Cardinals are birds in the Passeriforme order (birds that perch), which includes more than half of the world’s bird species.
They are songbirds, which means their call is mostly described as a beautiful, sweet melody by ornithologists and bird enthusiasts (and annoying by most regular people because of how early they go about their chirping and singing).
There are over 6,500 passerine birds in nature, which makes it difficult to tell which ones are cardinals or not.
Another interesting thing to note about cardinals is that they are sexually dimorphic – their males and females are very easy to tell apart, unlike most birds. This makes them closer to mammals than other birds, especially birds that are passerines.
Let’s look at nine main examples of birds that are sometimes mistaken for Cardinalidae Cardinalis birds.
9 Birds That Look Like Cardinals
Here are nine beautiful birds that are often mistaken for Cardinals!
Scarlet Tanager
The first thing that you need to know is that cardinals are tanagers (a word originating from South America that denotes a small, brightly colored bird). There are even some tanagers that are considered to be in the Cardinalidae family of birds.
The coloration of the scarlet tanager is very similar to the Northern Cardinal, which is why this bird is easily mistaken for a cardinal. However, the difference between both birds lies in the color of their wings and tails (scarlet tanager wings and tails are black).
Pyrrhuloxia
Also known as the “desert cardinal”, the Pyrrhuloxia is considered a cardinal by most of the ornithology community. The bird’s color, however, is what makes it difficult to convince many others about its true status as a cardinal.
While it has a crest and vibrant red plumage, it is mostly brownish-gray in color with a beak that resembles a parrot more than its cousins in the Cardinalidae family. The Pyrrhuloxia female, however, looks very much like the Northern Cardinal female.
Vermilion Flycatcher
This bird combines the best qualities of the scarlet tanager and the vermilion cardinal – it has pitch black wings and plumage with a deep red shade. It also has face masks like cardinals do, which make it easy to confuse with the birds from that family.
Unlike cardinals, the mask of a vermilion flycatcher doesn’t extend to its throat area. It is simply around its face and eyes, like a superhero. Find them in the Saguaro National Park in Arizona.
Summer Tanager
One distinct feature about cardinals is their black face mask. This is very absent in summer tanagers, but the fact that these birds are as red as cardinals makes it easy to confuse the two genera.
The other noticeable differences are the absence of the crest and the colour of the summer tanager’s beak, which is a bright yellow (cardinals’ beaks are coral colored). The summer tanager is also not easy to find, unlike cardinals.
Red Crossbill
This bird has a uniquely shaped bill/beak that stands it out from most passerines. Though red in color (with a few dark accents and a hue that looks orange when seen in certain lights), it’s beak is unmistakable from that of a cardinal.
A major reason why they can sometimes be confused for cardinals is that their breeding and feeding zones overlap. Both birds are found predominantly in the same areas in North America.
Phainopepla
Many call this bird the “dark cardinal.” It is not an official or common name for the bird, but when you spot it, you’ll understand why it was given that name. It has a crest like cardinals, and its dark gray plumage is so striking and glossy, like the red of the cardinals.
In fact, its name comes from the Greek description for “shining robe”, which is “phain pepla.” It is native to Central America, though. Both species rarely overlap.
Pine Grosbeak
This species is almost antisocial in the way it stays away from humans and other birds. It enjoys its time and space in the far north, where it has to interact less with other living things.
Pine Grosbeak has grayish wings and tail, but its plumage is reddish pink, making it easy to mistake it for a member of the cardinal family of birds. During winter, when food is scarce, you can see one in your neighborhood at a bird feeder.
Cedar Waxwing
Do you think cardinals are striking because of their vibrant red plumage? Then you haven’t seen a cedar waxwing yet.
These birds have so many colors! First, they have “cedar” in their name because their primary color resembles that of a cedar tree – they almost blend into the tree when perched atop one. They also have red, yellow, white, and gray accents on their plumage.
And yes, they do have a distinct crest, which makes it easy for them to be mistaken for cardinals.
Tufted Titmouse
This bird has no similarities in color with a cardinal, so why is it mistaken for one? The reason is simple: its crest. All cardinals have crests, and the red color by which they’re identified is mostly noticed in the males. The females have different colors, from gray to fawn-colored.
The tufted titmouse is gray with white accents, so with that crest, you would be forgiven for thinking it’s a female cardinal. The tufted titmouse also has a pitch-black beak.
Final Thoughts
And there you have it – brief descriptions of birds that look like cardinals!
These birds are so lovely to observe and to have around but do not be tempted to capture one to keep one as a pet – many of them are national and state symbols so they fall under the protected category.
If you want any one of them as a pet, they must be gotten the right way (from shelters and the like).
One thing you must know about these birds, though, is that they were all once grouped in the same taxonomic classification as cardinals.
Further studies showed each individual’s differences, leading to more taxonomic classifications for them. This is probably why most of them have crests and vibrant red plumage despite not being cardinals.
Now you know all about these wonderful birds!
