10 Flowers That Look Like Birds

Nature never fails to amaze us with the way many flowers grow. A prime example is the beautiful flowers that look like birds. From delicate petals that mimic the graceful curves of a bird’s beak to stunning blooms resembling a bird’s head in flight, these ten flowers exemplify nature’s artistry. A couple of examples are the Crane-Fly Orchid (Tipularia discolor), a unique orchid species with delicate petals that look just like a bird in flight (Crane) and add an aura of elegance to any garden.

Next is the White Egret Orchid, which resembles birds like the white egret, with pristine white petals cascading like the bird’s feathers. The Bird of Paradise is one of the most popular flowers that resemble birds. Known for its vibrant colors, these gorgeous flowers imitate the form of a bird perched on a branch. In our guide, you can learn more about 10 flowers that look like birds. By the end, you’ll better understand the 10 plants or others where flowers are shaped like birds and suited to your garden. (Learn How Often To Water Snake Plant)

10 Flowers That Look Like Birds

This section has the top flowers that have evolved to look like birds. The types of flowers vary, yet each is a stunningly beautiful flower in its own right. 

1. Bird of Paradise

The highly well-known Bird of Paradise flower is at the top of the list for anyone familiar with plants that resemble birds. The narrow-Leafed Bird of Paradise (Strelitzia Juncea) is a subspecies of bird of paradise. Its name, “Bird of Paradise,” refers to the huge leaves and vibrantly colored flowers that are shaped like the head of some exotic bird, and referred to as the Crane Flower because of its unusual shape that tends to look like a beak.

The blooms of the Bird of Paradise might be merely blue and white or white, despite the plant’s reputation for producing vibrant blue or orange flowers. Even though Bird of Paradise can tolerate medium-light growth circumstances, it needs sufficient sunlight to thrive over time. Therefore, we always strongly advise putting it in front of bright light.  

2. Yulan Magnolias

We have Yulan Magnolias, also known as Lily Tree or Magnolia Denudata, which are stunning flowers native to China.  Yulan Magnolia might not look like a bird at first glance; however, if you look closely at its flower, you’ll see a bird sitting on a branch.

Before they bloom, the flowers of this plant look exactly like a small bird, making it a contender for our list of plants resembling birds. This plant was most likely the original Magnolia domesticated around 400 years ago. Yulan magnolia is prized for its gorgeous, snow-white flowers.

As a single-trunked or multi-trunked tree, Yulan Magnolia forms an excellent specimen and always lends a dramatic atmosphere to the garden. When young, the Yulan Magnolia grows with an upright habit, but as it matures, it becomes broader and more rounded, spreading.

3. White Egret Flower

Native to Russia, Korea, and Japan, White Egret Flowers (Habenaria Radiata), also called Fringed Orchids. This plant has elegant flowers and sits high in our list of plants with blooms that look like birds because of its similarity to a flying white egret, which gave it its name.

The White Egret Orchid is a tough plant that can be found in wet pinewoods, highland bogs, coastal strand vegetation, coastal dune swales, hardwood hammocks, and grassland wetlands. 

This plant is a contender if you enjoy rare and exotic flowers, although growing White Egret Flower requires patience and care. This plant starts its blooming season from September until January. White Egret Orchids grow from a tree branch far above the ground and in rocks close to the water’s edge. (Read Weeds That Look Like Flowers)

4. Bird Head Orchid 

The Moth Orchid is another name for the Phalaenopsis, or Bird Head Orchid. Southeast Asia is the native home of this plant. This plant was once exceedingly expensive and rare since it is so challenging to grow from seed. If you look at it closely, you can see a dove falling onto something underneath this blossom. The Moth Orchid is a rare orchid species with flowers that look like a bird head and a moth.

This plant appears to be a flying moth from a distance, but you can make out a bird’s head guarding the nectar up close. On a window sill or ledge, the Bird Head Orchid is a simple indoor plant to grow. It has a robust root system and can bloom all year long.

5. The Dove Orchid

Beautiful and rare, the Dove Orchid, also known as Peristeria Elata or Peristeria, which means “dove” in Greek, is a native of Panama. But it’s also present in Venezuela and Ecuador. Its flowers resemble a dove coming down from heaven, hence the name “dove orchid.” For the same reason, it goes by the names Holy Trinity Orchid, Holy Ghost Orchid, and Flower of the Holy Spirit.

Dove orchids are typically found growing in decaying plants and rich humus material at or very near the ground. More than a dozen blooms can be seen on its inflorescences, reaching three feet. In the late summer and early fall, the flowers bloom. 

6. Flying Duck Orchid

Australia is the native home of the Flying Duck orchid, or Caleana Major, which produces flowers resembling a duck in flight. Flying Duck Orchid flowers have evolved and can lure male sawflies where the males think the plants are female sawflies. Because of its symbiotic association with a certain kind of fungus, this plant is native to Australia. It is particularly intriguing because it grows in eucalyptus woodlands in Eastern and Southern Australia.

This is the leading cause of this plant’s absence from the market, and the only way to see flowers that look like flying ducks is to visit the country. Many enthusiasts have attempted to grow this beautiful plant outside of Australia, but none have succeeded.

7. Crane-fly Orchid

The Crippled Crane-Fly Orchid (Tipularia Discolor), also known as the Crane-Fly Orchid, is a perennial, terrestrial orchid plant that belongs to the Orchidaceae family. The sole species of the genus Tipularia may be found in North America and sporadically in the Southeastern regions of the country.

