Table of Contents
Overview
Distribution
Geographic Range
Cardinalis sinuatus is distributed in the southwestern United States and in northern Mexico (Tweit and Thompson 1999). In the United States Pyrrhuloxia can be found in Baja California, Arizona, New Mexico, Texas (Oberholser 1974), southwestern Kansas, southern Colorado, and western Oklahoma (Tweit and Thompson 1999).
Biogeographic Regions: nearctic (Native ); neotropical (Native )
© The Regents of the University of Michigan and its licensors
Source:
Animal Diversity Web
Trusted
National Distribution
United States
Origin: Native
Regularity: Regularly occurring
Currently: Present
Confidence: Confident
Type of Residency: Year-round
© NatureServe
Source:
NatureServe
Trusted
Global Range: RESIDENT: from central Baja California, Sonora, southern Arizona, southern New Mexico, and western and south-central Texas south to southern Baja California, northern Nayarit, northeastern Jalisco, northern Michoacan, Queretaro, southern San Luis Potosi, and southern Tamaulipas (AOU 1983).
© NatureServe
Source:
NatureServe
Trusted
Physical Description
Morphology
Physical Description
There is a sexual dimorphism in coloration. Male Cardinalis sinuatus are mainly gray with red located on the face, crest, wing, and tail (Scott 1983). The female is grayish brown, and is sometimes mistaken for a female Northern Cardinal, Cardinalis cardinalis (Oberholser 1974). The females have red highlights on the thighs and the wing linings (Tveten 1993). The bill is heavy and hooked in both the male and the female (Tveten 1993). In the male, the bill is orange yellow (Scott 1983), while the female's bill is a duller yellow (Tveten 1993). Both the male and female have the diagnostic tall crest on the head (Tveten 1993). The juvenile Pyrrhuloxia, male or female, resembles the female except the bill is darker (Oberholser 1974).
Other Physical Features: endothermic ; homoiothermic; bilateral symmetry
Sexual Dimorphism: sexes colored or patterned differently
Average mass: 32 g.
Average basal metabolic rate: 0.396495 W.
- Oberholser, H. 1974. The Bird Life of Texas. Austin, Texas: University of Texas Press.
- Scott, S. 1983. Field Guide to the Birds of North America. Washington D.C.: The National Geographic Society.
- Tveten, J. 1993. The Birds of Texas. Fredericksburg, TX: Shearere Publishing.
© The Regents of the University of Michigan and its licensors
Source:
Animal Diversity Web
Trusted
Size
Ecology
Habitat
Habitat and Ecology
- Terrestrial
© International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources
Source:
IUCN
Trusted
Pyrrhuloxia inhabit arid habitats such as mesquite thickets and desert creek beds (Tveten 1993).
Terrestrial Biomes: desert or dune ; forest
© The Regents of the University of Michigan and its licensors
Source:
Animal Diversity Web
Trusted
Comments: Arid brush, thorn scrub, weedy fields, riparian thickets (AOU 1983). BREEDING: Nests in mesquite, thorny bushes, 1.5-2.5 m above ground.
© NatureServe
Source:
NatureServe
Trusted
Migration
Non-Migrant: Yes. At least some populations of this species do not make significant seasonal migrations. Juvenile dispersal is not considered a migration.
Locally Migrant: No. No populations of this species make local extended movements (generally less than 200 km) at particular times of the year (e.g., to breeding or wintering grounds, to hibernation sites).
Locally Migrant: No. No populations of this species make annual migrations of over 200 km.
© NatureServe
Source:
NatureServe
Trusted
Trophic Strategy
Food Habits
Pyrrhuloxia forage on the ground for seeds of bristlegrass, doveweed, sandbur, pancium, sorghum, and pigweed (Oberholser 1974). The birds will also eat fruits of cactus and insects including grasshoppers, caterpillars, beetles, stinkbugs, and cicadas (Oberholser 1974).
