Editing Cardinalidae

{{Short description|Bird family}}
{{Use American English|date=September 2021}}
{{Automatic taxobox
|name = Cardinalids
| fossil_range = [[Miocene]]-[[Holocene]], {{fossilrange|12|0}}
|image = Dickcissel (257310149).jpeg
|image_caption = Male breeding [[dickcissel]] (''Spiza americana'').
| image2 = Northern Cardinal Broadside.jpg
| image2_caption = Male [[northern cardinal]] (''Cardinalis cardinalis'').
|taxon = Cardinalidae
|authority = [[Robert Ridgway|Ridgway]], 1901
|type_species           = ''[[Northern cardinal|Loxia cardinalis]]''
|type_species_authority = [[Carl Linnaeus|Linnaeus]], [[10th edition of Systema Naturae|1758]]
|subdivision_ranks = Genera
|subdivision =
''[[Pheucticus]]''<br>
''[[Granatellus]]''<br>
''[[Spiza]]''<br>
''[[Cyanoloxia]]''<br>
''[[Amaurospiza]]''<br>
''[[Cyanocompsa]]''<br>
''[[Passerina]]''<br>
''[[Habia (bird)|Habia]]''<br>
''[[Chlorothraupis]]''<br>
''[[Cardinalis]]''<br>
''[[Caryothraustes]]''<br>
''[[Periporphyrus]]''<br>
''[[Driophlox]]''<br>
''[[Piranga]]''
}}

'''Cardinalidae''' (sometimes referred to as the "'''cardinal-grosbeaks'''" or simply the  "'''cardinals'''") is a family of [[New World]]-[[Endemism|endemic]] [[passerine]] [[bird]]s that consists of [[Cardinalis|cardinal]]s, [[grosbeak]]s, and [[Passerina|buntings]]. It also includes several other genera such as the tanager-like ''[[Piranga]]'' and the warbler-like ''[[Granatellus]]''. Membership of this family is not easily defined by a single or even a set of physical characteristics, but instead by molecular work. Among songbirds, they range from average-sized to relatively large, and have stout features, some species with large, heavy bills. 

Members of this group are beloved for their brilliant red, yellow, or blue plumages seen in many of the breeding males in this family. Most species are monogamous breeders that nest in [[Bird nest#Cup|open-cup nests]], with parents taking turns incubating the eggs and taking care of their young. Most are [[arboreal]] species, although the [[dickcissel]] is a ground-dwelling [[prairie]] bird. 

In terms of conservation, most members of this family are considered [[least concern]] by the [[IUCN Red List]], though a few birds, such as the [[Carrizal seedeater]], are considered to be [[endangered]].

==Field characteristics==
{{multiple image
| align = left
| total_width = 320
| image1 = Blue Grosbeak male RWD.jpg
| alt1 = 
| caption1 = The male of the [[blue grosbeak]] showing the brilliant blue coloration with brown shoulders
| image2 = Blue Grosbeak female RWD3.jpg
| alt2 = 
| caption2 = The female of the blue grosbeak is predominantly brown
| footer = 
| direction = 
}}

The grosbeaks, seedeaters, and cardinals have large bills, while ''Granatellus'' and buntings have small bills. The cardinalid tanagers have stout, near pointed bills, with some species of ''Piranga'' having serrations along the edge of their upper bills.<ref name="sibleybirdlife2001b"/> This bill shape is not always an indicator of relationships, as the various species of blue cardinalid species, like the [[blue grosbeak]] and ''Cyanoloxia'' grosbeaks are related to the buntings. Similarly, the cardinalid tanagers are closer to the cardinals and masked grosbeaks (see more in the [[#Systematics|systematics section]]). The head is medium to large in size, with a medium neck length. The body of cardinalids ranges from small to medium with lengths of 4.5 to 11 in (11 to 28 cm). Legs are also short to medium in length. The wings are medium and pointed. Cardinalids have nine visible primary feathers with the tenth primary feather being short in comparison.<ref name="sibleybirdlife2001a">{{cite book | last1 = Thompson | first1 = C. W. | year = 2001 | chapter = Cardinals and Allies | editor1-last = Sibley | editor1-first = D.| editor2-last = Elphick | editor2-first = C. | editor3-last = Dunning | editor3-first = J. B. Jr. | title = The Sibley Guide to Bird Life & Behavior. | publisher = Alfred A. Knopf, Inc |location= New York City | pages = 536–541 |isbn = 1400043867}}</ref><ref name="dunne&karlson2021">{{cite book | last1 = Dunne | first1 = P. | last2 = Karlson | first2 = K. T. |year=2021 |title=Bird Families of North America. |publisher= Mariner Books |location= Location | pages = 1–288 |isbn = 978-0358164074}}</ref><ref name="CardinalidaeBoW"/> 

