Red-cowled Cardinal
Paroaria dominicana
A conspicuous inhabitant of woodland in the Brazilian caatinga, but it is also found in scrubby areas and urban parks where it forages on the ground in pairs or small groups. Note the red head and throat, mostly gray back, black wings, and black tail that is white below. Immatures have a duller orange head. The song is a series of fast melodic whistles.
Taxonomy
The red-cowled cardinal was formally described in 1758 by the Swedish naturalist Carl Linnaeus in the tenth edition of his Systema Naturae. He placed it with the crossbills in the genus Loxia and coined the binomial name Loxia dominica. The specific epithet alludes to the black and white habits of members of the Dominican Order. The red-cowled cardinal is now one of six species placed in the genus Paroaria that was introduced by Charles Lucien Bonaparte in 1832. The species is monotypic: no subspecies are recognised.
- Scientific name
- Paroaria dominicana
- Authority
- (Linnaeus, 1758)
- Order
- Passeriformes
- Family
- Thraupidae
- Genus
- Paroaria
Range and habitat
- Migration
- Resident species
Conservation
- Population trend
- stable
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
Other Birds
Crimson-crowned Flowerpecker
Dicaeum nehrkorni
A tiny, short-tailed songbird. Unmistakable male is dark with a red cap, breast spot, and rump. Underparts white, with a dark vertical line on the belly and white tufts on sides of breast. Female is gray, with red confined to rump; this color patterning is diagnostic. Juvenile resembles female, but lacks the red rump. Singles or pairs inhabit the upper reaches of hill and montane forest and forest edges. Restricted to Sulawesi. Gives thin, high-pitched “tzeet” and “kwit” call notes. Song starts with “tzeet-tzeet” phrases, then descends into a rapid warble.
Swainson's Sparrow
Passer swainsonii
A drab sparrow of northeastern Africa. The head and underparts are gray, the wing and back are brown, and the rump is rufous. Generally common within its range in all habitats except closed-canopy forest. Fond of human habitation. Very similar to Northern Gray-headed Sparrow, but there is little overlap in range, and Swainson’s has darker underparts. Also very similar to Parrot-billed Sparrow, but slightly smaller and slimmer-billed, with paler underparts. The call is a ringing “churp.”
Swift Parrot
Lathamus discolor
Colorful migratory parrot with long red pointed tail. Breeds in Tasmania and migrates to southeastern Australia in autumn and winter. Found in a wide variety of forests, where its presence is largely dictated by flowering eucalypts on which it feeds. Adult bright green with red and yellow on face and a subtle blue-purple crown patch. In flight, shows bright red underwings and long red tail. Compare Scaly-breasted Lorikeet, which has shorter green-yellow tail. Calls include a sharp rattling as well as short, piercing squeaks.
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