Red-crested cardinal
The red-crested cardinal (Paroaria coronata) is a songbird, the species belonging to the family of the tanagers (Thraupidae).[2] Notwithstanding its similar name, this bird is not closely related to the true cardinal family (Cardinalidae).
Red-crested cardinal | |
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At Koke'e State Park, Hawaii | |
Song of Red-crested Cardinal | |
Scientific classification | |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Aves |
Order: | Passeriformes |
Family: | Thraupidae |
Genus: | Paroaria |
Species: | P. coronata |
Binomial name | |
Paroaria coronata (Miller, 1776) | |
Etymology
The genus name Paroaria comes from a Brazil's indigenous Tupí people and can be translated as “small red, yellow, and gray bird“, while the Latin species name coronata means crowned.[2]
Distribution
This species can be found mainly in northern Argentina, Bolivia, Paraguay, Uruguay, Brazil's Rio Grande do Sul and southern part of the Pantanal.[1][2]
It has also been introduced to Hawaii and Puerto Rico. In Brazil, it has been introduced to various places outside its historical range, as in the Tietê Ecological Park in São Paulo.[3]
Habitat
Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical dry shrubland and heavily degraded former forest, at an elevation up to 500 metres (1,600 ft) above sea level.[1] It often occurs close to rivers, marshes and lakes.[2]
Description
Paroaria coronata is a medium-sized species showing a red head, with a red bib and a short red crest that the bird raises when excited. Belly, breast and undertail are white, with a gray back, wings, and tail. Wing coverts are gray, but the primaries, secondaries, and rectrices show a darker gray. Juveniles are similar to the adults, but they show a dull brownish orange head and bib.[2]
This species is very similar to a close relative, the red-cowled cardinal (P. dominicana). It is also similar to the yellow-billed cardinal (P. capitata), but the latter bird has a black throat, darker upper parts and a bright yellow bill.[2]
Biology
This species mainly feed on seeds (of Chloris virgata, Eleusine tristachya, Setaria parviflora and Spergula villosa), fruits (of Celtis tala, Grabowskia duplicata, Holmbergia tweedii, Morus alba, and Sapium haematospermum), insects and small arthropods, generally searched for on the ground in pairs or small groups.[2] Average lifespan is about 3.8 years.[1]
Gallery
- Fully displayed crest - Maui, Hawaii
- Juvenile - Kapiolani Park - Oahu, Hawaii
- Close-up
References
Wikispecies has information related to Red-crested cardinal |
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Red-crested cardinal. |
- BirdLife International (2012). "Paroaria coronata". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2012. Retrieved 26 November 2013.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
- Schulenberg, T.S. (2010). "Red-crested Cardinal (Paroaria coronata), Neotropical Birds Online". Cornell Lab of Ornithology; retrieved from Neotropical Birds Online. Ithaca, NY.
- Parque Ecológico do Tietê
External links
- Red-crested cardinal videos on the Internet Bird Collection
- Stamps (for Argentina, Brazil, Uruguay) with range map
- Red-crested cardinal photo gallery VIREO