© The Regents of the University of Michigan and its licensors
Source:
Animal Diversity Web
Trusted
Comments: Eats insects in summer; seeds, fruits, and catkins in winter (Terres 1980).
© NatureServe
Source:
NatureServe
Trusted
General Ecology
Male breeding territory usually about 0.5-1.5 ha (Terres 1980). Territories in south Texas varied from 1 to 8 hectares (Lemon and Herzog 1969).
© NatureServe
Source:
NatureServe
Trusted
Life History and Behavior
Life Expectancy
Lifespan/Longevity
Average lifespan
Status: wild: 97 months.
© The Regents of the University of Michigan and its licensors
Source:
Animal Diversity Web
Trusted
Lifespan, longevity, and ageing
© Joao Pedro de Magalhaes
Source:
AnAge
Trusted
Reproduction
The breeding season varies with the environment, but it usually begins around mid-March and ends in mid-August (Baicich and Harrison 1997). The behavior of these birds changes during the breeding season. Territories are established and defended during the breeding season. The males will feed his mate during courtship and incubation (Tveten 1993).
The female builds a small nest of twigs, weeds, and bark either in the mesquite brush or on the ground against the trunk (Bacich and Harrison 1997).
The female lays 2-3 grayish-white eggs with gray and brown speckles (Tveten 1993). The incubation period lasts for about 14 days. Throughout the incubation period, about 14 days, the female is fed by the male (Baicich and Harrison 1997).
The newly hatched young have pale gray downy feathers. The nestlings will not leave the nest for 10 days. During this time both the male and female will tend to the young, providing nutrition and protection (Baicich and Harrison 1997).
Key Reproductive Features: seasonal breeding ; gonochoric/gonochoristic/dioecious (sexes separate)
Average time to hatching: 14 days.
Average eggs per season: 3.
- Bacich, P., C. Harrison. 1997. A Guide to the Nests, Eggs and Nestlings of North American Birds. San Diego: Natural World Academic Press.
- Tveten, J. 1993. The Birds of Texas. Fredericksburg, TX: Shearere Publishing.
© The Regents of the University of Michigan and its licensors
Source:
Animal Diversity Web
Trusted
Eggs laid March-July (peaking about May). Clutch size 4-5 (usually 3-4). Incubation 14 days, by female. Young tended by both parents, leave nest at about 10 days.
© NatureServe
Source:
NatureServe
Trusted
Molecular Biology and Genetics
Molecular Biology
Barcode data: Cardinalis sinuatus
There is 1 barcode sequence available from BOLD and GenBank. Below is the sequence of the barcode region Cytochrome oxidase subunit 1 (COI or COX1) from a member of the species. See the BOLD taxonomy browser for more complete information about this specimen. Other sequences that do not yet meet barcode criteria may also be available.
-- end --
Download FASTA File
© Barcode of Life Data Systems
Trusted
Statistics of barcoding coverage: Cardinalis sinuatus
Public Records: 1
Specimens with Barcodes: 2
Species With Barcodes: 1
© Barcode of Life Data Systems
Trusted
Conservation
Conservation Status
IUCN Red List Assessment
Red List Category
Red List Criteria
Version
Year Assessed
Assessor/s
Reviewer/s
Contributor/s
Justification
History
- 2008Least Concern
- 2004Least Concern
© International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources
Source:
IUCN
Trusted
Populations of Pyrrhuloxia have declined due to loss of habitat across the Southwestern United States (Tweit and Thompson 1999).
IUCN Red List of Threatened Species: least concern
© The Regents of the University of Michigan and its licensors
Source:
Animal Diversity Web
Trusted
National NatureServe Conservation Status
United States
Rounded National Status Rank: N5 - Secure
© NatureServe
Source:
NatureServe
Trusted
NatureServe Conservation Status
Rounded Global Status Rank: G5 - Secure
© NatureServe
Source:
NatureServe
Trusted
Wikipedia
Pyrrhuloxia
The Pyrrhuloxia or Desert Cardinal (Cardinalis sinuatus) is a medium-sized North American song bird found in the American southwest and northern Mexico. This distinctive species with a short, stout bill, red crest and wings, closely resembles the Northern Cardinal and the Vermilion Cardinal, all of which are in the same genus.
