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Cardinalidae
Male Northern Cardinal
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Aves Order: Passeriformes Family: Cardinalidae
Genera
Periporphyrus Saltator Caryothraustes Parkerthraustes Rhodothraupis Cardinalis Pheucticus Cyanocompsa Guiraca[verification needed] Passerina Spiza

The Cardinals or Cardinalidae are a family of passerine birds found in North and South America. The South American cardinals in the genus Paroaria are placed in another family, the Thraupidae (previously placed in Emberizidae).

These are robust, seed-eating birds, with strong bills. They are typically associated with open woodland. The sexes usually have distinctive appearances; the family is named for the red plumage (like that of a Catholic cardinal's vestments) of males of the type species, the Northern Cardinal.

The "buntings" in this family are sometimes generically known as "tropical buntings" (though not all live in the tropics) or "North American buntings" (though there are other buntings in North America) to distinguish them from the true buntings. Likewise the grosbeaks in this family are sometimes called "cardinal-grosbeaks" to distinguish them from other grosbeaks. The name "cardinal-grosbeak" can also apply to this family as a whole.

Cardinals mate in early spring. Their nests are loosely woven in tall bushes such as honeysuckle and rose. Their diet includes seeds and small berries.

Family: Cardinalidae

• Genus Periporphyrus
  • Red-and-black Grosbeak, Periporphyrus erythromelas
• Genus Saltator, the saltators (biochemical studies suggest the saltators may be tanagers)
  • Lesser Antillean Saltator, Saltator albicollis
  • Streaked Saltator, Saltator striatipectus
  • Grayish Saltator, Saltator coerulescens
  • Buff-throated Saltator, Saltator maximus
  • Black-headed Saltator, Saltator atriceps
  • Slate-colored Grosbeak, Saltator grossus
  • Black-throated Grosbeak, Saltator fuliginosus
  • Black-winged Saltator, Saltator atripennis
  • Green-winged Saltator, Saltator similis
  • Orinocan Saltator, Saltator orenocensis
  • Black-cowled Saltator, Saltator nigriceps
  • Golden-billed Saltator, Saltator aurantiirostris
  • Thick-billed Saltator, Saltator maxillosus
  • Masked Saltator, Saltator cinctus
  • Black-throated Saltator, Saltator atricollis
  • Rufous-bellied Saltator, Saltator rufiventris
• Genus Caryothraustes
  • Black-faced Grosbeak, Caryothraustes poliogaster
  • Yellow-green Grosbeak, Caryothraustes canadensis
• Genus Parkerthraustes (this species may be a tanager)
  • Yellow-shouldered Grosbeak, Parkerthraustes humeralis
• Genus Rhodothraupis
  • Crimson-collared Grosbeak, Rhodothraupis celaeno
• Genus Cardinalis
  • Northern Cardinal, Cardinalis cardinalis
  • Pyrrhuloxia, Cardinalis sinuatus'
  • Vermilion Cardinal, Cardinalis phoeniceus
• Genus Pheucticus
  • Yellow Grosbeak, Pheucticus chrysopeplus
  • Golden-bellied Grosbeak, Pheucticus chrysogaster
  • Black-thighed Grosbeak, Pheucticus tibialis
  • Black-backed Grosbeak, Pheucticus aureoventris
  • Rose-breasted Grosbeak, Pheucticus ludovicianus
  • Black-headed Grosbeak, Pheucticus melanocephalus
• Genus Cyanocompsa
  • Ultramarine Grosbeak, Cyanocompsa brissonii
  • Blue Bunting, Cyanocompsa parellina
  • Blue-black Grosbeak, Cyanocompsa cyanoides
• Genus Cyanoloxia
  • Glaucous-blue Grosbeak, Cyanoloxia glaucocaerulea
• Genus Passerina, North American buntings
  • Blue Grosbeak, Passerina caerulea
  • Lazuli Bunting, Passerina amoena
  • Indigo Bunting, Passerina cyanea
  • Varied Bunting, Passerina versicolor
  • Painted Bunting, Passerina ciris
  • Rose-bellied Bunting, Passerina rositae
  • Orange-breasted Bunting, Passerina leclancherii
• Genus Porphyrospiza
  • Yellow-billed Blue Finch, Porphyrospiza caerulescens
• Genus Spiza
  • Dickcissel, Spiza americana

Other genera which may belong here:

• Genus Amaurospiza (from Emberizidae)
  • Blue Seedeater, Amaurospiza concolor
  • Carrizal Seedeater, Amaurospiza carrizalensis
  • Blackish-blue Seedeater, Amaurospiza moesta
• Genus Piranga (from Thraupidae)
  • Rose-throated Tanager, Piranga roseogularis
  • Hepatic Tanager, Piranga flava
  • Scarlet Tanager, Piranga olivacea
  • Summer Tanager, Piranga rubra
  • Western Tanager, Piranga ludoviciana
  • Flame-colored Tanager, Piranga bidentata
  • White-winged Tanager, Piranga leucoptera
  • Red-headed Tanager, Piranga erythrocephala
  • Red-hooded Tanager, Piranga rubriceps
• Genus Habia (from Thraupidae)
  • Red-crowned Ant-tanager, Habia rubica
  • Red-throated Ant-tanager, Habia fuscicauda
  • Sooty Ant-tanager, Habia gutturalis
  • Black-cheeked Ant-tanager, Habia atrimaxillaris
  • Crested Ant-tanager, Habia cristata
• Genus Chlorothraupis (from Thraupidae)
  • Olive Tanager, Chlorothraupis carmioli
    • Carmiol's Tanager, Chlorothraupis (c.) carmioli
    • Olive Tanager, Chlorothraupis (c.) frenata
  • Lemon-spectacled Tanager, Chlorothraupis olivacea
  • Ochre-breasted Tanager, Chlorothraupis stolzmanni
• Genus Granatellus (from Parulidae)
  • Red-breasted Chat, Granatellus venustus
  • Gray-throated Chat, Granatellus sallaei
  • Rose-breasted Chat, Granatellus pelzelni

Work in the process of publication (Klicka et al) proposes a redefined cardinal group consisting of five well-defined clades:

1. a "masked" clade consisting of the genera Piranga, Cardinalis, Caryothraustes, Periporphyrus, and Rhodothraupis.
2. a "blue" clade – Amaurospiza, Cyanocompsa, Cyanoloxia, Passerina, and Spiza.
3. a clade containing Habia and Chlorothraupis.
4. Granatellus.
5. Pheucticus.

Other genera traditionally placed in this group (Porphyrospiza, Parkerthraustes, and Saltator) are shown by this study to have affinities with other groups.

Female Northern Cardinal	Male Pyrrhuloxia	Male Rose-breasted Grosbeak	Male Lazuli Bunting
Dickcissel	Male Summer Tanager

• Stiles and Skutch, A guide to the birds of Costa Rica ISBN 0-0814-9600-4
• Hilty, Birds of Venezuela, ISBN 0-7136-6418-5
• ffrench, Birds of Trinidad and Tobago ISBN 0-7136-6759-1
• "National Geographic" Field Guide to the Birds of North America ISBN 0792268776
• Klicka, Burns & Spellman. Defining a monophyletic Cardinalini: A molecular perspective. [1]. doi:10.1016/j.ympev.2007.07.006
• Look it up on Wikispecies.

• Cardinalidae videos on the Internet Bird Collection
  

  Wikimedia Commons has media related to:

  Cardinal family
• Cardinalidae sounds on xeno-canto.org