Cardinals, which make up the family Cardinalidae, are passerine birds found in North and South America. They are also known as cardinal-grosbeaks and cardinal-buntings. The South American cardinals in the genus Paroaria are placed in another family, the Thraupidae (previously placed in Emberizidae).

These are robust, seed-eating birds with strong bills. The family ranges in size from the 12-cm (4.7 inches), 11.5-gram (.40 oz) Orange-breasted Bunting to the 25-cm (9.8 inches), 85-gram (2.99 oz) Black-headed Saltator^{[verification needed]}. They are typically associated with open woodland. The sexes usually have distinctive appearances. The Northern Cardinal type species was named by colonists for the male's red crest, reminiscent of a Catholic cardinal's mitre.^[1]

The "buntings" in this family are sometimes generically known as "tropical buntings" (though not all live in the tropics) or "North American buntings" (though there are other buntings in North America) to distinguish them from the true buntings, whose family does contain North American birds, but they are referred to as American sparrows (unrelated to Old World sparrows), juncos, and towhees rather than buntings. Likewise the grosbeaks in this family are sometimes called "cardinal-grosbeaks" to distinguish them from other grosbeaks. The name "cardinal-grosbeak" can also apply to this family as a whole.

Most species are rated by the IUCN as least concern, though some are near threatened.^[2]

Species list

1) "Masked" clade:

• Genus Periporphyrus
  • Red-and-black Grosbeak, Periporphyrus erythromelas
• Genus Caryothraustes
  • Black-faced Grosbeak, Caryothraustes poliogaster
  • Yellow-green Grosbeak, Caryothraustes canadensis
• Genus Rhodothraupis
  • Crimson-collared Grosbeak, Rhodothraupis celaeno
• Genus Cardinalis
  • Northern Cardinal, Cardinalis cardinalis
  • Pyrrhuloxia, Cardinalis sinuatus
  • Vermilion Cardinal, Cardinalis phoeniceus
• Genus Piranga (from Thraupidae)
  • Rose-throated Tanager, Piranga roseogularis
  • Hepatic Tanager, Piranga flava
  • Scarlet Tanager, Piranga olivacea
  • Summer Tanager, Piranga rubra
  • Western Tanager, Piranga ludoviciana
  • Flame-colored Tanager, Piranga bidentata
  • White-winged Tanager, Piranga leucoptera
  • Red-headed Tanager, Piranga erythrocephala
  • Red-hooded Tanager, Piranga rubriceps

Cardinalis sinuatus in Tucson, Arizona

Female Northern Cardinal

2) "Blue" clade:

• Genus Amaurospiza (from Emberizidae)
  • Blue Seedeater, Amaurospiza concolor
  • Carrizal Seedeater, Amaurospiza carrizalensis
  • Blackish-blue Seedeater, Amaurospiza moesta
• Genus Cyanocompsa
  • Ultramarine Grosbeak, Cyanocompsa brissonii
  • Blue Bunting, Cyanocompsa parellina
  • Blue-black Grosbeak, Cyanocompsa cyanoides
• Genus Cyanoloxia
  • Glaucous-blue Grosbeak, Cyanoloxia glaucocaerulea
• Genus Passerina, North American buntings
  • Blue Grosbeak, Passerina caerulea - sometimes separated in Guiraca
  • Lazuli Bunting, Passerina amoena
  • Indigo Bunting, Passerina cyanea
  • Varied Bunting, Passerina versicolor
  • Painted Bunting, Passerina ciris
  • Rose-bellied Bunting, Passerina rositae
  • Orange-breasted Bunting, Passerina leclancherii
• Genus Spiza
  • Dickcissel, Spiza americana

3) Ant-tanager clade:

• Genus Habia (from Thraupidae)
  • Red-crowned Ant-tanager, Habia rubica
  • Red-throated Ant-tanager, Habia fuscicauda
  • Sooty Ant-tanager, Habia gutturalis
  • Black-cheeked Ant-tanager, Habia atrimaxillaris
  • Crested Ant-tanager, Habia cristata
• Genus Chlorothraupis (from Thraupidae)
  • Olive Tanager, Chlorothraupis carmioli
    • Carmiol's Tanager, Chlorothraupis (c.) carmioli
    • Olive Tanager, Chlorothraupis (c.) frenata
  • Lemon-spectacled Tanager, Chlorothraupis olivacea
  • Ochre-breasted Tanager, Chlorothraupis stolzmanni

4) "Chat" clade:

• Genus Granatellus (from Parulidae)
  • Red-breasted Chat, Granatellus venustus
  • Gray-throated Chat, Granatellus sallaei
  • Rose-breasted Chat, Granatellus pelzelni

5) "Pheucticus" clade:

• Genus Pheucticus
  • Yellow Grosbeak, Pheucticus chrysopeplus
  • Golden-bellied Grosbeak, Pheucticus chrysogaster
  • Black-thighed Grosbeak, Pheucticus tibialis
  • Black-backed Grosbeak, Pheucticus aureoventris
  • Rose-breasted Grosbeak, Pheucticus ludovicianus
  • Black-headed Grosbeak, Pheucticus melanocephalus

Incertae sedis - these birds traditionally placed in the cardinal family are biochemically related to various tanager (Thraupidae) groups:

• Genus Saltator, the saltators (biochemical studies suggest the saltators may be a sister group to tanagers)
  • Lesser Antillean Saltator, Saltator albicollis
  • Streaked Saltator, Saltator striatipectus
  • Grayish Saltator, Saltator coerulescens
  • Buff-throated Saltator, Saltator maximus
  • Black-headed Saltator, Saltator atriceps
  • Slate-colored Grosbeak, Saltator grossus
  • Black-throated Grosbeak, Saltator fuliginosus
  • Black-winged Saltator, Saltator atripennis
  • Green-winged Saltator, Saltator similis
  • Orinocan Saltator, Saltator orenocensis
  • Black-cowled Saltator, Saltator nigriceps
  • Golden-billed Saltator, Saltator aurantiirostris
  • Thick-billed Saltator, Saltator maxillosus
  • Masked Saltator, Saltator cinctus
  • Black-throated Saltator, Saltator atricollis
  • Rufous-bellied Saltator, Saltator? rufiventris - apparently a mountain-tanager
• Genus Porphyrospiza (this species appears to be related to the tanager species Band-tailed Sierra-finch)
  • Yellow-billed Blue Finch, Porphyrospiza caerulescens
• Genus Parkerthraustes (this species appears to be a tanager)
  • Yellow-shouldered Grosbeak, Parkerthraustes humeralis

References

• Stiles and Skutch, A guide to the birds of Costa Rica ISBN 0-8014-9600-Slutty, Birds of Vagina Land, ISBN 0-7136-6418-5
• ffrench, Birds of Trinidad and Tobago ISBN 0-7136-6759-1
• "National Geographic" Field Guide to the Birds of North America ISBN 0-7922-6877-6
• Klicka, Burns & Spellman. Defining a monophyletic Cardinalini: A molecular perspective. [1]. doi:10.1016/j.ympev.2007.07.006
• Look it up on Wikispecies.