Pyrrhuloxia

§ Quick facts

§ Encyclopedia

The pyrrhuloxia or desert cardinal is a medium-sized North American songbird found in the American southwest and northern Mexico. This distinctive species with a short, stout bill, red crest, and red wings closely resembles the northern cardinal and the vermilion cardinal, which are in the same genus.

Source: Wikipedia — Pyrrhuloxia · Licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0

§ Identification

Field marks. Gray cardinal-shaped bird with a tall crest, a rounded yellow bill, and rose-red highlights on the face, crest, breast, and tail; females buffier.

Similar species. Northern Cardinal male is all red with a triangular orange bill; the Pyrrhuloxia is gray with a stubby yellow bill and red trim.

Voice. A clear, whistled song similar to Northern Cardinal but thinner; a sharp 'chink' call.

§ Diet & behavior

Diet. Seeds, insects, fruits.

Behavior. A desert cardinal of the arid Southwest; defends winter feeding territories and forms flocks, feeding on seeds, cactus fruit, and insects in thorn scrub.

§ Range

Southwestern US, Mexico

§ Habitat

Desert thornscrub, mesquite woodlands

§ Threats

Habitat loss to development, climate change.

§ Conservation status

According to the IUCN Red List, the pyrrhuloxia is currently classified as Least Concern.

§ What helps

Support southwestern desert conservation.

§ Further reading

• Wikipedia — Pyrrhuloxia
• www.allaboutbirds.org — authoritative profile of Cardinalis sinuatus
• IUCN Red List — search for Cardinalis sinuatus
• GBIF occurrence records
• Encyclopedia of Life — Cardinalis sinuatus

§ Sources cited

• Cornell Lab of Ornithology — All About Birds
• National Audubon Society
• iNaturalist
• IUCN Red List