Cardinalis is a genus of birds in the family Cardinalidae. There are three species ranging across North America to northern South America.
Description
They are birds between 19 centimetres (7.5 in) and 22 centimetres (8.7 in) in length. Its most distinctive characteristics are the presence of a conspicuous crest and a thick and strong conical bill. There is sexual dimorphism; males have a greater amount of red in their plumage, and females have only some tints, with a predominance of gray. Its striking red plumage is likened to a Catholic senior priest's garments, and their genus is named after the Latin word for them, cardinalis. Immature individuals are similar in appearance to females.
Species
| Common name | Scientific name and subspecies | Range | Size and ecology | IUCN status and estimated population |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Northern cardinal Male
|
Cardinalis cardinalis (Linnaeus, 1758) Nineteen subspecies
|
United States from Maine to Texas and in Canada in the provinces of Ontario, Quebec, New Brunswick and Nova Scotia. Its range extends west to the U.S.–Mexico border and south through Mexico to the Isthmus of Tehuantepec, northern Guatemala, and northern Belize |
Size: Habitat: Diet: |
LC |
| Pyrrhuloxia (a.k.a. Desert cardinal) Male
|
Cardinalis sinuatus Bonaparte, 1838 |
U.S. states of Arizona, New Mexico, and Texas and woodland edges in Mexico |
Size: Habitat: Diet: |
LC |
| Vermilion cardinal Male
|
Cardinalis phoeniceus Bonaparte, 1838 |
Colombia and Venezuela |
Size: Habitat: Diet: |
LC
|
Phylogeny
Cladogram based on analysis by Tilston Smith and Klicka published in 2013.
| Cardinalis | |
