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Difference between revisions of "Northern Cardinal" - BirdForum Opus

(Some extra info. References updated)
(Sizes. Picture of female.)
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;[[:Category:Cardinalis|Cardinalis]] cardinalis
 
;[[:Category:Cardinalis|Cardinalis]] cardinalis
 
==Identification==
 
==Identification==
Length: 7.75 inches<br />
+
[[Image:IMG 98233.JPG|thumb|350px|right|Adult Female<br />Photo by {{user|tetoneon|tetoneon}}<br />New Jersey, [[USA]], July 2015]]
 +
Male 22–23·5 cm (8½-9¼in), female 21–21·6 cm (8¼-8½ in)<br />
 
All ages and sexes have a crest and large, conical bill<br/>
 
All ages and sexes have a crest and large, conical bill<br/>
'''Male'''<br/>
+
'''Male'''
All red with black mask and chinWings have some grayOrange bill<br/>
+
*All red with black mask and chin
'''Female'''<br/>
+
*Wings have some gray
Brown overall with some red in wings, face, and tailRed bill<br/>
+
*Orange bill<br/>
 +
'''Female'''
 +
*Brown overall with some red in wings, face, and tail
 +
*Red bill<br/>
 
'''Juvenile'''<br/>
 
'''Juvenile'''<br/>
 
Similar to female but bill is dark instead of red.<br/>
 
Similar to female but bill is dark instead of red.<br/>
[[Image:Northern_Cardinal_Juvenile_Female.jpg|thumb|350px|right|Juvenile Female<br />Photo by {{user|ldsmith|Larry D Smith}}<br/>]]
 
 
==Distribution==
 
==Distribution==
 
[[United States]] and [[Mexico]].
 
[[United States]] and [[Mexico]].
 
==Taxonomy==
 
==Taxonomy==
 
====Subspecies====
 
====Subspecies====
 +
[[Image:Northern_Cardinal_Juvenile_Female.jpg|thumb|350px|right|Juvenile Female<br />Photo by {{user|ldsmith|Larry D Smith}}<br/>]]
 +
[[Image:Northern_Cardinal_Juvenile_Male.jpg|thumb|350px|right|Juvenile Male<br />Photo by {{user|ldsmith|Larry D Smith}} <br/>]]
 +
<!--EDITORS: these two juvenile images do not appear in the Gallery-->
 
There are 18 subspecies<sup>[[#References|[1]]]</sup>:
 
There are 18 subspecies<sup>[[#References|[1]]]</sup>:
*''C. c. superbus'': Extremese [[California]] to [[Arizona]], south-western [[New Mexico]] and northern Sonora
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*''C. c. superbus'': Extremee [[California]] to [[Arizona]], south-western [[New Mexico]] and northern Sonora
 
*''C. c. seftoni'': Central [[Baja California]] (south to latitude 27°N)
 
*''C. c. seftoni'': Central [[Baja California]] (south to latitude 27°N)
 
*''C. c. igneus'': Southern [[Baja California]] (north to latitude 27°N)
 
*''C. c. igneus'': Southern [[Baja California]] (north to latitude 27°N)
 
*''C. c. clintoni'': Isla Cerralvo (Gulf of [[California]])
 
*''C. c. clintoni'': Isla Cerralvo (Gulf of [[California]])
[[Image:Northern_Cardinal_Juvenile_Male.jpg|thumb|350px|right|Juvenile Male<br />Photo by {{user|ldsmith|Larry D Smith}} <br/>]]
 
 
*''C. c. townsendi'': Isla Tiburón (Sea of Cortés) and adjacent coastal Sonora
 
*''C. c. townsendi'': Isla Tiburón (Sea of Cortés) and adjacent coastal Sonora
 
*''C. c. affinis'': Western [[Mexico]] (south-eastern Sonora to south-western Chihuahua and western Durango)
 
*''C. c. affinis'': Western [[Mexico]] (south-eastern Sonora to south-western Chihuahua and western Durango)

Revision as of 22:09, 2 July 2017

Adult Male
Photo by SulairDH
Atlanta, Georgia, USA
Cardinalis cardinalis

Identification

Adult Female
Photo by tetoneon
New Jersey, USA, July 2015

Male 22–23·5 cm (8½-9¼in), female 21–21·6 cm (8¼-8½ in)
All ages and sexes have a crest and large, conical bill
Male

  • All red with black mask and chin
  • Wings have some gray
  • Orange bill

Female

  • Brown overall with some red in wings, face, and tail
  • Red bill

Juvenile
Similar to female but bill is dark instead of red.

Distribution

United States and Mexico.

Taxonomy

Subspecies

Juvenile Female
Photo by Larry D Smith
Juvenile Male
Photo by Larry D Smith

There are 18 subspecies[1]:

  • C. c. superbus: Extremee California to Arizona, south-western New Mexico and northern Sonora
  • C. c. seftoni: Central Baja California (south to latitude 27°N)
  • C. c. igneus: Southern Baja California (north to latitude 27°N)
  • C. c. clintoni: Isla Cerralvo (Gulf of California)
  • C. c. townsendi: Isla Tiburón (Sea of Cortés) and adjacent coastal Sonora
  • C. c. affinis: Western Mexico (south-eastern Sonora to south-western Chihuahua and western Durango)
  • C. c. sinaloensis: Coastal western Mexico (Sinaloa and Jalisco)
  • C. c. mariae: Tres Marías Islands (off western Mexico)
  • C. c. carneus: (Long Crested) Coastal western Mexico (Colima to Isthmus of Tehuántepec)
  • C. c. cardinalis: Eastern US
  • C. c. floridanus: South-eastern Georgia and peninsula Florida
  • C. c. magnirostris: South-eastern Texas and southern Louisiana
  • C. c. canicaudus: Western Oklahoma and western Texas to east-central Mexico
  • C. c. coccineus: Eastern Mexico (eastern San Luis Potosí, Veracruz, north-eastern Puebla and n Oaxaca)
  • C. c. littoralis: Lowlands of eastern Mexico (southern Veracruz and Tabasco)
  • C. c. yucatanicus: South-eastern Mexico (Yucatán Peninsula)
  • C. c. flammiger: South-eastern Mexico (southern Quintana Roo), Belize and Petén of northern Guatemala
  • C. c. saturatus: Cozumel Island (off Quintana Roo)

Habitat

Suburban Woodlands and parks, mixed forests and forest edges, back yards, high desert.

Behaviour

Winter flocks can be very large, up to 60 or 70 individuals in areas of abundance.

Diet

Their diet consists mostly of fruit and berries, buds, seeds and flowers, insects being included during the summer.

Breeding

The shallow cup-shaped nest is constructed mainly by the female from twigs, bark, grass and leaves. The clutch consists of 3-4 eggs which are incubated for 12-13 days. The young fledge at about 10 days. The youngsters are generally looked after by the male.

There may be a second brood.

Vocalisation

Song: a clear whistling song. Females will sing along with the male.
It appears there may be varying accents in different localities.

References

  1. Clements, J. F., T. S. Schulenberg, M. J. Iliff, D. Roberson, T. A. Fredericks, B. L. Sullivan, and C. L. Wood. 2016. The eBird/Clements checklist of birds of the world: v2016, with updates to August 2016. Downloaded from http://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist/download/
  2. Cornell
  3. BF Member observations
  4. psu.edu

Recommended Citation

External Links


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