kids encyclopedia robot

Red-crested cardinal facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts
Quick facts for kids
Red-crested cardinal
Paroaria coronata -Koke'e State Park, Hawaii, USA-8.jpg
At Koke'e State Park, Hawaii
Conservation status
CITES Appendix II (CITES)
Scientific classification
Genus:
Paroaria
Species:
coronata
Paroaria coronata map.svg

The red-crested cardinal (Paroaria coronata) is a songbird, the species belonging to the family of tanagers (Thraupidae). Notwithstanding its similar name, this bird is not closely related to the true cardinal family (Cardinalidae). It is sometimes known as the Brazilian cardinal.

Etymology

The genus name Paroaria comes from the 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 Brazil's Rio Grande do Sul, southern part of the Pantanal, northern Argentina, Bolivia, Paraguay and Uruguay.

It has also been introduced to Hawaii, Puerto Rico and Chile. 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 500 metres (1,600 ft) 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 (P. dominicana). It is also similar to the yellow-billed cardinal (P. capitata), but the latter bird has a black throat, darker upper parts and a bright yellow bill.

Biology

This species mainly feed on seeds (of Chloris virgata, Eleusine tristachya, Setaria parviflora and Spergula villosa), fruits (of Celtis tala, Grabowskia duplicata, Holmbergia tweedii, Morus alba, and Sapium haematospermum), insects and small arthropods, generally searched for on the ground in pairs or small groups. Average lifespan is about 3.8 years.

Gallery

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Cardenilla crestada para niños

kids search engine
Red-crested cardinal Facts for Kids. Kiddle Encyclopedia.