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Pyrrhuloxia

Cardinalis sinuatusOrder: PASSERIFORMESFamily: Cardinals and Grosbeaks (Cardinalidae)

Pyrrhuloxia Breeding Male Portrait
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General

Pyrrhuloxia: Large cardinal-like finch with conspicuous red-tipped gray crest, gray head, back, and upperparts, red-washed face and breast, and pale gray underparts. Wings are dark gray with red edges on primaries. Tail is red. Bill is thick, crooked, and yellow. Female is duller and with less red.

Range and Habitat

Pyrrhuloxia: Resident from Arizona, southern New Mexico, and southern Texas southward. Prefers desert brush, especially along streambeds.

Listen to Call

Voice Text

"chewee, chewee, chewee, wheet, wheet, wheet", "plik", "chink."

Interesting Facts

 The Pyrrhuloxia was first described in 1838 by Charles Lucien Bonaparte, French naturalist and ornithologist, and nephew of Emperor Napoleon.

 Its name comes from Greek terms describing its coloration and the shape of its bill.

 It has been occasionally suggested that a more appropriate name would be "Desert Cardinal".



Author

Gary Owen Dick

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Range Map for Pyrrhuloxia
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Bird Call Credits: The Macaulay Library of Natural Sounds at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. Martyn Stewart, http://www.naturesound.org, Redmond, Washington USA. The reuse or copying of bird calls in this database is strictly forbidden.
Family Cardinals and Grosbeaks (Cardinalidae)_blue
Species Cardinalis sinuatus
Length8.75 Inches
Wingspan11.25 Inches

Pyrrhuloxia

Pyrrhuloxia: Large cardinal-like finch with conspicuous red-tipped gray crest, gray head, back, upperparts, red-washed face, breast, and pale gray underparts. Dark gray wings with red edges on primaries. Tail is red. Thick yellow bill. Eats insects, larvae, seeds, fruits and berries.

● Song: "chewee, chewee, chewee, wheet, wheet, wheet", "plik", "chink."

● Foraging & Feeding: Pyrrhuloxia: Eats flower spikes, various fruits, berries, seeds, and insects.

● Breeding & nesting: Pyrrhuloxia: Three to four light gray or green eggs with brown dots and flecks are laid in a nest made of thorny twigs, weeds, grass, and bark pieces, and lined with rootlets and fine materials. Nest is built in a shrub or thicket, 5 to 15 feet above the ground. Eggs are incubated for 14 days by the female.

● Similar species: Pyrrhuloxia: Northern Cardinal has red bill and is redder overall.

Flight Pattern

Short flights low over vegetation, with rapid wing beats alternating with brief periods of wings pulled to sides.
Pyrrhuloxia Breeding Male Body Illustration
● Range & Habitat: Pyrrhuloxia: Resident from Arizona, southern New Mexico, and southern Texas southward. Prefers desert brush, especially along streambeds.
BreedingMonogamous, Solitary nester
PopulationFairly common
MigrationNonmigratory
Weight1.3 Ounces