The plumages in cardinalids are [[Sexual dimorphism|sexually dichromatic]] as many males of various species display bright reds, oranges, blues or blacks. In most temperate species, males will undergo molting between seasons, so that non-breeding males will somewhat resemble the females of their species. These species, such as the [[indigo bunting]], will exhibit a complex molt cycle going through four different stages of plumage coverage within their first year of life. From spring to summer, birds start with juvenile plumage to supplemental plumage, then changing to a first basic (nonbreeding) plumage from fall to winter, and finally reaching the first alternate (breeding) plumage. Adults will typically have the basic two molt cycle changing to basic or partial in the late summer or fall, and then back to alternate again in the spring. Males of tropical species will have the same coloration year-round. Females of all species are either drabber in coloration by comparison, often having a lighter coloration of the males. The molting pattern in most cardinalids exhibits delayed plumage maturation, causing the first-year male birds to often be in non-breeding plumage or at an intermediate stage.<ref name="sibleybirdlife2001a"/> The molting pattern in cardinalids is divided into two types. A preformative molt is a partial molt where only the body feathers get replaced, but not the wing and tail feathers, which is seen in a lot of temperate and neotropical species. The second type is an eccentric preformative molt when only the outer primary and inner secondaries are replaced. This molt is seen in some species of ''[[Cyanoloxia]]'' and ''[[Passerina]]''.<ref name=Guallaretal2020>{{cite journal | last1 = Guallar | first1 = S. | last2 = Rueda-Hernández | first2 = R. | last3 = Pyle | first3 = P. | year = 2020 | title = Preformative molt in Neotropical Cardinalidae. | url = https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s43388-020-00024-z | journal=Ornithology Research | volume = 28 | issue = 4 | pages = 250–257 | doi=10.1007/s43388-020-00024-z| bibcode = 2020OrniR..28..250G | hdl = 2072/377740 | s2cid = 228930759 | hdl-access = free }}</ref><ref name=Guallaretal2021/>

