Cardinals are birds from the genus Cardinalis and the family Cardinalidae. They are small songbirds between 19 and 22 cm in length that can be found in North America.
They are distinguished by their conspicuous crests on their head and a thick and strong conical bill.
All males of this family of birds have some sort of red plumage on their chests or heads, making them easily distinguishable from other small songbirds.
Ornithologists in the medieval and colonial eras named the birds “Cardinal” for their crests, which resembled those worn by Catholic bishops.
5 Types of Cardinal
The following sections contain information on the five most distributed types in this family of birds.
Northern Cardinal
Specie/ Binomial name: Cardinalis cardinalis
Other names: Common cardinal, red cardinal, cardinal
Sub-species: 19
The Northern Cardinal is America’s favorite songbird – it is the mascot bird of seven states in the US.
The bird was described by Swedish naturalist Carl Linnaeus in 1758 in the 10th edition of his book Systema Naturae, first as Loxia Cardinalis.
Northern cardinals are everywhere in the Eastern regions of the US. Their ability to occupy many habitats, including woodlands, woodland edges, forest clearings, shrublands, swamps, thickets, and suburban parks and gardens, has led to their distribution in America.
The adult male Northern Cardinal is a brilliant crimson-red color with a black face mask over the eyes that extends to the upper chest.
Their back and wings have a darker shade of red. The female is fawn-colored (same color as the “regular” fur of any dog species) while her face mask is gray to black.
Red-Crested Cardinal
Specie/ Binomial name: Paroaria coronata
Other names: Brazilian cardinal
Sub-species: None
The red-crested cardinal is actually not a member of the Cardinal family but it closely resembles the birds in that family which is why it is easily mistaken for cardinal birds.
The bird is found mainly in Brazil, which is in South America, hence the name “Brazilian cardinal”. It has been introduced to some parts of North America though, particularly Hawaii.
The red-crested cardinal is a passerine bird in the tanager family Thraupidae. It’s a medium-sized species that has a red head, a red bib and a short red crest that the bird raises when excited.
The belly, breast, and undertail of the red-crested cardinal are white, and it has a gray back, wings, and tail.
This bird’s diet consists of seeds, insects and small arthropods like millipedes and beetles. It can be found in subtropical or tropical dry shrubland and heavily degraded former forests. It also loves habitats that are around rivers, marshes and lakes.
Pyrrhuloxia
Specie/ Binomial name: Cardinalis sinuatus
Other names: Desert cardinal
Sub-species: None
If you’re color-blind, you could easily mistake this bird for the Northern Cardinal or the Vermillion Cardinal because they look easily alike. This similarity is because they’re in the same genus (Cardinalis).
It’s called Pyrrhuloxia because of its coloration. The name is a merger of two Greek words: “Pyrrhos,” which means “reddish or orange,” and “Loxos,” which means “oblique” (referring to the shape of its bill).
The adult male desert cardinal is predominantly brownish-gray with a red breast, a red mask, and a yellow, parrot-like, stout, and rounded bill.
The females resemble the females of the Northern Cardinal species in coloration and size, with their beak shapes being the differentiator.
Pyrrhuloxia is a nonmigratory bird found in desert areas in the United States, particularly in Arizona, New Mexico, and Texas, around stream beds, desert scrub, mesquite thickets, and woodland edges.
Vermilion Cardinal
Specie/ Binomial name: Cardinalis phoeniceus
Other names: None
Sub-species: None
Named for its color, the vermilion cardinal is the only cardinal that isn’t found in North America. This bird is native to Venezuela and Colombia in South America and migrates between both nations.
Ornithologists and taxonomists have introduced it to North America for research and study purposes, however. Still, people who are interested in this bird will have to visit one of these two South American nations to see it in its natural element.
The male adult is what has the vermilion hue to its feathers while the female of this species has a gray above and pale buff below coloration with a vermilion red crest. Both have gray bills, making them easy to distinguish from other cardinals.
The vermilion cardinal inhabits semi-arid scrublands characterized by cactus and spiny legumes. Its preferred habitat is someplace at sea level to some place at only 300 meters above sea level.
Yellow Cardinals
Specie/ Binomial name: Gubernatrix cristata
Other names: None
Sub-species: None
This is a very rare, endangered bird under the care of global animal protection bodies. This means that everybody’s watching you and will pounce on you if they find one in your possession for whatever reason.
The current estimation of the yellow cardinal population in the world is between 1,000 and 2,000.
It is also not a cardinal, just like the red-crested cardinal that was described above. Just like the red-crested cardinal, it closely resembles the cardinals which makes it easy to mistake for one.
It is the only bird in its genus (Gubernatrix) but it belongs to the family Thurapidae which means its cousins with the red-crested cardinal.
The yellow cardinal is mostly found in South America – in Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay. Its natural habitats are dry savanna, temperate shrubland, subtropical or tropical moist shrubland, and temperate grassland, all of which are quickly dying out due to climate change effects and rapid urbanization.
Final Thoughts
A quick fact about cardinals you must know: they are also tanagers.
When they were first studied, they were placed into the order Passeriformes and into the family Thaurapidae (which is why the yellow and red-crested cardinals are mistaken for cardinals). Further studies showed their differences; now, they stand independently as cardinals.
If you live in areas where cardinals call their habitat, plant trees and shrubs for them to nest in, help them make a water source (a small pond will do), and offer high-quality bird food.
