Cardinalidae (sometimes referred to as "cardinal-grosbeaks" or simply "cardinals") is a family of New World-endemic passerine birds that consists of cardinals, grosbeaks, and buntings. It also includes several other genera such as the tanager-like Piranga and the warbler-like Granatellus. Membership of this family is not easily defined by a single or even a set of physical characteristics, but instead by molecular work. Among songbirds, they range from average-sized to relatively large and have stout features. Some species have large, heavy bills.

Members of this group are beloved for their brilliant red, yellow, or blue plumages seen in many of the breeding males in this family. Most species are monogamous breeders that nest in open-cup nests, with parents taking turns incubating the eggs and taking care of their young. Most are arboreal species, although the dickcissel (Spiza americana) is a ground-dwelling prairie bird.

In terms of conservation, most members of this family are considered least concern by the IUCN Red List. However, a few birds, such as the Carrizal seedeater (Amaurospiza carrizalensis), are considered endangered.

Field characteristics

The grosbeaks, seedeaters, and cardinals have large bills, while Granatellus and buntings have small bills. The cardinalid tanagers have stout, nearly pointed bills, with some species of Piranga having serrations along the edges of their upper bills. In 2007, a mitochondrial DNA study by Klicka, Burns and Spellman sampling all of the genera above and 34 of the total 42 species, found that the genera Parkerthraustes, Saltator, and Porphyrospiza were not members of the cardinal lineage, but instead are found throughout in the tanager lineage (Thraupidae). Several genera classified as thraupids at the time—Piranga, Habia, Chlorothraupis, and Amaurospiza—were found to be part of cardinalid radiation. In addition, the genus Granatellus, originally classified as a parulid warbler, was also found to be part of Cardinalidae. The study found that with these new relationships, Cardinalidae can be classified into six subgroups, which subsequent studies have supported. The six subclades consists of the Pheucticus lineage, the Granatellus lineage, the “blue” lineage (Spiza, Cyanoloxia, Amaurospiza, Cyanocompsa, and Passerina), the Habia lineage (Habia and Chlorothraupis), the “masked” lineage (Caryothraustes, Periporphyrus, and Cardinalis), and the Piranga lineage (Piranga and Driophlox). A 2021 paper by Guallar et al. based on the preformative molting pattern of cardinalids suggested the ancestor of this group was a forest-dwelling bird that dispersed into open habitats on numerous occasions.

The cardinalids are part of a larger grouping of American endemic songbirds, Emberizoidea, which also includes the aforementioned thraupids and parulids, as well as icterids (New World blackbirds), passerellids (New World sparrows), and several smaller families that contain one or a couple of genera. Several studies have placed cardinalids as either the sister group to Thraupidae, Mitrospingidae (a small family whose genera were formerly classified as thraupids), or as a sister to a clade containing thraupids and mitrospingids.

Phylogeny

The genus level cladogram of the Cardinalidae shown below is based on molecular phylogenetic study published in 2024 which analyzed DNA sequences flanking ultraconserved elements (UCEs). The number of species in each genus is taken from the list maintained by Frank Gill, Pamela C. Rasmussen and David Donsker on behalf of the International Ornithological Committee (IOC).

Species list

The following 53 species and 14 genera are recognized by the IOC as of July 2024: northern cardinal, pyrrhuloxia, and black-headed grosbeak (Pheucticus melanocephalus), which sing as well. In temperate species, the breeding season occurs annually, while in tropical species it is year-round. The breeding seasons are synchronized with insect abundance. Most species build open-cup nests made of grasses and twigs, depending on the species. These nests would be in the trees, often high up in the crown. Nest building is performed by both partners or by the female alone. The male and female take turns incubating the nest; often, the male feeds the female. Cardinalids produce one to three broods per season. As with other passerines, the young are born altricial and fledged between one and two weeks.

Despite the vast majority of species being classified as least concern, there is growing recognition that the climate crisis may impact the distribution and migration of many cardinalid species. One study led by Dr. Brooke L. Bateman, published in July 2020, focused on the risks that North American birds will face from climate change and the measures required to protect them. The first study assessed 604 species in the United States and found that, if the planet warmed by 3.0 degrees Celsius, many species, particularly arctic birds, waterbirds, and boreal and western forest birds, would be highly vulnerable to climate change. Future conservation efforts will need to be in place. Among the species sampled, the North American species of Piranga and Pheucticus are found to be most climate vulnerable of the cardinalids. These species will either lose a substantial amount of their range or they will migrate north to escape the sudden change in their habitat.

A possible extinct species is the controversial Townsend's bunting (Spiza townsendi), a supposed enigmatic species related to the dickcissel. The Townsend's bunting is only known from a single type specimen collected from Chester County, Pennsylvania by John Kirk Townsend and described by John James Audubon in 1834. The specimen is housed in the National Museum of Natural History. Genetic analysis has not been done on this specimen, but a study of the plumage has been conducted. Researchers are unsure about the specimen's status as an extinct species, a rare color-variant of the dickcissel, or a hybrid (of a female dickcissel and male blue grosbeak). If the bird is indeed a dickcissel, however, it lacks the known field characteristics of the species across all life stages and sexes.

References

  • Cardinalidae videos, photos and sounds on the Internet Bird Collection
  • Cardinalidae sounds on xeno-canto.org
  • Northern cardinal (bird information) on petinfospot.com
  • Northern cardinal, including sound and video clips, on Cornell Lab of Ornithology