A bird with a colorful plumage and great will, the phoenix has made a mark in many ancient cultures like the Greek, Chinese and Persian. It is known as the fire bird because it was believed that the bird flew to the Sun and got fire on Earth. In ancient Greek art, you can see images of the bird with fire all around. Some even believed that the phoenix was the spirit of the Sun, and they worshiped it.
Egyptians believed in the concept of afterlife and immortality, and were fascinated with the concept of a fire bird that represented the Sun God. The Egyptian variant of the phoenix bird was known as 'Bennu', which literally meant 'rise', and was symbolic of the rising and setting Sun. Let us take a look at some of the tribal phoenix bird tattoo designs. 
Fire is very closely associated with this bird and many believed that the phoenix got fire to the earth from the sun. A design depicting the phoenix with fire on it's claws and colorful wings symbolic of life is a very interesting tribal phoenix tattoos design.
You could add a personal touch to this design by showcasing the phoenix with it's fiery claws perched on a ledge or in flight across mountains. Use of bright colors like red, orange, and yellow, for the feathers and the flames can give your phoenix bird tattoo a unique look and feel.
A very graphic image of the phoenix rising from the flames is a great tattoo design to have on your body, it especially looks great as an upper arm tattoo and, on the shoulder region. The phoenix rising from the flames is symbolic of life's struggles and epitomizes the 'never give up attitude' that everyone desires.
Long red and yellow flames at the base of the tattoo with a beautiful phoenix with blue and green plumage rising towards the sky is an awesome tattoo design. These tribal phoenix tattoo designs adorns the bodies of many people and if you wish to add a personal touch to this classic design you could show the phoenix rising in the back drop of mountains or gray clouds