The plain-colored inflorescences and unique leaves of the Crane-Fly Orchid make it simple to identify in the field. Crane-Fly Orchids are typically found in deciduous forest along stream terraces and slopes, in areas with somewhat acidic soils like oak-pine forests, and moist, humus-rich soils. (Learn How Long Can Flowers Go Without Water)

8. Western Bearded Greenhood

The South-West of Australia is the native home of the Western Bearded Greenhood plant, or Pterostylis Barbata in scientific jargon. It flourishes in woodlands and forests, typically in dense Casuarina leaf litter like tiny clumps. Western Bearded Greenhood is frequently seen between Albany and Bindoon in the Darling Range near Perth. The Warren Biogeographic Regions, Swan Coastal Plain, Jarrah Forest, Esperance Plains, and Avon Wheatbelt are all included in its range.

At the bottom of it is a rosette of leaves. Its base sprouts a single, translucent white flower. The dark green patterns on that particular flower resemble a bird perched on a stem.

9. Green Bird Flower

Green Bird Flower is a native of Western Australia’s deserts, sand dunes, drainage channels, and coastal areas. It is also known by Crotalaria Cunninghamii, Regal Birdflower, Parrot Pea, and Birdflower Ratulpo. It belongs to the Fabaceae family of legumes and is a short-lived perennial. This plant appears to have several hummingbirds arriving to dine on various flowers.

This plant produces a flower that resembles a bird in the early summer. A hard pod will also develop underneath the flower. Green bird flowers that look just like a flock of birds eating off of the stalk of the plant. Bees and honeyeaters are the primary pollinators of the bird-like flower. The plant can sometimes attract birds as well. They attract hummingbirds in particular. The Nyangumarta Warrarn, a native group, refers to it as the Mangarr plant.

10. Birds Mouth Orchid

Number 10 for plants that looks like birds is the Bird’s Mouth Orchid.  The Orthoceras strictum orchid, often known as the bird’s mouth orchid, is native to New Caledonia, Australia, and New Zealand. It can bear up to nine flowers and grow to five straight leaves at the base. These flowers often have hues that are yellowish-green, brownish, and blackish.

The name “Bird’s Mouth Orchid” comes from how this plant looks, with its unusual shape and distinctive colors, like a baby bird that is waiting for its parents to feed it. It is also known as a Horned Orchid sometimes. 

Bonus: Gorgeous Flowers That Look Like Birds

Parrot Flower

In our brief bonus list of plants that look like birds, there are the striking flowers that look like a parrot. 

Parrot Palm (Impatiens Psittacina) or Parrot Balsam was found by Joseph Dalton Hooker, who called it a flying cockatoo plant.

The Parrot Flower is attractive. The Parrot Flower needs hot, damp conditions for growing. Many plant enthusiasts believe climate prevents it from being cultivated elsewhere. Parrot Flower is gorgeous, but the plant is not. It becomes a wide-leafed, untidy bush that can reach six feet tall.

Red Birds in a Tree

By its scientific name, Scrophularia Macrantha, the “Red Birds in a Tree” is more properly known. This perennial bird plant is easy to cultivate and bears a profusion of strange flowers resembling a flock of red birds perched on a limb.

The “Red Birds in a Tree” is a rare perennial plant that is only found in the southern highlands of Arizona and New Mexico. Throughout the summer, it blooms consistently, producing spikes of red flowers with white lips. This flower attracts butterflies and hummingbirds to its nectar and is also pleasant to bees.

You can effectively cultivate this plant if you have a rock garden. Remember that this plant requires full sunlight in the morning and darkness in the afternoon.

FAQs

What is the flower that looks like a bird’s head?

The flower that resembles a bird’s head is known as the green flowerbird or regal flowerbird, and its scientific name is Crotalaria cunninghamii. It is a stunning perennial shrub that is a native of northern Australia’s interior and is in the legume family. A common anatomical trait of legumes is responsible for the shape of the flower, which is distinguished by irregular clusters of five petals and a big upper petal known as a banner.

It is pretty unlikely that any non-human animal would mistake the flowers for birds, even though it could seem like an adapted evolutionary adaptation. Its similarity to a bird illustrates simulacrum, a condition in which our eyes trick us into thinking we are seeing a representation of something that isn’t there.

What is the flower that looks like a dove?

The flower with a dove-like appearance is known as the Dove Orchid or Peristeria elata. It is an uncommon and stunning species of orchid with fragrant white blossoms and appears like a little white dove in the center of each flower. Due to overharvesting, this plant is endangered in its native country and grows on the ground, occasionally on rocks.

What flower looks like a bird’s beak?

With its red flowers with a purple tinge on the petals and single apex, the Impatiens psittacina, also known as the parrot flower, resembles a bird’s beak. The tiny hook that forms the lower sepal of this unusual flower, found in the woods of Southeast Asia, can be used to identify it. Its hue is light green. (Read Perennials Rabbits Won’t Eat)

What plant has petals that look like hummingbirds?

A plant with petals that look like hummingbirds is called Crotalaria cunninghamii, often known as the green flower bird or royal flower bird. It belongs to the legume family and is a perennial shrub native to northern Australia’s interior. Its distinctive shape results from a typical anatomical trait of legumes known as Papilionaceous flowers. These are distinguished by irregular clusters of five petals and a big upper petal known as a banner.

Although the structure of the plant might have changed because of bee pollinators’ selective pressure. It is unlikely that any animal other than humans would mistake flowers for birds.