==Systematics==
Traditionally, members of this group were classified as a tribe of the [[finch]] family [[Fringillidae]] ('''Cardinalini'''), characterized by heavy, conical, seed-crushing bills. The group consisted of the genera ''[[Pheucticus]]'', ''[[Parkerthraustes]]'', ''[[Saltator]]'', ''[[Spiza]]'', ''[[Cyanocompsa]]'', ''Cyanoloxia'', ''[[Porphyrospiza]]'', ''Passerina'', ''[[Caryothraustes]]'', ''[[Periporphyrus]]'', and ''[[Cardinalis]]''. The issue that taxonomists had faced was that there were no unifying morphological traits that were in agreement for various studies.<ref name=Hellacketal1977>{{cite journal | last1 = Hellack | first1 = J. J. | last2 = Schnell | first2 = G. D. | year = 1977 | title = Phenetic analysis of the subfamily Cardinalinae using external and skeletal characters. | url = https://www.jstor.org/stable/4160878 | journal=The Wilson Bulletin | volume = 89 | issue = 1 | pages = 130–148 | doi=| jstor = 4160878 }}</ref> In 2007, a mitochondrial DNA study by Klicka, Burns and Spellman sampling all of the aforementioned genera and 34 of the total 42 species, found that the genera ''Parkerthraustes'', ''Saltator'', and ''Porphyrospiza'' were not members of the cardinal-lineage, but instead are found throughout in the tanager-lineage ([[Thraupidae]]). The genera classified as thraupids at the time, ''Piranga'', ''[[Habia (bird)|Habia]]'', ''[[Chlorothraupis]]'', and ''[[Amaurospiza]]'', are found to be part of cardinalid radiation. In addition the genus ''[[Granatellus]]'', originally classified as a [[New World warbler|parulid warbler]], are also found to be part of Cardinalidae.<ref name=Klickaetal2007>{{cite journal | last1 = Klicka | first1 = J. | last2 = Burns | first2 = K. | last3 = Spellman | first3 = G. M. | year = 2007 | title = Defining a monophyletic Cardinalini: a molecular perspective. | url = https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1055790307002515 | journal=Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution | volume = 45 | issue = 3 | pages=1014–1032 | doi=10.1016/j.ympev.2007.07.006| pmid = 17920298 | bibcode = 2007MolPE..45.1014K | url-access = subscription }}</ref> The study found that with this new relationship Cardinalidae can be classified into six subgroups, which have been supported by subsequent studies. The six subclades consists of the ''Pheucticus'' lineage, the ''Granatellus'' lineage, the “blue” lineage (''Spiza'', ''Cyanoloxia'', ''Amaurospiza'', ''Cyanocompsa'', and ''Passerina''), the ''Habia'' lineage (''Habia'' and ''Chlorothraupis''), the “masked” lineage (''Caryothraustes'', ''Periporphyrus'', and ''Cardinalis''), and the ''Piranga'' lineage (''Piranga'' and ''Driophlox'').<ref name=Klickaetal2007/><ref name=Scott2022/> These subclades and membership of these genera have been widely supported in subsequent studies.<ref name=Barkeretal2015/><ref name=oliveros>{{ cite journal | last1=Oliveros | first1=C.H. | display-authors=etal | year=2019 | title=Earth history and the passerine superradiation | journal=Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States | volume=116 | issue=16 | pages=7916–7925 | doi=10.1073/pnas.1813206116 | pmid=30936315 | pmc=6475423 | doi-access=free | bibcode=2019PNAS..116.7916O }}</ref> A 2021 paper by Guallar et al. based on the preformative molting pattern of cardinalids suggested the ancestor of this group was a forest-dwelling bird that dispersed into open habitats on numerous occasions.<ref name=Guallaretal2021>{{cite journal | last1 = Guallar | first1 = S. | last2 = Rueda-Hernández | first2 = R. | last3 = Pyle | first3 = P. | year = 2021 | title =Evolution of the preformative molt in Cardinalidae correlates with transitions from forest to open habitats. | url = https://academic.oup.com/auk/article/138/1/ukaa070/6124501?login=true | journal=The Auk | volume = 138 | issue = 1 | doi=10.1093/ornithology/ukaa070| url-access = subscription }}</ref>

The cardinalids are part of a larger grouping of American endemic songbirds, [[Emberizoidea]], which also includes the aforementioned thraupids and parulids, as well as [[icterid]]s (New World blackbirds), [[New World sparrow|passerellid]]s (New World sparrows), and several families that contain one or a couple of genera. Several studies have placed cardinalids as either the sister group to Thraupidae,<ref name=Barkeretal2015>{{cite journal | last1 = Barker | first1 = F. K. | last2 = Burns | first2 = K. J. | last3 = Klicka | first3 = J. | last4 = Lanyon | first4 = S. M. | last5 = Lanyon | first5 = I. J. | year = 2014 | title = New insights into New World biogeography: An integrated view from the phylogeny of blackbirds, cardinals, sparrows, tanagers, warblers, and allies. | url = https://academic.oup.com/auk/article/132/2/333/5149039 | journal = The Auk: Ornithological Advances | volume = 132 | issue = 2| pages = 333–348 | doi=10.1642/AUK-14-110.1| s2cid = 53058340 }}</ref> [[Mitrospingidae]] (a small family whose genera were formerly classified as thraupids),<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Barker |first1=F. Keith |last2=Burns |first2=Kevin J. |last3=Klicka |first3=John |last4=Lanyon |first4=Scott M. |last5=Lovette |first5=Irby J. |title=Going to extremes: contrasting rates of diversification in a recent radiation of New World passerine birds |journal=Systematic Biology |date=2013 |volume=62 |issue=2 |pages=298–320 |doi=10.1093/sysbio/sys094 |pmid=23229025 |doi-access=free }}</ref> or the sister to a clade containing thraupids and mitrospingids.<ref name=oliveros/> At least one study suggested that cardinalids could treated as a subfamily of Thraupidae.<ref name=Selvattietal2015>{{cite journal | last1 = Selvatti | first1 = A. P. | last2 = Gonzaga | first2 = L. P. | last3 = de Moraes Russo | first3 = C. A. | year = 2015 | title = A Paleogene origin for crown passerines and the diversification of the Oscines in the New World. | journal = Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution | volume = 88 | pages = 1–15 | doi=10.1016/j.ympev.2015.03.018| pmid = 25837731 | doi-access = free | bibcode = 2015MolPE..88....1S }}</ref>

