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Cardinalidae

(Family)

Overview

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The Cardinals or Cardinalidae are a family of passerine birds found in North and South America. 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[]. They are typically associated with open woodland. The sexes usually have distinctive appearances; the family is named for the red plumage (colored cardinal like the color of a Catholic cardinal's vestments) of males of the type species, the Northern Cardinal.

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. 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.[1]

Species list

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1) "Masked" clade:

2) "Blue" clade:

3) Ant-tanager clade:

4) "Chat" clade:

5) "Pheucticus" clade:

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

).

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[]. They are typically associated with open woodland. The sexes usually have distinctive appearances; the family is named for the red plumage (colored cardinal like the color of a Catholic cardinal's vestments) of males of the type species, the Northern Cardinal.

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. 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.[1]

Species list

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1) "Masked" clade:

2) "Blue" clade:

3) Ant-tanager clade:

4) "Chat" clade:

5) "Pheucticus" clade:

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

References

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  1. ^ Search "cardinalidae" at IUCN Red List for more info.

External links

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Taxonomy

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The Family Cardinalidae is a member of the Superfamily Passeroidea. Here is the complete "parentage" of Cardinalidae:

The Family Cardinalidae is further organized into finer groupings including:

Genera

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Cardinalis

Cardinalis is a genus of in the family Cardinalidae. There are three species ranging across North America and into northern South America. [more]

Caryothraustes

Caryothraustes is a genus of in the Cardinalidae family. It contains the following species: [more]

Chlorothraupis

Chlorothraupis is a genus of in the family Cardinalidae. It was long considered to be tanagers as their common names suggest, but this is false. They are close relatives of the habias or ant-"tanagers" [more]

Cyanocompsa

Cyanocompsa is a genus of in the Cardinalidae family. It contains the following species: [more]

Cyanoloxia

The Indigo Grosbeak (Cyanoloxia glaucocaerulea), also known as the Glaucous-blue Grosbeak, is a species of bird in the Cardinalidae family. It is the only member of the genus Cyanoloxia. It is found in Argentina, Brazil, and Uruguay. [more]

Granatellus

Granatellus is a genus of bird previously placed in the family Parulidae, although biochemical evidence suggests it belongs in Cardinalidae., a move followed by the American Ornithologists' Union in 2009. [more]

Parkerthraustes

The Yellow-shouldered Grosbeak (Parkerthraustes humeralis) is a songbird species in the cardinal (bird) family (Cardinalidae), or possibly a tanager (Thraupidae). It is the only member of its genus Parkerthraustes. [more]

Passerina

The genus Passerina is a group of birds in the Cardinal family Cardinalidae. Although not directly related to buntings in the family Emberizidae, they are sometimes known as the North American buntings (the North American Emberizidae are colloquially called "sparrows" although they are also not related to these birds). [more]

Periporphyrus

Periporphyrus is a genus of in the Cardinalidae family. It contains the following species: [more]

Pheucticus

Pheucticus is a genus of . [more]

Piranga

Piranga is a genus of birds long placed in the tanager family, but now considered relatives of the Cardinalis cardinals. [more]

Rhodothraupis

The Crimson-collared Grosbeak (Rhodothraupis celaeno) is a medium-size seed- and leaf-eating bird in the same family as the Northern Cardinal, Cardinalidae. [more]

Saltator

Saltator is a genus of songbirds of the Americas. They are traditionally placed in the cardinal family (Cardinalidae) but now seem to be closer to tanagers (Thraupidae). Their English name is also saltator, except for two dark species known by the more general grosbeak. [more]

Spiza

The Dickcissel (Spiza americana) is a small American seed-eating bird in the family Cardinalidae. It is the only member of the genus Spiza, though some sources list another supposedly extinct species (see below). In older works, it is often placed with the American sparrows in the Emberizidae; females especially resemble American sparrows in plumage. [more]

More info about the Genus Spiza may be found here.

References

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  1. ^ Search "cardinalidae" at IUCN Red List for more info.

Sources

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Last Revised: August 24, 2012
2012/08/24 13:26:54