the questions answered regarding “white birds in Michigan” that people ask on Google. Here are the questions and answers:

Conclusion:

In conclusion, Michigan’s white bird species looks beautiful. Observing their behaviours, and beautiful colours and listening to their peaceful calls can be a relaxing experience. So, connect with us to explore more birds, doves, herons, hawks, and owls found all over America’s different states.