===Phylogeny===
The genus level [[cladogram]] of the Cardinalidae shown below is based on [[molecular phylogenetic]] study published in 2024 that analysed DNA sequences flanking [[ultraconserved element]]s (UCEs).<ref name=Scott2022>{{ cite thesis | last=Scott | first=B.F. | date=2022 | title=Phylogenetics of Cardinalidae and the impact of habitat, climate, and ecology on the evolution of color | publisher=San Diego State University | degree=MSc | url=https://digitalcollections.sdsu.edu/do/63714134-c4f9-45de-9f4d-7dff24b8e469 }}</ref> The number of species in each genus is taken from the list maintained by [[Frank Gill (ornithologist)|Frank Gill]], [[Pamela C. Rasmussen]] and David Donsker on behalf of the [[International Ornithological Committee]] (IOC).<ref name=ioc>{{cite web| editor1-last=Gill | editor1-first=Frank | editor1-link=Frank Gill (ornithologist) | editor2-last=Donsker | editor2-first=David | editor3-last=Rasmussen | editor3-first=Pamela | editor3-link=Pamela C. Rasmussen | date=July 2024 | title=Cardinals, grosbeaks and 'tanager' allies | work=IOC World Bird List Version 14.2 | url=https://www.worldbirdnames.org/bow/cardinals/ | publisher=International Ornithologists' Union | access-date=24 October 2024 }}</ref>

{{clade|style=font-size:100%;line-height:100%
|label1='''Cardinalidae'''
|1={{clade
   |1=''[[Pheucticus]]'' – grosbeaks (6 species)
   |2={{clade
      |1={{clade
         |1=''[[Granatellus]]'' – chats (3 species)
         |2={{clade
            |1=''[[Spiza]]'' – dickcissel
            |2={{clade
               |1=''[[Cyanoloxia]]'' – grosbeaks (4 species)
               |2={{clade
                  |1=''[[Amaurospiza]]'' – seedeaters (4 species)
                  |2={{clade
                     |1=''[[Cyanocompsa]]'' – blue bunting
                     |2=''[[Passerina]]'' – buntings + blue grosbeak (7 species)
                     }}
                  }}
               }}
            }}
         }}
      |2={{clade
         |1={{clade
            |1=''[[Habia (bird)|Habia]]'' – red-crowned ant tanager
            |2=''[[Chlorothraupis]]'' – tanagers (4 species)
            }}
         |2={{clade
            |1={{clade
               |1=''[[Cardinalis]]'' – cardinals + pyrrhuloxia (3 species)
               |2={{clade
                  |1=''[[Caryothraustes]]'' – grosbeaks (2 species)
                  |2=''[[Periporphyrus]]'' – grosbeaks (2 species)
                  }}
               }}
            |2={{clade
               |1=''[[Driophlox]]'' – ant tanagers (4 species, formerly assigned to ''Habia'')
               |2=''[[Piranga]]'' – tanagers (11 species)
               }}
            }}
         }}
      }}
   }}
}}

