Pyrrhuloxia

Cardinalis sinuatus

Order PASSERIFORMES - Family CARDINALIDAE

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1. Cool Facts
2. Description
3. Similar Species
4. Sound
5. Range
6. Habitat
7. Food
8. Behavior
9. Reproduction
10. Conservation Status
11. Other Names

A distinctive songbird of arid scrublands, the Pyrrhuloxia lives in the southwestern United States and northern Mexico. A thick-billed, reddish bird with a crest, it superficially resembles its close relative, the Northern Cardinal.

Cool Facts

• Some Pyrrhuloxias remain present on their breeding grounds all year, while others wander in winter. Wanderers may occur in habitats where they do not breed, such as urban areas.
• Foraging winter flocks of Pyrrhuloxias may number as many as 1,000 birds.

• The name "Pyrrhuloxia" is a combination of the genus names Pyrrhula (bullfinches) and Loxia (crossbills). The roots mean "flame-colored" and "crooked," and aptly describe the reddish bird with the crooked bill.

• Where both the Pyrrhuloxia and Northern Cardinal breed, territories of the two species may overlap, and no conflicts have been recorded between the species.

Description

• Size: 21 cm (8 in)
• Weight: 24-43 g (0.85-1.52 ounces)

• Medium-sized songbird.
• Long, pointed red crest.
• Short, rounded, very stout pale bill.
• Brown or gray body with red wings and tail.

• Mostly brownish-gray upperparts and underparts.
• Bill yellow during summer, brownish in winter.
• Eyes dark brown.
• Legs light brown.

Sex Differences

Male has bold red face and red line running from chin to belly. Female has gray face and underparts.

Immature

Similar to adult female, bill dark gray.

Similar Species

• Female Northern Cardinal's body plumage is more brownish than gray, its face is black, and its bill is reddish-orange and somewhat sharp, not yellow or dusky and highly rounded.

Sound

Song a series of whistled "what-cheer, what-cheer" notes or metallic "quink" notes. Call a sharp metallic chip.

»listen to songs of this species

Range

Summer Range

Resident from southeastern Arizona to the Gulf Coast of Texas and southward to central Mexico.

Habitat

Desert scrub, mesquite grassland, and riparian woodland.

Food

Seeds, insects, and fruits. Most seeds consumed are from grasses and weeds.

Behavior

Foraging

Gleans insects from trees and shrubs; picks seeds from stalks. Also visits feeders.

Reproduction

Nest Type

A small, neat cup of twigs, bark strips, and grass, placed in a bush or hedgerow.

Egg Description

Whitish, with green and gray markings.

Clutch Size

2-4 eggs.

Condition at Hatching

Helpless, with sparse gray down; bill bright yellow, mouth lining red.

Conservation Status

Large areas of the Pyrrhuloxia's habitat in the southwestern United States have been lost to development by humans. Populations appear to be declining slightly.

Other Names

Pyrrhuloxia (French)
Cardenal torito, cardenal huasteco, cardenal pardo, cardenal desertico (Spanish)

Sources used to construct this page:

Tweit, R. C., and C. W. Thompson. 1999. Pyrrhuloxia (Cardinalis sinuatus). In The Birds of North America, No. 391 (A. Poole and F. Gill, eds.). The Birds of North America, Inc., Philadelphia, PA.