Species group · Birds

Cardinals

WAnimals has 3 species of cardinal, spread across 2 families (Cardinalidae, Thraupidae).

3 species
2 families
11 countries
58 parks
Weight
33 g – 65 g
Length
17 cm – 23 cm
Lifespan
10 – 15 years

Ranges calculated from the entries that record the figure, not from all 3.

All 3 species of cardinals on WAnimals

Each one has its own full entry. This group does not replace them: it brings them together.

Conservation status

2 Least Concern1 Endangered

1 especies in this group están en alguna categoría de riesgo real según la UICN.

See the global conservation status

Where they live

Recorded in 11 countries. The ones with the most species in the group:

Where to see them

Did you know…

  • Heavily taken as a cage bird for its scarlet crest and its song.

    From Red-crested Cardinal

  • It is one of the traditional cage birds of the Southern Cone, and that demand sustains a considerable illegal trade: seizure operations in Argentina and Brazil recover hundreds of birds every year.

    From Red-crested Cardinal

  • There are established feral populations in Hawaii and Puerto Rico, descended from escapes and releases from the bird trade.

    From Red-crested Cardinal

  • Both sexes sing, which is unusual among temperate songbirds, where song was long thought to be almost entirely a male affair.

    From Northern Cardinal

  • It is the state bird of seven US states, more than any other species, and gives its name to sports teams, universities and brands across the country.

    From Northern Cardinal

  • The female sings as much as the male, which is uncommon among North American birds, and does so from the nest: she appears to be telling the male when to bring food.

    From Northern Cardinal

  • Its song is the cause of its decline: trapping for the illegal cage-bird trade has emptied whole populations of the Argentine espinal, and seizure operations recover hundreds of birds every year.

    From Yellow Cardinal

  • It frequently hybridises with the common diuca finch in areas where pairs of its own species are scarce, a classic symptom of populations on the edge of collapse.

    From Yellow Cardinal

Ecosystems

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