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What Kind of Bird Has a Yellow Beak?

Ornithologists report several species of birds with yellow beaks within the lower 48 United States. These birds fall into five groups. Water birds spend their time hunting and nesting around bodies of water. Many species of gulls hunt and nest around water sources, however, gull species also inhabit inland areas scavenging around parks and other public areas. Prey birds such as eagles and falcons hunt small animals and other birds. Perching birds have shorter legs with long toes used for gripping tree limbs, shrubs and other narrow roosts. Grassland birds inhabit grassy fields and marshlands.

Water Birds
- A great blue heron searches for food.
  
  The anhinga, cattle egret, masked booby, and tri-colored heron inhabit ocean areas along the south and southeastern coasts. Other water birds with yellow bills found around lakes and ponds within the central and eastern U.S. include the black scooter, Clark's grebe, great egret, green heron, least bittern, least tern, the male American black duck and the great blue heron. The whooping crane inhabits only Texas, but recently, researchers have attempted to establish a population that migrates from Florida to Wisconsin.
Gulls
- Almost all gulls have yellow bills.
  
  Of the 27 species of gulls found throughout the U.S. and Canada, only three species do not have yellow bills; those species without a yellow bill are the laughing gull, Franklin's gull, Bonaparte's gull and Heermann's gull. Ornithologists report yellow bills on the remaining 24 species. The mew, ring-billed, California, herring, Thayer's, Iceland, lesser black-backed, yellow-footed, western, glaucous-winged, glaucous and great black-backed gulls as well as the black-legged and red-legged kittiwake reside in one or more of the lower 48 states and along U.S. coastal areas.
Prey Birds
- The bald eagle is one of the few prey birds with a yellow bill.
  
  A few species of eagles are the only prey birds that have yellow bills. Two of those species exist within the lower 48 states; the bald eagle and rhinocerous auklet. The rhinocerous auklet winters along the western U.S. and up along the western Canadian coast and the bald eagle resides throughout America.
Perching Birds
- The American robin has populations throughout the U.S.
  
  There are thousands of species of perching birds, but not many of them have yellow bills. Both the male and female of only eight species of perching birds have yellow bills. Those species are the American goldfinch, American robin, band-tailed pigeon, European starling, pyrrhuloxia, summer tanger, yellow-billed cuckoo and yellow-billed magpie. The female yellow-beak zebra finch and the female red crossbill have yellow bills. The males of these species have darker bills ranging from shades of brown to black.
Grassland Birds
- Only two grassland birds have yellow bills. The upland sandpiper inhabits grassy fields throughout the north central and northeastern U.S. states and the yellow rail are found in marshes throughout America.

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