Red-crested cardinal


The red-crested cardinal is a songbird, the species belonging to the family of the tanagers. Notwithstanding its similar name, this bird is not closely related to the true cardinal family.

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.

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.
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.

Habitat

Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical dry shrubland and heavily degraded former forest, at an elevation up to above sea level. It often occurs close to rivers, marshes and lakes.

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.
This species is very similar to a close relative, the red-cowled cardinal. It is also similar to the yellow-billed cardinal, but the latter bird has a black throat, darker upper parts and a bright yellow bill.

Biology

This species mainly feed on seeds, fruits, insects and small arthropods, generally searched for on the ground in pairs or small groups. Average lifespan is about 3.8 years.

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