===Species list===
The following 53 species and 14 genera are recognized by the IOC as of July 2024:<ref name=ioc/>
{| class="wikitable collapsible"
|-
! Image !! Genus  !! Living species
|-
|[[File:Yellow Grosbeak RWD.jpg|175px]] ||''[[Pheucticus]]'' {{small|L. Reichenbach, 1850}}   || 
*[[Yellow grosbeak]], ''Pheucticus chrysopeplus''
*[[Black-thighed grosbeak]], ''Pheucticus tibialis''
*[[Golden grosbeak]], ''Pheucticus chrysogaster''
*[[Black-backed grosbeak]], ''Pheucticus aureoventris''
*[[Rose-breasted grosbeak]], ''Pheucticus ludovicianus''
*[[Black-headed grosbeak]], ''Pheucticus melanocephalus''
|-
|[[File:Red-breasted Chat - Oaxaca - Mexico S4E8587 (23040934886).jpg|175px]] ||''[[Granatellus]]'' {{small|Bonaparte, 1850}}   || 
*[[Red-breasted chat]], ''Granatellus venustus''
*[[Grey-throated chat]], ''Granatellus sallaei''
*[[Rose-breasted chat]], ''Granatellus pelzelni''
|-
|[[File:DickcisselA.jpg|175px]] ||''[[Spiza]]'' {{small|Bonaparte, 1824}}   || 
*[[Dickcissel]], ''Spiza americana''
|-
|[[File:Cyanocompsa brissonii -Vale do Ribeira, Registro, Sao Paulo, Brasil -male-8.jpg|175px]] ||''[[Cyanoloxia]]'' {{small|Bonaparte, 1850}}   || 
*[[Glaucous-blue grosbeak]], ''Cyanoloxia glaucocaerulea''
*[[Blue-black grosbeak]], ''Cyanoloxia cyanoides''
*[[Amazonian grosbeak]], ''Cyanoloxia rothschildii''
*[[Ultramarine grosbeak]], ''Cyanoloxia brissonii''
|-
|[[File:Amaurospiza moesta - Blackish-blue seedeater (male).JPG|175px]] ||''[[Amaurospiza]]'' {{small|Cabanis, 1861}}   || 
*[[Cabanis's seedeater]], ''Amaurospiza concolor''
*[[Ecuadorian seedeater]], ''Amaurospiza aequatorialis''
*[[Blackish-blue seedeater]], ''Amaurospiza moesta''
*[[Carrizal seedeater]], ''Amaurospiza carrizalensis''
|-
|[[File:Blue Bunting From The Crossley ID Guide Eastern Birds.jpg|175px]] ||''[[Cyanocompsa]]'' {{small|Cabanas, 1861}}   || 
*[[Blue bunting]], ''Cyanocompsa parellina''
|-
|[[File:Passerina ciris-20090208.jpg|175px]] ||''[[Passerina]]'' {{small|Vieillot, 1816}} North American buntings  || 
*[[Blue grosbeak]], ''Passerina caerulea''
*[[Indigo bunting]], ''Passerina cyanea''
*[[Lazuli bunting]], ''Passerina amoena''
*[[Varied bunting]], ''Passerina versicolor''
*[[Painted bunting]], ''Passerina ciris''
*[[Rose-bellied bunting]], ''Passerina rositae''
*[[Orange-breasted bunting]], ''Passerina leclancherii''
|-
|[[File:Habia rubica - Red-crowned Ant-Tanager (male).JPG|175px]] ||''[[Habia (bird)|Habia]]'' {{small|Blyth, 1840}}   || 
*[[Red-crowned ant tanager]], ''Habia rubica''
|-
|[[File:Chlorothraupis carmioli -Costa Rica-8.jpg|175px]] ||''[[Chlorothraupis]]'' {{small|Salvin & Godman, 1883}}   || 
*[[Carmiol's tanager]], ''Chlorothraupis carmioli''
*[[Yellow-lored tanager]], ''Chlorothraupis frenata''
*[[Lemon-spectacled tanager]], ''Chlorothraupis olivacea''
*[[Ochre-breasted tanager]], ''Chlorothraupis stolzmanni''
|-
|[[File:Northern Cardinal (34121550154).jpg|175px]] ||''[[Cardinalis]]'' {{small|Bonaparte, 1838}} || 
*[[Northern cardinal]], ''Cardinalis cardinalis''
*[[Vermilion cardinal]], ''Cardinalis phoeniceus''
*[[Pyrrhuloxia]], ''Cardinalis sinuatus''
|-
|[[File:Black-faced Grosbeak - Panama H8O0281 (23184904673).jpg|175px]] ||''[[Caryothraustes]]'' {{small|L. Reichenbach, 1850}}  || 
*[[Black-faced grosbeak]], ''Caryothraustes poliogaster''
*[[Yellow-green grosbeak]], ''Caryothraustes canadensis''
|-
|[[File:Periporphyrus erythromelas - Red-and-black Grosbeak.jpg|175px]] ||''[[Periporphyrus]]'' {{small|L. Reichenbach, 1850}}   || 
*[[Red-and-black grosbeak]], ''Periporphyrus erythromelas''
*[[Crimson-collared grosbeak]], ''Periporphyrus celaeno''
|-
|[[File:Habia gutturalis 267546048.jpg|175px]] ||''[[Driophlox]]'' {{small|Scott, BF, Chesser, Unitt & Burns, KJ, 2024}}   || 
*[[Red-throated ant tanager]], ''Driophlox fuscicauda''
*[[Black-cheeked ant tanager]], ''Driophlox atrimaxillaris''
*[[Sooty ant tanager]], ''Driophlox gutturalis''
*[[Crested ant tanager]], ''Driophlox cristata''
|-
|[[File:Piranga leucoptera - Waraira Repano National Park, Venezuela -male-8 (cropped).jpg|175px]] ||''[[Piranga]]'' {{small|Vieillot, 1808}} || 
*[[Flame-colored tanager]],	''Piranga bidentata''
*[[Tooth-billed tanager]], ''Piranga lutea''
*[[Red tanager]], ''Piranga flava''
*[[Hepatic tanager]],	''Piranga flava''
*[[Summer tanager]],	''Piranga rubra''
*[[Rose-throated tanager]],	''Piranga roseogularis''
*[[Scarlet tanager]],	''Piranga olivacea''
*[[Western tanager]],	''Piranga ludoviciana''
*[[White-winged tanager]],	''Piranga leucoptera''
*[[Red-headed tanager]],	''Piranga erythrocephala''
*[[Red-hooded tanager]],	''Piranga rubriceps''
|-
|}