Contents |
Taxonomy
The Desert Cardinal is one of three birds in the genus Cardinalis and is included in the family Cardinalidae, a group of passerine birds found in North and South America.
Its name of Pyrrhuloxia - once part of its latin name - comes from Greek terms describing its coloration (πυρρος = pyrrhos = reddish or orange) and the shape of its bill (λοξος = loxos = oblique).[2][3] The common name, Desert Cardinal, refers to it inhabiting the southwest, and often arid regions, of the North American continent.
Description
The Desert Cardinal is a medium-sized song bird where the length for both sexes is approximately 8.3 in (21 cm), while the average weight is 0.8–1.5 oz (24–43 g).[4]
The most obvious differences between the male Desert Cardinal and the Northern Cardinal are the former's largely 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.[3] 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.
Distribution 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, approximately the southern third of New Mexico, and southeastern region of Arizona. Its range flows further south inhabiting areas from the west to east coast of Mexico north of the Sierra Madre del Sur, Trans-Mexican Volcanic Belt and Isthmus of Tehuantepec, whilst 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.[3]
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. There seem to be no conflicts between the species as none have yet been reported.[4]
Ecology
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.
Diet
The Pyrrhuloxia's diet consists of seeds, fruits and insects. While foraging the Desert Cardinal will snatch insects from trees as well as pick seeds from the stalks of predominantly grasses and like 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.[5] This species of Cardinal also visits bird feeders and in the winter forage in huge flocks, sometimes numbering in the thousands.[4]
Reproduction
Breeding season for this cardinal usually begins in mid-March, ending in mid-August. As breeding season approaches, territories are established and defended by the male.[6] 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 inter-species conflicts have been observed.[4]
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 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 in approximately ten days while both male and female tend to the young.[7] 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 will achieve complete growth.[4]
Relationship with humans
As large areas of the Pyrrhuloxia's habitat in its northern range have been lost to humans, unlike with the Northern Cardinal, the former's populations appear to be in a slight decline.[6]
Photo gallery
Male in Tucson
- Cardinalis sinuatus -Tucson, Arizona, USA -male-8.jpg
Male in Tucson
Male in Roma
Feeding male
http://barbara-chichester.artistwebsites.com/featured/colorful-pyrrhuloxia-barbara-chichester.html
References
- ^ BirdLife International (2012). "Cardinalis sinuatus". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2012.1. International Union for Conservation of Nature. Retrieved 16 July 2012.
- ^ Encyclopædia Britannica. "desert cardinal". Retrieved 2011-02-25.
- ^ a b c Cornell Lab of Ornithology. "Pyrrhuloxia". Cornell University. Retrieved 2011-02-25.
- ^ a b c d e The Birds of North America - Online. "Pyrrhuloxia". NHPTV. Retrieved 2011-02-25.
- ^ The Aviary at Owls.com. "Pyrrhuloxia". Retrieved 2011-02-25.
- ^ a b University of Michigan Museum of Zoology: Animal Diversity Web. "Cardinalis sinuatus: pyrrhuloxia". University of Michigan. Retrieved 2011-02-25.
- ^ New Hampshire Public Television: NatureWorks. "Pyrrhuloxia - Cardinalis sinuatus". NHPTV. Retrieved 2011-02-25.
Source:
Wikipedia
Unreviewed
Names and Taxonomy
Taxonomy
Comments: Frequently has been placed in genus Pyrrhuloxia (see Banks and Browning [1995] for nomenclatural notes).
© NatureServe
Source:
NatureServe
Trusted
