Pyrrhuloxia
Cardinalis sinuatus
Essentially a desert-dwelling cardinal, found in brushy areas of the southwestern U.S. and northern Mexico. Shaped much like a Northern Cardinal but with a longer, thinner crest and more rounded bill shape. Plumage is mostly gray with red highlights on the face, crest, belly, wings, and tail. Bill color is usually yellowish, but grayer on immatures. Usually seen in pairs or small flocks, often visiting bird feeders. Song is similar to Northern Cardinal but higher-pitched and more piercing.
Identification
The desert cardinal is a medium-sized song bird; the length for both sexes is about 8.3 in (21 cm), while the typical weight is 0.8–1.5 oz (24–43 g).<p>The most obvious differences between the male desert cardinal and the northern cardinal are in their coloring. The desert cardinal is predominantly brownish-gray with a red breast, a red mask, and a yellow, parrot-like bill that is stout and rounded. The females of the two species resemble each other much more closely, but the shapes of their bills are diagnostic. The songs of the two species are identical, though the pyrrhuloxia's is not quite as loud. This cardinal retains the distinctive long, pointed, red crest present in all species.
Taxonomy
The desert cardinal is one of three birds in the genus Cardinalis in the family Cardinalidae, a group of passerine birds found in North and South America.<p>Its name of pyrrhuloxia – once part of its scientific name – comes from Greek terms describing its coloration (πυρρος = pyrrhos = reddish or orange) and the shape of its bill (λοξος = loxos = oblique). The common name, desert cardinal, refers to it inhabiting the southwest, and often arid regions, of the North American continent.
- Scientific name
- Cardinalis sinuatus
- Authority
- Bonaparte, 1838
- Order
- Passeriformes
- Family
- Cardinalidae
- Genus
- Cardinalis
Range and habitat
The pyrrhuloxia is a year-round resident of desert scrub and mesquite thickets, in the U.S. states of Arizona, New Mexico, and Texas and woodland edges in Mexico. It occupies the southwestern half of Texas, roughly the southern third of New Mexico, and southeastern region of Arizona. Its range includes areas from the west to east coast of Mexico north of the Sierra Madre del Sur, Trans-Mexican Volcanic Belt, and Isthmus of Tehuantepec, while excluding the Sierra Madre Occidental. An individual of the species has reportedly been seen as far away from its dominant range as Costa Mesa, California, in Orange County.<p>This cardinal is relatively nonmigratory, though it may occasionally stray slightly north of its usual range. The pyrrhuloxia prefers habitat along stream beds. In areas where the range of the pyrrhuloxia and northern cardinal overlap, hybridization may occur between them.
- Migration
- Complete migrants
Behavior
In breeding season, songs are used to establish and defend territories. One song has a sharp, clear, "wha-cheer, wha-cheer", while another is characteristic of a metallic "quink". Females also sing, but they use softer and duller notes. A short "cheep" or "chip" is a regular contact call given by both sexes while foraging.<p>The pyrrhuloxia's diet consists of seeds, fruits, and insects. While foraging, the desert cardinal snatches insects from trees and picks seeds predominantly from the stalks of grasses and similar plants. It also seeks out cactus fruit for consumption. This bird is a benefit to cotton fields, as it assists in eating populations of cotton worms and weevils. This species of cardinal also visits bird feeders and in the winter forages in huge flocks, sometimes numbering in the thousands.<p>The breeding season for this cardinal usually begins in mid-March, ending in mid-August. As the breeding season approaches, territories are established and defended by the male. The male defends the territory by chasing away intruders and from a good vantage point, singing. Where both the desert and northern cardinal breeding territories overlap, no interspecific conflicts have been observed.<p>The desert cardinal places its nest in dense shrub, often concealed. The nest is small and forms a bowl or cup-like shape made up of grass, twigs, or bits of tree bark. Clutches of two to four eggs are most common, while the eggs are whitish with specks of green or gray. During an incubation period of two weeks, the male brings food to the female. At hatching, the chicks are helpless and have a bright yellow bill with red lining around the mouth. The chicks fledge around 10 days old, while both the male and female tend to the young. The young bird can wait for up to a month before fully fledging, becoming independent and feeding in large flocks. During this period, the bird achieves complete growth.
Conservation
- Population trend
- declining
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
Other Birds
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Distinctive antshrike with bold wingbars and white spots on the wing coverts. Males are gray and females rusty-colored. Found in the understory of humid forest and old second growth, where it occasionally loosely accompanies mixed-species flocks. The song is a distinctive slow and somewhat rising series of whistles followed by harsher notes.
Black-bellied Antwren
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Small antbird with a long tail and distinctive plumage. The male is dark gray brown above and black below with an obvious white eyebrow, white wing bars, and a white-tipped tail. The female is brown above with a whitish throat and buff below. Found in the understory of deciduous forests and caatinga scrub where it occasionally follows mixed-species flocks. The song is a repetition of nasal “tjew” notes.
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