==Natural history==
===Habitat, distribution and migration===
The cardinalids can be found from [[Canada]] to northern [[Argentina]] and [[Uruguay]], with [[Central America]] having the most concentrated amount of species. Species are found year-around in the [[Central United States]] and the [[Eastern United States]] down to the [[neotropics]]. Cardinalids found in the [[West Indies]] are non-breeding migrants and those in the [[Western United States]] and Canada are breeding migrants.<ref name="dunne&karlson2021"/> The [[western tanager]] is the northernmost species in the family, with their breeding ranges occurring in the southern portions of the [[Northwest Territories]]. The northern cardinal has been introduced in [[Hawaii]] and [[Bermuda]]. They occupy a variety of habitats from forests to grassland and arid scrubland. Most North American cardinalid species migrate south for the winter, whether further south in the continent or extending into the neotropics, except the northern cardinal and [[pyrrhuloxia]] which stay year-round. The neotropical species are residential year-round in their range.<ref name="sibleybirdlife2001a"/>

===Feeding ecology===
[[Image:Scarlet tanager in GWC (25342).jpg|left|thumb|A scarlet tanager foraging in a flowering [[dogwood]] tree.]]
Cardinals, the dickcissel, seedeaters, buntings, and grosbeaks have the thicker, seed-crushing bills that enabled them to feed heavily on fruits and seeds outside of the breeding season (especially in the winter for northern species like the aforementioned dickcissel and northern cardinal). Once their breeding season begins, members of this group will supplement themselves with [[invertebrate]] prey, vital when raising their young and refueling their energetic costs of reproduction and other daily activities. The genera ''Chlorothraupis'', ''Habia'', ''Piranga'', and ''Granatellus'' have slightly longer and less deep bills, which their diet mostly consists of [[insect]]s, [[fruit]], [[nectar]] and sap, less so on [[seed]]s.<ref name="CardinalidaeBoW"/> Cardinalids typically forage alone low level or on the ground, though some like ''Piranga'' and grosbeaks will forage high in the tree canopy. Many will come to birdfeeders especially during the winter.<ref name="sibleybirdlife2001a"/>

