Just as in humans, birds have a range of eye colors.

While many birds have a black pupil surrounded by a dark brown iris, others have bright iris colors not found in humans, at least without colored contact lenses.

The yellow eyes of many owls are familiar to most people, although both barn and barred owls have dark eyes.

The white-eyed vireo and red-eyed vireo were each named for their eye color.

Red eyes are somewhat common in birds, including American coots, several doves and spotted towhees.

Gender differences in eye color exist in some species, with adult male Brewer’s blackbirds having yellow eyes while those of females are brown.

Age plays a role in the eye color of many birds, with young birds often having dark eyes and only later attaining another distinctive color.

Age-related differences are especially noticeable in Cooper’s hawks, which have yellow eyes as young birds. Over a period of time, the iris color gradually darkens through various shades of orange before becoming red.