===Breeding and reproduction===
[[Image:Cardinal eggs.JPG|thumb|A northern cardinal nest showing the nest structure and key features of their egg in Cardinalidae.]]
Nearly all cardinalids are [[Monogamy in animals|monogamous]] breeders and are highly territorial. Despite being monogamous this is only during the breeding season, and each year the birds might partner up with a different bird. The only exception is the dickcissel which is a [[Polygyny in animals|polygynous]] species which nest in dense grasses and [[sedges]]. Other non-monogamous species include the lazuli and [[painted bunting]]s which perform extra-copulation with multiple partners. The family is known for their intense brilliant songs. In some species like the [[lazuli bunting]] and indigo bunting the bird learn singing by match-based, meaning that first year breeding males will learn by copying the songs of nearby males, as opposed of learning it while they are in the nest. Even more unusual is the females of a few species, such as the [[scarlet tanager]],<ref name="sibleybirdlife2001b">{{cite book | last1 = Wells | first1 = A. C. | last2 = Wells | first2 = J. V. |year = 2001 | chapter = Tanagers | editor1-last = Sibley | editor1-first = D.| editor2-last = Elphick | editor2-first = C. | editor3-last = Dunning | editor3-first = J. B. Jr. | title = The Sibley Guide to Bird Life & Behavior. | publisher = Alfred A. Knopf, Inc |location= New York City | pages = 512–515 |isbn = 1400043867}}</ref> northern cardinal, pyrrhuloxia, and [[black-headed grosbeak]], which sing as well. In temperate species the breeding season occurs annually while in tropical species it is year-around. The breeding seasons are in sync with the abundance of insects. Most species build open-cup nests made of [[grass]]es and [[twig]]s depending on the species. These nests would be in the trees, often high up in the crown. The nest building is done by both partners or by the female alone. The male and female take turns incubating the nest, often the male would feed the female.<ref name="sibleybirdlife2001a"/> In a clutch on average there are 1 to 6 six eggs, with tropical species laying the fewest.<ref name="natgeobirdsofworld2009">{{cite book | last1 = Dittman | first1 = D. L. | last2 = Cardiff | first2 = C. W. |year = 2009 | chapter = Grosbeaks and Allies | editor1-last = Harris | editor1-first = T. | title = National Geographic Complete Birds of the World. | publisher = National Geographic |location= Washington, D.C. | pages = 362–363 |isbn = 9781426204036}}</ref> Cardinalids produce one to three broods per season. As with other passerines, the young are born [[altricial]] and fledged between one and two weeks.<ref name="natgeobirdsofworld2009"/>

==Conservation==
[[File:Black-cheeked Ant-Tanager - Rio Tigre - Costa Rica S4E9942 (26631235321).jpg|thumb|The black-cheeked ant-tanager is one of the few threatened species of Cardinalidae. Endemic to Osa Peninsula, Costa Rica, this species faces habitat loss.]]
As of 2021, the IUCN Red List has nearly 82 percent of cardinalids to be [[least-concern species|least concern]]. However, there are a handful of species that are of [[Conservation status|conservation concern]]. The [[rose-bellied bunting]] is an endemic [[near-threatened species]] as they are found in a small area of [[Oaxaca]] and [[Chiapas]], [[Mexico]]; the black-cheeked ant-tanager is another endemic species found in [[Osa Peninsula]] in [[Costa Rica]] and the carrizal seedeater a critically endangered species found in the spiny [[bamboo]] thickets in the understory of [[deciduous forest]] in a remote southeastern corner of [[Venezuela]]. All of these species are threatened with habitat loss and the confinement within their much smaller range. The IUCN has not yet reevaluate the other species of seedeaters in the genus ''Amaurospiza''.<ref name="CardinalidaeBoW">{{cite journal|last1=Winkler |first1=D. W. |last2= Billerman |first2= S. M. |last3=Lovette |first3= I. J.|date=4 March 2020 |url=https://birdsoftheworld.org/bow/species/cardin1/cur/introduction |title=Cardinals and Allies (Cardinalidae), version 1.0. |website=Birds of the World |doi=10.2173/bow.cardin1.01 |s2cid=216193779 |access-date=7 January 2022|url-access=subscription }}</ref>

Despite the vast majority of species being classified as least concern, there has been a growing concern in how the ongoing [[climate crisis]] will affect the distribution and migration of many species across the globe. One study led by Dr. Brooke L. Bateman published in July 2020 focused on the risk North American birds will face from [[climate change]] and the measures needed to protect them. The first study assessed 604 species from the United States found that if the planet warmed by 3.0 degrees Celsius many species, especially arctic birds, waterbirds, and boreal and western forest birds, will be highly [[Climate change vulnerability|vulnerable to climate change]] and future conservation efforts will need to be in place.<ref name=Batemanetal2020>{{cite journal | last1 = Bateman | first1 = B. L. | last2 = Wilsey | first2 = C. | last3 = Taylor | first3 = L. | last4 = Wu | first4 = J. | last5 = LeBaron | first5 = G. S. | last6 = Langham| first6 = G. | year = 2020 | title = North American birds require mitigation and adaptation to reduce vulnerability to climate change. | journal=Conservation Science and Practice | volume = 2 | issue = 8 | pages= | doi=10.1111/csp2.242| s2cid = 225453243 | doi-access = free | bibcode = 2020ConSP...2E.242B }}</ref> Among the species sampled, the North American species of ''Piranga'' and ''Pheucticus'' are found to be most climate vulnerable of the cardinalids.<ref name="Waters2019">{{cite web|last1=Waters |first1 = H. |date=10 October 2019 |url=https://www.audubon.org/magazine/fall-2019/a-field-guide-future-north-american-birds |title=The Future for Birds. |website=Audubon |access-date=7 January 2022}}</ref> These species will either lose some substantial amount of their range or they will migrate up north to escape the sudden change in their habitat.

A possible extinct species is the controversial [[Dickcissel#"Townsend's dickcissel"|Townsend's bunting]], a supposed enigmatic species related to the dickcissel. The Townsend's bunting is only known from a single type specimen collected from Chester County, Pennsylvania by [[John Kirk Townsend]] and described by [[John James Audubon]] in 1834. The specimen is housed in the [[National Museum of Natural History]]. Genetic work has not been done on this bird, but observation of the plumage has been done. The controversy stems from the uncertainty from authors whether the bird is an extinct species, a rare color-variant of the dickcissel, or a hybrid female dickcissel and male blue grosbeak. If the bird is indeed simply a dickcissel it lacks any of the known field characteristics seen in the species in all life stages and sexes.<ref name="HumeExtinctBirds2017">{{cite book | last1 = Hume | first1 = J. P. | year = 2017 | title = Extinct Birds. | publisher = Bloomsbury Publishing |location= London | pages = 1–560 |isbn = 9781472937469}}</ref>

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
*[http://ibc.lynxeds.com/family/saltators-cardinals-allies-cardinalidae Cardinalidae videos, photos and sounds] on the Internet Bird Collection
*[https://xeno-canto.org/set/4130 Cardinalidae sounds] on xeno-canto.org
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20131228093246/http://www.petinfospot.com/bird/cardinal-northern-843/ Northern cardinal (bird information)] on petinfospot.com
*[http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Northern_Cardinal/id Northern cardinal], including sound and video clips, on Cornell Lab of Ornithology

{{Taxonbar|from=Q223402}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Bird families]]
[[Category:Cardinalidae| ]]
[[Category:Birds of the Americas]]
[[Category:Taxa named by Robert Ridgway]]